In 1999, digital production printing still had to prove itself against offset printing. Look Graphic in Geneva made a decision back then that would shape the company for more than 25 years. The company invested in its first digital printing press, an HP Indigo ePrint 1000+. By 2025, the HP Indigo 7K—the company’s fifth machine using this technology—had already been added to its fleet.

This continuity is not based on a fundamental commitment to a single manufacturer. Rather, the key factor is that Indigo technology has met the printing company’s technical requirements, its customers’ expectations, and its production needs for many years.

From Photolithography to Digital Printing

Look Graphic was founded in 1985 and initially operated in the field of photolithography. In 1991, the company invested in a Scitex mounting system combined with a large-format imagesetter. With the increasing prevalence of CtP systems and the integration of prepress operations into printing facilities, Look Graphic had to tap into a new business segment.

The company began exploring digital printing. The decision wasn’t made on a whim. Look Graphic evaluated the available systems and conducted numerous tests. Indigo technology stood out for its flexibility, but above all for the print quality of its liquid inks. “The other solutions produced a high-gloss result with a slightly noticeable texture. All of them, except for Indigo technology,” explains Pierre Mouchet, CEO of Look Graphic.

In 1999, the company purchased an HP Indigo ePrint 1000+. The matte print finish on both coated and uncoated papers closely resembled offset printing and had no detectable texture. For Look Graphic, this was a decisive factor. It enabled the company to offer offset printers short runs whose appearance matched that of conventionally produced printed materials. The move into digital printing was also driven by economic factors. In the late 1990s, demand for typesetting and film production declined sharply. Look Graphic sought a way to produce short runs as a service provider for other print shops and to tailor its offerings to the changing needs of its customers.

Look Graphic - Five HP Indigo Presses in 25 Years of Digital Printing — Pierre Mouchet, Managing Director of Look Graphic

Five Machines in Step with the Company's Growth

The first ePrint 1000+ marked the beginning of a series of further investments. In 2008, Look Graphic installed an HP 3050. In 2015, it was replaced by an HP 5500. Key improvements included greater flexibility and faster print speeds. In 2021, the company invested in an HP Indigo 7R. Criteria such as productivity and more resource-efficient production with less waste played a role in the decision. When the end of service for the 7R was announced in 2024, Look Graphic began planning its replacement early on. The company opted for an HP Indigo 7K, which was installed in 2025. It is the company’s fifth Indigo digital press since 1999. With the 7K, Look Graphic has observed greater color stability, particularly at low ink coverage levels and in uniform solid areas. The company also rates the ink adhesion on the substrates used as better than with the previous generation.

This timeline reflects technological continuity, but also sets clear requirements for every investment. Each generation of machines must overcome specific limitations of its predecessor and open up new production possibilities.

From Small-Volume Production to High-Value-Added Applications

Look Graphic's business model is based on fast turnaround times, customization, small print runs, and cost control. Its client base includes private individuals, associations, cultural institutions, industrial companies, and clients in the premium segment.

Print runs are shrinking, while design requirements are increasing. Digital printing not only handles tasks that would be uneconomical for offset printing in small runs; it also enables applications that could only be produced using other printing processes with significant effort or at higher costs. Variable data plays a central role in this. Look Graphic can customize text and images for each individual copy. This capability has contributed to the expansion of the business as a production partner for other print shops. The machine’s PSO mode allows digital printing to closely match the appearance of offset printing, thereby facilitating collaboration with conventional print shops.

For Pierre Mouchet, this similarity to offset printing is one of the technology’s strengths: “When it comes to getting as close as possible to the print quality of offset printing, HP Indigo remains the best solution for us.”

Seven ink units and an expanded color gamut

Across the various generations of machines, Look Graphic identifies three key advancements. The first concerns print speed. The second lies in the expansion of the color gamut from four to seven colors. Based on the experience described, the combination of CMYK, violet, orange, and green covers up to 93 percent of the color gamut. The third advancement concerns functional colors such as opaque Premium White and the metallic color Silver.

The seven inking units of the HP Indigo 7K can be equipped with additional colors or configured for white and silver. Silver can be overprinted with other colors to create various metallic shades. Look Graphic leverages these capabilities for sophisticated, high-value-added applications. Opaque white offers an alternative to screen printing for a variety of applications. In OneShot mode, the inks are first transferred to the blanket and then applied to the substrate in a single printing pass. This ensures precise registration even on dimensionally unstable materials and is suitable for certain label applications, among others. A primer in the first inking unit expands the range of printable substrates. Look Graphic can process papers, textured materials, and synthetic substrates without generally requiring external pretreatment prior to printing.

Productivity Starts with Setup

The improvements are not limited to print quality. Look Graphic is already seeing productivity gains during job preparation. The press can be set up more quickly and requires very little waste. Switching between different substrates has also been simplified across the various generations of the press.

These improvements reflect the changing requirements of the projects. Production times are getting shorter. Customers demand more consistent quality and greater color accuracy. Agencies and cultural institutions often take a creative approach, the evaluation of which can remain subjective. Companies typically define their goals more concretely and are more willing to accept certain compromises resulting from production-related constraints. Personalization, responsiveness, and the cost-effective production of small print runs are thus becoming just as integral to the service as print quality.

Technology as a Business Decision

Look Graphic does not seek to position itself by competing on price and volume for large orders. The company focuses on niches that traditional print shops do not serve, or serve only to a limited extent. Its business model is based on agility, flexibility, personalization, and mastery of digital printing applications. This approach is underpinned by the structure of a family-owned business and a team with diverse expertise. Look Graphic maintains close relationships with a local, diverse, and discerning client base. “We don’t have any small clients,” says Pierre Mouchet.

After five generations of presses, Look Graphic’s commitment to HP Indigo is evident not only in the number of digital presses installed. It is also reflected in a production model developed over decades that is designed for short runs, consistency with offset printing, fast turnaround times, and high-value-added applications.

When asked which achievement he is most proud of, Pierre Mouchet points to Look Graphic’s ability to evolve alongside technological advancements while simultaneously supporting its customers and fostering long-term loyalty. To this day, technical challenges and satisfied customers remain his key motivators.

More than 25 years after the installation of the ePrint 1000+, the HP Indigo 7K continues this approach. For Look Graphic, technology is not an end in itself. It is an industrial production tool that the company selects, evaluates, and upgrades based on the applications it wants to master and offer to its customers.