Heidelberg Wins 'Red Dot Design Award' for Innovations in Digital and Offset Printing

The Heidelberg Omnifire 250 prints on various 3D objects such as balls, drinking bottles or mobile phone sleeves with digital inkjet technology and up to five colors.

HEIDELBERG, Germany — March 31, 2016 — Customers' needs have always been the main concern of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). The company will therefore be presenting the digital future of the print media industry — the networking of all processes for the benefit of the customer — at drupa 2016 under the motto "Simply Smart." The focus is also reflected in the new, fresh product design with its clear geometric shapes and ease of operation in support of the operator.

Speedmaster XL 106

The design thus emphasizes the new machine generations that will be presented at drupa 2016. This approach now earned the renowned international Red Dot Design Award in the category of product design for three products at once. The jury was convinced by the degree of innovation, quality and ergonomics in the digital Omnifire 250 4D printing system, as well as the sheetfed offset presses Speedmaster XL 106 and XL 162. The 41 members of the jury selected the top products from around 5,200 from 57 countries. The Red Dot Design Award is organized by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen. Heidelberg has won well over 50 international design awards since the 1990s.

The new Heidelberg product design was first transferred to the large-format Speedmaster XL 162 press. Clean geometric shapes define the machine and its work areas.

"We developed a consistent design for all machines with the focus on digital networking and ease of operation," explains Bernd Reibl, Head of Industrial Design at Heidelberg. "The intention was to generate attention from afar and prove quality from up close. The design is a visualization of our machine's precision and quality." The pared-back shape of the silver portal on the delivery of the sheetfed offset presses is unobtrusive and directs the eye of both operator and customer to the finished print product during print approval. The silver Prinect line at the galleries stands for digital networking and symbolizes drive, speed and flow of data.

Black glass is the design element used on the digital presses to give them a modern and individual look. All machines from Heidelberg are based on the same operating philosophy which makes it easy for the user to switch between offset and digital printing. Heidelberg deploys its own design experts to develop the product design in close cooperation with the customer.

Source: Heidelberg.