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Litho Press Upgrades Plateroom, Bindery with Heidelberg Technology

Litho Press, San Antonio, TX, welcomed spring earlier this year with the installation of new pre- and postpress equipment from Heidelberg. The company’s prepress department is the beneficiary of a new Suprasetter 105 computer-to-plate device with Prepress Interface. In the full-service bindery, POLAR 115XT and POLAR 92X high-speed paper cutters equipped with jogger, scale, lift and Transomat offloader have enjoyed an enthusiastic reception from the company’s bindery operators.

According to prepress supervisor Matt Kelly, the faster speed of the Suprasetter “makes a big difference, and, since the plate wraps around the drum, we no longer have problems with dust. As a result, we have virtually eliminated the need to remake spoiled plates, and we no longer experience problems on press with our longer runs. We go through 50-80 plates a day and spend less time doing it.” The new Suprasetter also uses less chemistry and is easier to clean, he said. Heidelberg Saphira thermal plates and chemistry help ensure reliable results. Finally, while Litho’s press operators were initially skeptical about Heidelberg’s Prinect Prepress Interface, they quickly realized the benefit of transferring all print-relevant parameters automatically from prepress to press to the point where now, Kelly said, “they don’t want to run without it.” The new cutters also have made an “incredible difference,” he adds. “Our operators love the accuracy of the cuts and the labor-saving peripherals.”

According to Kelly, as a result of the new installations, “Our productivity has increased significantly at the cutters, in the plateroom, and on press.”

Elsewhere in the shop, Litho Press operates a Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102 2-color perfector and a Speedmaster CD 102 5-color perfector, on which the company produces a wide variety of commercial printing, books and other publications. In addition to the two new cutters, the company bindery is also home to a Heidelberg saddlestitcher and a pair of Stahlfolders.

Kelly reserves special praise for Heidelberg’s service and consumables organizations, noting, “Of all the consumables vendors we’ve dealt with, Heidelberg is far and away the easiest to work with. The people are courteous and attentive, and if there’s a problem, they deal with it immediately.” Whatever the service issue, he adds, “Factory-trained Heidelberg technicians show up promptly and always know what they’re doing.”

Established in 1962, $4 million Litho Press employs a staff of 40 and serves a variety of clients throughout the United States.

Full House: Suprasetter 105 CtP device, POLAR 115XT, and POLAR 92X.