Dscoop Edge Long Beach, held May 14–17 at the Long Beach Convention Center, emphasized how digital printing continues to advance. Nearly 1,300 members of the Dscoop global community converged on the California coast for three days of learning and connecting. The HP users group’s flagship event centered around the powerful idea of sharing with the Dscoop global community, which celebrates its 20th year in 2025.

In Long Beach, as the event’s theme depicted, a focus was on “next waves” — major forces like AI and economic trends that will crash into businesses left unprepared, while uplifting others with momentum.

HP, alongside its ecosystem of partners, used Dscoop Edge Long Beach as a launchpad to demonstrate how digital narrow web technology is ready to challenge flexo in quality, speed, and profitability.

When it comes to narrow web label printing, the HP Indigo V12 is the workhorse digital press. HP product managers emphasized that it is more than a press – it’s a “business enabler.”

During the Solutions Showcase, Elad Zmora, product team manager at HP, said, “The V12 will have the earning power of three state‑of‑the‑art flexo presses – the break‑even point is not relevant anymore for our industry.”

With speeds up to 400 fpm, six imaging engines, and a 12‑ink capacity, the V12 is primed for longer runs and higher SKU complexity. Zmora added, “This is how we see production for the future. Now, 80 % of the jobs can go on digital technology versus analog.”

Noam Zilbershtain – VP & General Manager, HP Indigo, in discussing the label market and the V12’s impact on it, stated, “We are now entering a new era. The V12 is rewriting the rules of the label market – it is twice as fast as flexo. This is more than a product launch; it’s a gamechanger, and this is just the beginning.”

Dscoop Edge Long Beach positioned digital labels not as a niche or adjunct workflow — but as a scalable, flexible, and sustainable production core. With HP’s V12 pushing throughput and ecosystem partners enabling color accuracy and embed automation, HP says there’s a clear roadmap to shift volume from flexo to digital.

For converters still weighing ROI, HP’s message to them is that digital-first label printing is here. Zilbershtain declared: “My prediction is that in 20 years, the label market will be primarily digital. This will be the first market that will go fully digital.”

Haim Levit, HP’s SVP of Industrial Print, reiterated the company’s broader vision, saying, “We’re committed to unlocking profitable and sustainable growth for our customers. Our LEP, LEPx, and inkjet technologies have improved in terms of quality, versatility, productivity, sustainability, and economics.”

Speakers from partner companies underlined how tight integrations around HP Indigo technology enhances the label converting workflow.

AB Graphic, CERM, Avery Dennison, and other finishing and substrate partners demonstrated how web‑to‑print, automated inspection, and digital embellishment systems harmonize with the V12 platform, enabling converters to move seamlessly from design to roll-out.

In addition to technology showcases, the education program featured several sessions aimed at label converters. Key themes included operational efficiency, workflow integration, and the evolving demands of brand owners.

Notable sessions included:

• “Digital vs. Flexo Economics,” which modeled the tipping point between analog and digital cost-effectiveness.
• “Automating the Label Factory,” a case study–driven discussion on how to unify MIS, ERP, and pressroom tools.
• “Sustainable Materials and Digital Compatibility,” presented by substrate suppliers, exploring linerless options, recyclability, and press-agnostic performance.

Panel discussions often emphasized how digital platforms enable SKU-level flexibility, facilitate compliance labeling, and support regional or seasonal branding — capabilities that are increasingly essential for today’s converters.

While attendees were representative of all kinds of printing formats, the keynote presentations brought everyone together. The community experienced the perseverance stories of Daymond John and Tony Hawk, along with the cultural intelligence of best-selling author Erin Meyer, the strategic foresight of economist Taylor St. Germain and the vision of AI expert Dror Globerman.

The Solutions Showcase featured the equipment, tools and technologies of 76 Dscoop partners, including executive partner HP. New this year was a dedicated AI Pavilion space for attendees to experience live demos and interactive tools that can help with workflow automation, predictive analytics, personalization and customer engagement.

As Dscoop’s executive partner, HP was the Solutions Showcase headliner. The company announced new intelligent automation capabilities with the launch of HP Nio, an AI agent that provides real-time insights and predictive analytics to optimize press and production performance, as well as new features for HP PrintOS, HP Site Flow and HP Brand Centre. A team of HP experts were on hand to educate and support attendees and fellow partners.

“For two decades, HP and the Dscoop community have been driving the transformation of digital print — raising the bar for quality, versatility, productivity, cost efficiency and sustainability,” said Levit, adding, “This year at Dscoop, we celebrate that legacy and embark on a new journey — one in which AI will revolutionize the world of print as we know it today, opening a new era where presses become autonomous and workflows are connected, automated and orchestrated from creation to delivery.”

Jointly, Dscoop and HP also launched a new student grant program that will empower students to engage with community members and the industry at large, beginning with investments of $25,000 each by Dscoop and HP. Edge included students from several university and college print programs, and two of those students came on stage to announce the grant news.

“More than anything, Edge reminded us that the most powerful ideas and happen when passionate people simply show up, share openly and listen with intent,” said Peter van Teeseling, Dscoop’s executive director.

At Edge, he also announced a new Clubs features coming soon to the Dscoop.com community platform, along with five upcoming, in-person events:

• Thailand Summit: August 6-8, 2025
• Cumbre de Medellín: August 28-29, 2025
• Milan Summit: November 6-7, 2025
• Edge Rockies, March 8-11, 2026
• Edge Slovenia, June 10-12, 2026