Greater Efficiency Is Goal of Latest Install Sites for Heidelberg Solutions

KENNESAW, GA—Oct. 4, 2011—Heidelberg has announced the following workflow, CTP, press and postpress product installations:

Heeter Direct Installs Second XL 105

Heeter Direct in Canonsburg, PA, cited an increase in the volume as the reason it followed up its 2010 installation of a six-color Speedmaster XL 105 press with a second six-color XL 105, in production since late last month.

“We’ve seen an increase in job volume from a number of key clients with strict requirements for quality and consistency,” said company president Scott Heeter. “We had outstanding results with the first XL, so it was a natural next step for us to take,” he said, adding that the company is in the process of training additional crews to run the new, Peak Performance XL press.

Both XLs are equipped with the Prinect Axis Control spectrophotometric measurement control systems, which covers the whole print image while at the same time providing automatic online control for all printing units. This minimizes color fluctuations, enables users to work with standardized, reproducible color values at all times, and ensures reliable control of day-to-day print production.

The new XL press also features the 2009 InterTech Award-winning Prinect Press Center with Intellistart operator guidance and integrated Wallscreen, which gives the press operator (and customers on hand for observation) a comprehensive overview of all press processes. As a result, “press checks have gone remarkably well,” Heeter acknowledged.

The company expects to realize further improvements in productivity with the installation of Prinect Pressroom Manager and Prinect Integration Manager, which the company is in the process of integrating with its existing production workflow. Acquiring a second XL 105 will also help the company expand its fledgling packaging business, which currently represents about 10 percent of Heeter’s total job volume.

Heeter Direct also operates a 10-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfecting press, and assorted postpress equipment including a Stahl TD 72 buckle-plate folder with Compufold, two Stahl TH-82 buckle-plate folders with Compufold, an ST450 saddlestitcher, a POLAR System 6 with Compucut and a POLAR 115 EMC cutter and jogger.

Third-generation, family owned Heeter Printing has been in business for more than 60 years, serving clients involved in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, educational and utility markets throughout the mid-Atlantic region. The company employs a staff of 85.

J.C. Weir Steps Up to High-Quality Folding with Stahl Ti 52

J.C. Weir in Reno, NV, has upgraded its folding department with the installation of a 20x28˝ Stahl Ti 52 folder with right-angle unit and gatefold attachment. According to company owner J.C. Weir, the new folder “has some nice features that improve the quality of the folds,” including precise transport of signatures and accurate sheet alignment. The flat pile feeder has flexibility for handling digital jobs with the inherent static and lots of small jobs with frequent format changes.

The company also operates a Speedmaster SM 52 five-color press with coater and Axis Control; a Printmaster QM 46-2; and POLAR 78 X and 78 ED cutters. In the prepress department, a Suprasetter A52 with dual cassettes is used to image Saphira Chemfree plates.

“The Chemfree plates and Suprasetter are a major labor savers compared to the older violet plate technology,” Weir said. Allegra also uses Saphira pressroom consumable products to keep its presses running smoothly.

The 23-year-old, full-service commercial printer offers offset and digital printing, marketing and mail services, bindery, as well as customized web-to-print solutions for a primarily local clientele, although the company also serves some national customers. The company employs a full-time staff of 12.

Mayo Clinic Inplant Adds Speedmaster SM 52

Heidelberg recently completed the installation of a Speedmaster SM 52 four-color perfector, as well as Prinect Pressroom Manager and Prinect Integration Manager and pre-set link at the Print Publication inplant facility of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The inplant is the largest unit of the Mayo Clinic Media Support Services division, which also provides a host of related services, including graphic design, scientific illustration, video conferencing, event support, media analysis, and more.

With a total staff of 335, Mayo’s Media Support division serves the entire Mayo Clinic organization, including hospitals, clinics and related practices in Rochester, Scottsdale, AZ and Jacksonville, FL. With a staff of 60, the Print Publication unit touches a wide range of printed products, from black-and-white and color copies, to posters and large-format displays, to CD and DVD duplication. Digital solutions on hand include a 60˝ HP wide-format inkjet device and assorted cut-sheet digital devices from Xerox.

As word about the new press gets around, said production supervisor Rick Olsen, “orders are starting to roll in for the Speedmaster SM 52,” which represents the inplant’s first foray into four-color lithography and perfecting. The new press—in production for only a month—replaces a 24-year-old Heidelberg GTO, and presents a challenge for Olsen and his team, who are slowly getting used to its 13,000 sph running speed, perfecting capability, and other high-tech features.

The inplant expects to realize further improvements in productivity with the integration of Prinect Pressroom Manager and Prinect Integration Manager with its Agfa Apogee workflow. Image quality and color consistency are monitored by Prinect ImageControl, Heidelberg’s spectrophotometric measurement and control system.

“Our goal is to design for digital and achieve acceptable color consistency from device to device within our operation,” Olsen said. The inplant currently is evaluating Heidelberg’s Prinect Color Toolbox solution for cross-platform color management.

The new press’ higher running speed, productivity, perfecting capability, and advanced automation are also responsible for a reduction in the amount of printing that must be outsourced, Olsen said. While the SM 52 is currently running for one shift only during the learning phase, Olsen anticipates that in time, increasing volume will result in the addition of a second shift. Overall, Olsen said, the new installation reflects the Mayo Clinic’s commitment to continuous improvement across the organization.

In continuous operation since 1946, the Print Publication operation is responsible for printing forms and other documentation for the Mayo Clinic’s internal communications, and patient education and public affairs outreach.

PRP Companies Goes Chemfree with Suprasetter A52 Platesetter

PRP Companies (previously known as Poor Richard’s Press) in San Luis Obispo, CA, has installed a Suprasetter A52 CTP device from Heidelberg. The new platesetter is the centerpiece of the company’s Prinect Prepress Manager workflow, and is used to image Saphira chemfree plates for use in PRP’s Printmaster QM 46-2 presses all the way up to its SM 52 6-color perfector.

A dual top-loading feature enables fully automated plate feeding of two different plate sizes. The all-Heidelberg shop also operates a full-service bindery, complete with an automated Polar cutting system, and Heidelberg Stahlfolders.

Environmental responsibility is integral to the company’s character; PRP is an FSC-certified printer that has worked to lower its VOC emissions significantly—to the point where they now meet or exceed all California air standards, according to owner Todd Ventura.

The company’s choice of the Suprasetter A52 and Saphira Chemfree plates supports its environmental commitment: Suprasetter “A” models require less power and generate less waste heat than comparable models from other manufacturers, such that there is often no need for an additional energy-intensive air-conditioning or humidification system.

In terms of print quality, because Saphira Chemfree plates require less wetting agent and less drying time, Ventura said, they yield sharper, more vibrant color and outstanding image quality.

Over the 40 years since its founding, PRP Companies has transformed itself from a quick printer into a full-service graphic communications enterprise serving businesses and organizations throughout the California Central Coast and nationwide. That said, the business recently undertook a re-branding effort aimed at highlighting its diverse value proposition.

The PRP umbrella currently supports a wide range of services, including cut-sheet digital and sheetfed offset printing; mailing; large-format or “Big Image” inkjet; design; and apparel, through direct-to-apparel printing and embroidery. By offering all of these services under one roof at the San Luis Obispo facility, PRP Companies can work closely with customers, ensuring a high-quality reflection of their marketing message. PRP Companies employs a staff of 40—and growing.

Wallace Graphics Installs Prinect Workflow from Heidelberg

Wallace Graphics, Stone Mountain, GA, recently celebrated its “graduation” from a nonintegrated workflow comprised of a Prosetter with standalone SignaStation imposition and trappin stations, to a fully integrated Prinect Prepress Manager workflow anchored by an environmentally friendly thermal Suprasetter 105 CTP device.

The Suprasetter is used to image Saphira Chemfree plates for the company’s 29˝ and 40˝ Heidelberg presses. Wallace’s choice of Saphira Chemfree plates also mirrors is strong commitment to eco-friendly printing. Saphira Chemfree plates use no developer, no water, and only a small self-cleaning unit to gum the plates.

“Our decision to upgrade was driven primarily by the need to update our hardware,” said Prepress Manager Gary Foster. “By sticking with Heidelberg, we were able to retain our existing imposition files. The entire system has been bulletproof from the moment it went online.”

First to be installed was the new Suprasetter—a trickier proposition than usual, since the new machine initially had to be coupled with the company’s existing workflow to keep production moving while Foster and his team completed a week of training at Heidelberg’s Technology Center in Kennesaw. A short time later, the full-blown Prinect Prepress Manager workflow went online, followed by Heidelberg’s Prinect Color Management (PCM) analysis, which uses Heidelberg’s G7-certified Prinect Color Toolbox with Gray Balance Optimizer to reduce makeready times, cut waste, boost color fidelity and raise efficiency across the board.

The most recent to go live is Prinect Remote Access used by Wallace as an automated means to facilitate soft proofing and uploading/downloading of customer files. Prior to the installation, Foster said, the company relied on the exchange of manually prepared PDF files.

As a result of these improvements, “We’ve morphed into an on-demand business,” Foster said. “Our normal turnaround times have shrunk from five to one-and-a-half days”—no small feat for a company whose menu of commercially printed products and services runs the gamut from brochures and business cards to documentation and design. The company retains its staff of four prepress operators, who are more efficient as all phases of job preparation now can be handled at their individual workstations.

Wallace Graphics is a general commercial printer established in 1987, and serving a regional clientele, including brokers with national clients, corporations and educational institutions. The company employs 40 full-time workers.

Source: Heidelberg.