HP Inc. together with its global network of print service providers (PSPs) continue to innovate printing applications to help medical teams, businesses and the public adapt in the ongoing effort to combat COVID-19.
“We are living through a time that is very unique to our human experience. The COVID-19 pandemic creates a new paradigm in how we relate to each other and today, so many people need help. Each day I am inspired by these shining examples of humanity and hope as the global print community is coming together for our global communities’ health and well-being,” said Haim Levit, global head, Worldwide Industrial Indigo and PWI Commercial at HP.
Printing personalizes protective gear for patient and medical worker well-being
As it is difficult to see faces behind medical personal protective equipment, many patients, especially the elderly, finding it a frightening “alien” experience. Two medical students in Israel launched the “More than Masks” movement on Facebook calling for photos on the medical COVID-19 suits and gear. The page attracted the attention of HP Indigo team employees who helped launch the project by supporting the printing of the first 70,000 photo stickers. To date, 200,000 photo stickers have been printed by HP and print partners, and donated to an estimated 2000 medical personnel at 16 hospitals in Israel. “The doctors were very excited that they feel more comfortable getting closer to patients with the ability to introduce themselves and the patients were also very moved,” said Nisim Asayag, founder of the project along with fellow student Anat Skliar. In addition, the photo stickers help the medical staff identify each other for better teamwork. The 5.8 x 8.3-inch size photo stickers feature a smiling face with their name and function. The medical teams stick them directly on their protective gowns and then dispose of them at the end of the shift. Free templates for downloading can be found here.
Sending a real print hug to frontline workers at hospitals
Postable, a US web-to-print greeting card company, is offering an online service to create and mail thank you cards to frontline workers. They are donating 100% of the profits from these cards to the Frontline Responders Fund to help get critical supplies to frontline hospital workers combating COVID-19. You can send a card, printed on HP Indigo digital presses at Mercury Printing in Memphis, by visiting their website, picking a design, selecting a hospital from a list of hard hit areas and typing a message of love and encouragement to the brave medical workers saving lives. Postable prints, addresses and mails the cards to the hospitals on a daily basis.
Helping restaurants stay afloat with sealed delivery boxes
Around the world, restaurants have closed their doors to dine-in patrons, leaving delivery or curb-side takeout as the only option to survive through these difficult times. CompanyBox, a Charlotte, NC based converter printing on the HP PageWide C500 Press with water-based ink compatible for food applications, developed a takeout box and bakery box with a single use seal, which keeps the food securely inside until the recipient removes the adhesive tear strip.
“Restaurants have had to close their doors to dine-in patrons. Other small businesses that are part of the restaurant supply chain are also suffering, businesses like farms, bakeries, breweries and wineries. We decided to respond. We hope this added peace of mind drives more takeout orders and helps all those involved,” said Louie DeJesus, CEO of CompanyBox. CompanyBox has started a program to donate the first 100 boxes free to any local Charlotte restaurants, and plans to produce 100,000 boxes in total.
Mobilizing fabric design community to produce and donate face masks
Spoonflower, based in the US and Germany, is a digital printing company and design community that utilizes HP Stitch technology to print custom fabrics for fashion and décor applications. The Spoonflower team has established the Spoonflower Mask Response Project to mobilize its in-house sewing team to design patterns for knit gaiter and double-layer cotton styles, and its community of designers to design, produce and donate masks to healthcare workers on the front lines. Watch tutorials from the Spoonflower team on how to sew a mask.
Due to high interest, more than 5,800 yards of fabric has been produced for mask makers to sew an estimated 70,000 masks for healthcare workers on the front lines. “We are energized and motivated by how quickly our creatives and entrepreneurs have mobilized and leveraged their talents for the greater good, supplementing the PPE shortage with non-medical grade fabric masks,” said Michael Jones, CEO, Spoonflower.
Producing hand sanitizer to help hospitals with shortages
The HP Graphic Arts Experience Center in Barcelona launched the printing of labels for INEOS of France to donate millions of bottles of hand sanitizers to hospitals across France, UK, Germany and the USA suffering from shortages and lack of supplies. HP’s support for the production of the first 150,000 labels helped the delivery of millions of bottles to hospitals across France just ten days after the plan was announced. See how it all happened in this video.
