HP Updates Hardware, Software and Services for Creative Pros

Z by HP is a collection of high-powered computers and accessories for artists, designers, photographers, and video editors. The portfolio includes a 3D scanning camera, combination laptop/tablet computers, desktop workstations for virtual reality, color-calibrating displays, and wide-format printers with built-in spectrophotometers for color management. All of these tools deliver the productivity, versatility, and security that creative professionals need to do their best work

“Today’s creatives need specialized tools and solutions to help them stay in the creative zone, increase their productivity, and create whenever and wherever inspiration strikes,” said Xavier Garcia, vice president and general manager, Z by HP Inc. “We are listening to creative pros and investing in innovation that makes it easier for them to unleash their creativity.”

HP ZBook Studio x360
HP ZBook Studio x360

At the 2018 Adobe® MAX conference for creative professionals in October, HP Inc. introduced powerful new hardware and feature-rich software and services to reinvent how the world creates.

Improvements to Z by HP Portfolio

At Adobe MAX, HP announced that HP ZBook Studio, HP ZBook Studio x360, HP ZBook 15, and HP ZBook 17 have been enhanced with greater processing power, innovative security features, and bright displays.

The performance increase, with six-core Intel® Core™i9 processors, will enable creatives to tackle heavier workloads such as video editing and 3D rendering. The expanded memory option up to 32 GB of memory allows users to work faster with large amounts of data. To provide greater peace of mind, the RAID 1 mirrored SSD storage feature provides automatic backup of valuable data. Both the HP ZBook Studio and Studio x360 gain a boost in graphics performance and the ability to seamlessly render and edit with the NVIDIA® Quadro® P2000 graphics card.

The HP ZBook Studio x360 is one of the most powerful convertible PCs in the world. By providing the comfort of a laptop with the convenience of a tablet, users can reimagine the creative process. HP ZBook Studio features an optional new anti-glare touchscreen, so you can continue to be productivity whether you are working outdoors on a sunny day or in a brightly lit environment. The latest generation of Corning Gorllia Glass provides enhanced durability.

The immersive HP DreamColor anti-glare display supports 100 percent Adobe RGB, has 600 nits of brightness. This is 20 percent brighter than the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch Retina display and 50 percent brighter than the Dell XPS UltraSharp 4K display.

“With HP bringing new powerful options to the Adobe community, creatives can select from a range of new products that best fit their digital workflows,” said Bryan Lamkin, executive vice president and general manager Digital Media at Adobe. “The combination of Adobe Creative Cloud® and Z by HP hardware and HP printing products will help our community continue to push the boundaries of their creativity.”

To view all of the products in Z by HP product line, go here.

HP SmartStream Designer for Designers

HP Inc. makes dozens of digital printers for design and technical documents, signage and decoration, general and commercial publishing, labels, packaging, and textiles.

According to Doris Brown-McNally, global brand innovation manager, digital printing is changing how design and brands behave. Digital print technologies can take a core design and change its colors, copy, images, and composition from print to print.

To unleash the limitless, creative possibilities of digital print and packaging, HP now offers a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator CC called SmartStream Designer for Designers (D4D).

HP Smartstream D4D

HP SmartStream D4D is a suite of “light” design solutions that empower designers to customize and personalize any design through the use of variable text, color, and images. With the SmartStream Mosaic feature in the D4D software, designers can create seed files that can be infinitely manipulated through the use of algorithms to create endlessly unique designs in real-time. HP SmartStream D4D is now available as a free download plug-in app for both Mac and PC platforms on Adobe Exchange.

With SmartStream Designer software, every package can have a different design.

“HP Digital Print has the ability to make packaging and other printed materials more agile and limitless. But until now, there has a been a gap between concept and creation,” said Nancy James, global head of brand innovation, HP Inc. “With HP SmartStream D4D, designers can play with the powerful software in Adobe Illustrator CC to create memorable and impactful packaging campaigns for global and local brands.”

To learn more about HP SmartStream D4D and view stories about how the software transformed the way creatives design for print, go here.