HP is pushing itself even more heavily into the world of creatives. Today at Adobe MAX the company made a variety of announcements all of which we have for you below.
“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, HP Inc. “We are listening to the needs of creative pros and investing in innovation that makes it easier for them to unleash their creativity. With the most powerful hardware, feature-rich software and services, as well as innovative programs for creators, HP is reinventing the way the world creates.”
Z by HP portfolio for Creators
HP is really jumping into the world of creators by reimagining their Z lineup of computers. The new HP portfolio of Z machines
The Z lineup isn’t generally being marketed to regular consumers, of course anyone can buy one, but they aren’t cheap. This series of computers all have some solid specs that are aimed at making the creators workflow easier to manage. HP is really trying to tap into Apple’s market space and pluck as many creators away with the Z line as they can. Frankly, these machines are just as sexy and probably more powerful than Apple’s offerings so I can see HP taking some of Apple’s users.
New boosted ZBooks for Creators
The 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 (expandable up to 128 GB depending on model) allows users to work faster with large amounts of data. New security feature RAID 1 gives users mirrored SSD storage, providing peace of mind by always providing back up for valuable data. Also, both the HP ZBook Studio and Studio x360, gain a boost in graphics performance to seamlessly render and edit with the NVIDIA Quadro P2000 graphics card.
With the HP ZBook Studio x360, the “most powerful convertible PC in the world,” users can reimagine the creative process with the comfort of a laptop and the convenience of a tablet. HP ZBook Studio x360 features a new optional anti-glare touchscreen, allowing users to work outdoors or in bright lighting situations, as well as enhanced durability with the latest generation Corning Gorilla Glass. 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.”
Z Club for Creators
HP also announced Z Club; an exclusive program for elite creators to upgrade their studios. A group of 100 creative professionals will be selected as initial members and will be outfitted with a custom-made photographer,
video editor, graphic designer or artist bundles. HP will take the guesswork away from finding the right tools by providing tailored hardware and services solution to meet the needs of each creator’s specific workflow.
HP will provide this bundle free of charge for three months, encouraging creators to experience the “full power” of Z. For the first time ever, HP will offer a subscription-based hardware and services bundle for these creative
customers. For a monthly fee, the Z Club will provide powerful computers bundled with pro-grade displays, printers and accessories. Additionally, HP experts will be available to help members along the way. Creators interested in joining the Z Club and making the switch to powerful Z by HP portfolio can go here. A growing number of creators are turning to the “power of Z by HP,” including Ringling College of Art and Design, a world-renowned art college that is poised to be THE preeminent art and design college worldwide.
“The world has changed over the past 12 years. Specifically, computer technology has evolved, and our students’ projects have become more complex and challenging,” said, Larry R. Thompson, President, Ringling College of Art and Design. “To enhance and strengthen our current notebook program, instead of providing new freshmen the Apple MacBook Pro, Ringling College will now be providing each new freshman an HP ZBook x2. This product is ideal for Ringling College students because it has the power of a high-end computer with the flexibility of a pen display for drawing, sketching, and painting.”
HP SmartStream D4D
To unleash creative potential and make the limitless possibilities of print and packaging possible, HP is announcing global availability for HP SmartStream Designer for Designers (D4D), a new plug-in for Adobe
Illustrator® CC. HP SmartStream D4D is a suite of “light” design solutions to empower designers to customize and personalize any design through the use of variable text, color, and images, enabling them to take more
creative control of the process. In addition, the HP SmartStream Mosaic feature within the D4D software allows designers to create seed files which can be infinitely manipulated through the use of algorithms to create endlessly unique outcomes 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.“HP Digital print has the ability to make packaging and print more agile and limitless, but until now there has been a gap between concept and creation,” said Nancy Janes, global head of brand innovation, HP Inc. “With HP SmartStream D4D, designers can for the first time, play with the powerful software in Adobe Illustrator CC to create memorable and impactful packaging campaigns for global & local brands.”
HP SmartStream D4D will debut at Adobe MAX 2018 in HP’s booth and attendees will have the opportunity to engage with users like The Yarza Twins, who benefited from the HP digital print technology by pushing the creative boundaries to produce stunning individualized designs for Diageo’s Smirnoff. The creative will be brought to life through digital print on the HP Indigo, HP Scitex, HP Latex, and HP PageWide presses showcased at the PrintFest booth (#301). HP will also host several sessions with the creative community to illustrate how the agility of digital print is changing the way brands and designers are making every day unique. To view HP’s D4D educational sessions with industry-leading creatives including Eva and Marta Yarza of the Yarza Twins with Silas Amos, go here.
To learn more about HP SmartStream D4D and view stories from creatives on how the software transformed how they design for print, go here.
Pricing and Availability
- The HP ZBook Studio x360 is available now for a starting price of $1,499USD
- The HP ZBook Studio is available now for a starting price of $1,349USD
- The HP ZBook 15 is available now for a starting price of $1,349USD
- The HP ZBook 17 is available now for a starting price of $1,349USD
What do you think of HP’s announcements? Let us know in the comments below or on GooglePlus, Twitter, or Facebook.
