Heidelberg Technologies Bring Speed, Quality & Growth Opportunities for Printers Across the Country

KENNESAW, GA—April 2, 2007—Heidelberg USA announces the following new product installations:

Heidelberg Speedmaster Technology Keeps Quality and Service Strong at Beacon Printing
Beacon Printing prides itself on customer service, and its recent pressroom addition of a 5-color Speedmaster CD 74 with coater from Heidelberg is part of the shop’s commitment to delivering value to its customers. “The CD 74 fits our needs perfectly because several of our customers require six-page newsletters, and we can efficiently produce two-up on a sheet” Owner Wayne Magoon said. “We were concerned because our five-color press was really aging, and we wanted to upgrade with the latest technology.” Beacon Printing Owners Magoon and Art Grimes are excited as their shop continues its growth and high-quality offerings with this newest press installation. “The CD 74 clearly gives us an advantage in speed, along with a finer dot, which gives us higher quality,” Magoon said. “It is certainly capable of handling more work than our previous press.” Beacon printing runs a long shift, with bindery operators coming in very early and presses running late into the night. The company is so committed to its clients, located throughout the country, that it is known to stay open 24 hours a day to get rush jobs finished in time. “The new press lets us maintain our capability,” Magoon said. “We are already running it at full speed.” Magoon credits the expertise that Heidelberg’s trainers have brought to the installation process. The company now boasts three Heidelberg presses, a Stahlfolder folder, and other bindery equipment from Heidelberg. Beacon Printing provides newsletters, business materials, marketing materials and annual reports for its clients, including national mid-size associations and private companies. The Waldorf, Md.-based company currently has 22 employees.

Lebco Graphics’ Productivity Leaps with Printmaster PM 52 from Heidelberg
Lebco Graphics, a $4 million publication and general commercial printer in Boerne, Texas, recently replaced an existing Heidelberg GTO with a Printmaster PM 52 5-color press with automatic blanket washup, automatic inking unit washup and Prinect Classic Center control console. “We’re very happy with the new press,” says Owner Lanne Bremher. “The automated features save us a great deal of time and effort, and the sales and service support have been excellent.” In fact, Lebco Graphics has experienced a leap in productivity of up to 400 percent with its new press. Established in 1970, Lebco Graphics has invested heavily in new equipment over the past five years, nearly doubling its growth from 2005 to 2006. The long-time Heidelberg customer also operates a POLAR cutter, a GTO one-color press, and a Windmill letterpress. Other businesses under the Lebco umbrella include Lebco Office Products, the JM Group, one of the largest mailing houses in the San Antonio area, and Southwest Education Enterprises, which provides scientific educational materials to colleges and universities across the nation. Lebco Graphics currently has 27 employees.

R.R. Donnelley Las Vegas Doubles Output with POLAR 137 XT Paper Cutter
R.R. Donnelley’s Las Vegas commercial print facility recently upgraded its cutting department with the addition of a POLAR 137 XT high-speed, programmable cutter equipped with RA-4 jogger, Quartzell scale and Dorner waste delivery system. The new cutter replaces an older machine and was installed to expedite cutting jobs and boost the company’s bindery output. According to Plant Manager Robert Stanke, the new cutter has accomplished these goals and more. “Depending on how we man the cutter, we’re anywhere from 50 percent to twice as productive as before,” Stanke says. He also terms Heidelberg a “first-rate” supplier whose “excellent” telephone support has been “a huge help to us out here in Vegas.” Elsewhere in the plant, Donnelley operates a Heidelberg S-series 2-color press. Heidelberg Consumables are in use throughout the shop. The $13 million company’s 60 employees supply a national clientele with commercial printing of every description.

Heidelberg Press, Postpress Technologies Help Original Smith Printing Boost Standards
Original Smith Printing of Bloomington, Ill. keeps raising the bar on quality and service, and has a pressroom full of Heidelberg equipment to prove it. The latest addition is a Heidelberg Printmaster PM 52 4-color press, which replaces the company’s existing Heidelberg GTO. “The new press is better in every way,” says Pressroom Manager Dave Voelzke. “Our quality has improved dramatically. We couldn’t be more pleased.” The new PM 52 will have plenty of hard-working company. Original Smith’s pressroom hosts a fleet of Heidelberg presses in every format size, including a pair of 10-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfectors, a 6-color SM 102 perfector with coater, an 8-color Speedmaster SM 74 perfector with coater, a 2-color Heidelberg 102 perfector and a 2-color MO perfector. The shop also operates two Heidelberg cylinder die cutters as well as a flexible, high-speed Dymatrix die cutter. In the bindery, four POLAR paper cutters, two Stahlfolder folders and a pair of Heidelberg Stitchmaster ST 400 saddlestitchers help handle the output from the company’s busy pressroom. The 75-year-old, $40 million, full-service commercial printer employs 205, and serves a national clientele comprised of ad agencies, design firms and corporate accounts. Voelzke’s opinion of Heidelberg as a supplier-partner and equipment manufacturer? “Excellent,” he says. “On both counts.”

Heidelberg Saddlestitcher Brings Advanced Automation to Franklin Printing’s Bindery
When Franklin Printing, a general commercial printer located in Farmington, Maine, recently installed a highly automated Heidelberg Stitchmaster ST 350 6-pocket saddlestitcher, it opted for intelligent control, operator-friendliness, quality and reliability. The new stitcher, which replaces an older competitive model, boasts central graphical touch-screen control on every unit, automatic synchronization of saddle chain with feeders and stitcher, and Prinect connectivity. The result is a machine with specifications that enable the company to accommodate the larger-format work it previously had to turn away. Franklin President and Owner Greg Nemi said he “chose the Stitchmaster ST 350 to be able to take those jobs in-house.” The Stitchmaster includes a cover feeder, RIMA System stacker and Fenimore punch. Franklin’s bindery also hosts a pair of POLAR 115 ED programmable cutters with Auto-cut, jogger, scale and Transomat off-loader; two Stahlfolder T 36 folders, and a pair of Heidelberg cylinder letterpresses, used for die cutting and scoring. Of the installation, Nemi says, “Heidelberg didn’t cut corners. They took the time to do it right. As a result, not only is the machine performing beautifully at 12,500 cycles per hour right now, but we expect it will continue to perform that way down the road.” With 55 employees, 40-year-old Franklin Printing serves a regional clientele.

Raintree Graphics Continues Growth Path with New Technologies and Equipment from Heidelberg
A February 2005 article published in the Jacksonville (FL) Business Journal stated that Raintree Graphics, then in the middle of a $4 million expansion plan, was “committed to being the largest quick printer in Jacksonville.” The company is well on its way to accomplishing that goal with Heidelberg’s help. Following the installation of a POLAR 115 cutter in the fall of 2006, Raintree Graphics recently turned to Heidelberg again for the installation of a new Printmaster QM 46 2-color press. “Heidelberg’s P-QM 46 is a perfect fit for what we do,” said Mike Seethaler, president and owner of Raintree Graphics. “We have been running the press at full speed since the day it was installed.” According to Seethaler, the company was an early adopter of Heidelberg’s older Quickmaster presses, and this newest installment marks their fourth QM 46. “We had one with more than 30 million impressions, so we needed an upgrade,” Seethaler said. On the new press, Raintree produces stationery, business materials, short-run newsletters, brochures and a vast majority of its one- and two-color work for large, local corporations. “We don’t compete with the big guys, but as the fourth largest printer in Jacksonville overall, we are more than your average mom-and-pop company,” Seethaler said. According to Seethaler, the employees of Raintree Graphics are “thrilled” about the P-QM 46 installation, and are now anticipating the results from the past year of expansion and growth. Founded in 1989, Raintree expanded in early 2005 into a new 40,000- sq. ft. facility located at 5921 Richard Street.

Heidelberg Technologies Bring Speed, Quality & Growth Opportunities for Printers Across the Country
The bottleneck at the California State Compensation Fund’s in-plant print shop had nothing to do with government red tape - there was simply more volume than its existing cutter could handle. Bottlenecks are now a thing of the past for the shop, since the installation of a POLAR 92 X programmable cutter from Heidelberg in February. Supervisor Gabriel Corral says the newer, faster cutter has reduced the shop’s cutting time by 60 percent and banished its cutting backlog. The busy print shop, which turns out a variety of products, including letterhead, multi-part forms, brochures, posters and booklets for the Fund, also operates a Heidelberg Quickmaster QM DI, Printmaster QM 46-2 and a Speedmaster SM 52 2-color press. It has been a loyal Heidelberg customer for more than 20 years. “Heidelberg makes solid, reliable equipment and consumables,” Corral said. The State Compensation Fund’s print shop employs a staff of eight.

Globe Litho Poised for Growth with New Heidelberg Speedmaster Presses
A Speedmaster CD 102 6-color press with inline coater has become the latest addition to the Heidelberg-intensive pressroom at Globe Litho in Ridgefield Park, N.J. The new press joins two existing Speedmaster SM 102 6-color presses with aqueous coating capabilities and a

6-color Speedmaster SM 102 with perfector. Says Globe President Art Stanton, “Although the new press has been up and running for just a few weeks, we are extremely pleased with the production on the new CD 102 and are confident we’ll see substantially greater gains in efficiency, productivity and profitability over time. We’re nowhere near what we can do.” The company’s bindery operates two Stahlfolder B 26 folders, a Stahlfolder TF 66 folder, a POLAR 115 EMC cutter and a Heidelberg Stitchmaster saddlestitcher. With $6.5 million in revenue and 35 employees, the 40-year-old, family-run commercial and financial printer is a loyal Heidelberg customer for obvious reasons. “We’ve never had any problems with Heidelberg sales or service,” Stanton says. “Heidelberg’s equipment is the best in the world.”

Wheeler, Inc. Moves Ahead with Heidelberg Prepress, Press and Postpress Technologies
As the primary printer for the Hot Springs, Ark. Oaklawn Thoroughbred Race Track, Wheeler Inc. knows about printing under pressure. “We print brochures for races on the day of,” said Robert Lewis, shop foreman. “We then bind the brochures that afternoon on our new Stitchmaster.” Wheeler recently installed a Heidelberg Stitchmaster ST 90 saddlestitcher to replace an older competitive model, and is now using the stitcher to help produce up to 20,000 brochures a day during race season. “We love the Stitchmaster ST 90, because it really pumps out those brochures when we need them,” Lewis said. Robert Lewis has been a firm believer in Heidelberg’s equipment for many years, so when he moved to Wheeler about a year ago, he suggested that they install Heidelberg’s Printmaster QM 46 to replace a competitive two-color machine. Wheeler already runs Heidelberg’s SM 74-4 for all four-color work, and at Lewis’s suggestion installed a 2-color Printmaster QM 46 late in 2006. “For plate changes, the P-QM 46 is just a great machine to run,” Lewis said. “It holds ink color well, is easy to set up, and we are really happy with the press. We run it at full speed.” Lewis has also overseen the installation of some Heidelberg prepress equipment, which has helped boost production for the company. “All you do is push a button, insert the plate, and run the processor which develops the plate…it’s great” he said. Not only does the Hot Springs, Ark.-based printer produce brochures for Oaklawn, it also does work for regional doctors, lawyers, schools and businesses. The 14-employee shop’s work includes yearbooks, magazines and books as well as general commercial work. Wheeler Inc. has been in business for more than 80 years, and is currently the largest shop in Hot Springs – even competing with shops in neighboring Little Rock.

Citiprint Has ‘Whole New Concept Going’ with Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 74
When you are building a business, muscle matters. That’s what Allentown, Pa.-based Citiprint bargained for and exactly what it received when it followed its 2004 installation of a Heidelberg Printmaster QM 46 2-color press with the addition of a Speedmaster SM 74 4-color press with coater earlier this year. Now that the new press is up and running, says Shabir Sumar, co-owner, “We have a whole new concept going. We are attracting new customers, and we’re able to perform larger-format jobs for existing customers. We’re also doing higher quality work with shorter lead times, thanks to the extensive automation on the new press.” In business for three-and-a-half years, Citiprint is on track to achieve $1.7 million in sales in 2007, a sizable increase over its 2006 revenue. Sumar credits Heidelberg with the company’s success, “especially in the beginning, when we needed a four-color press to get started in business. Heidelberg offered to help us, and we’ve cranked it up ever since.” Citiprint uses Heidelberg pressroom Consumables, and anchors its bindery with a POLAR 66 programmable cutter and a Stahlfolder B 20 folder. “I have not experienced any other manufacturer, and have no reason to do so,” Sumar says. “Heidelberg’s product line is so extensive that I can’t see myself going outside the Heidelberg family for any of my needs, now or in the future.” Citiprint’s nine employees provide general commercial printing to a national clientele comprised of companies in the corporate, manufacturing and financial industries as well as businesses, colleges and universities and retail stores.

UAB Gives Lessons in Bindery Speed, Results with Stitchmaster ST 90 Saddlestitcher
A world-renowned research university and healthcare center located in Birmingham, Ala., the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is the single largest employer in the state. Just as impressive is UAB’s Printing Services division, attending to more than 17,000 students’ and 18,600 faculty and staff’s printing needs. UAB Printing Services provides business materials for both the university and hospital, and keeping that work - from design services to a full range of bindery services - in-house is imperative for achieving the quickest turnaround. UAB Printing Services recently added to its bindery, with the installation of a Stitchmaster ST 90 saddlestitcher from Heidelberg in December 2006. Not only is the Stitchmaster ST 90 faster than the stitcher that UAB was previously using, but the trimming is much more precise. “The ST 90 finishes much more smoothly, especially in trimming,” said Bindery Manager Bruce Horne. “We recently ran a job at full speed, and the quality was excellent,” Horne said. The Stitchmaster ST 90 can run at speed ranges from 1,500 up to 9,000 cycles per hour. In UAB’s postpress environment, where the printing shop produces books, magazines, booklets, invitations, labels, posters and maps, the Stitchmaster ST 90 offers the perfect solution for shorter run lengths and quick turnaround times.

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
With a global market share for sheetfed offset printing machines of more than 40 percent, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is the world’s leading solution provider for commercial and industrial customers in the print media industry. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, the Company focuses on the entire process and value chain for popular format classes in the sheetfed offset and flexographic printing sectors. Apart from printing presses, the product portfolio includes plate imaging devices and finishing equipment, as well as software components designed to integrate all print manufacturing processes. In addition, Heidelberg offers a wide range of spare parts, consumables, used equipment and services, along with extensive training programs provided by the Print Media Academy. Furthermore, the Company assists its customers’ investment plans by offering financing concepts.