On-demand comicbook market opens using HP Indigo print solutions

Courtesy of Print21

Print on-demand businesses in Australia using HP Indigo print solutions will soon be able to tap into significant new market, by printing individual copies of a huge range of comic books and magazines for local fans, thanks to a tie-up between HP and global comicbook repository Comix.one.

The collaboration will be launched later this month, and adds another string to the bow of HP Indigo print on-demand operators. The collaboration combines Comix.one’s creator platform with HP’s global Print Service Provider network and integrated workflow technology, to deliver what Comix says will be a ‘seamless’ print-on-demand experience.

According to market research operation Cognitive Research the 2025 value of comicbooks in Australia was $200m, and it forecasts the market will rise by 50 per cent in the next eight years to $300m, as demand from fans grows. The independent comicbook sector is much smaller, but likely to see similar growth.

While HP has a large install base of customers using its hardware and software in Australia, the customers Comix.one brings on as print partners for fulfilment will be decided between Comix.one and the Print Service Provider.

Which orders go to which printers will be decided by Comix.one, and the commercial arrangements will be between Comix.one and the PSPs participating in Comix.one’s fulfilment network.

The integrated production workflow will see HP’s Brand Center software and SiteFlow APIs integrated into the Comix.one platform, streamlining the process from pre-press proofing through to fulfilment. Essentially the purchaser buys the comic on the Comix website, which then redirects the order to the local printers who are using HP Indigo print equipment.

According to HP it brings experience, reliability and scale with seamless connection to its network of Print Service Providers, as well as what is says is the “intuitiveness” of the HP Brand Center software and HP SiteFlow APIs. Through deeper integration with the platform, Comix.one is bringing the full print process flow into the platform. From pre-press proofing to sending the book orders directly to the partner PSPs, Comix.one intends to build the whole workflow directly into the dashboard.

There will be a phased rollout into multiple countries. The fans of comic books in Australia, the USA, Canada, UK, and the EU will be the first to be able to order books on demand from Comix.one.