Heidelberg Technologies Help Printers Get Ahead – from Prepress to Postpress and Beyond

KENNESAW, GA—May 31, 2007—Heidelberg USA announces the following new product installations:

Great Atlantic Graphics Aims High and Scores with Speedmaster XL 105
Great Atlantic Graphics in Malvern, PA is doing higher math these days since the company installed a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 6-color press last month with coating unit, extended delivery and DryStar 3000 dryers, including advanced presetting and storing functionalities. Also installed were Prinect Image Control and the CP2000 Center Options Instant Gate and Prepress Interface. According to Pressroom Manager Cal Bou, the new press already has logged more than 2.5 million impressions after just six weeks in production, turning out commercial brochures, sell sheets and catalogs. “We aim to beat the competition,” Bou says, “and the XL 105 has the automation, the quality control and the speed to help us do that.” Originally established as a prepress house, Great Atlantic Graphics has been a Heidelberg customer since 1995. The company also operates a Speedmaster CD 102 6-color press with coater and boasts an all-Heidelberg bindery with a high-speed programmable POLAR cutter with automatic jogger and Transomat offloader, as well as a pair of 23- and 30-inch Stahlfolder folders. Heidelberg consumables are used throughout the shop. The company’s 75 employees (11 of whom work in the pressroom) provide general commercial and publication printing to a national clientele. “When you go to the new car dealership and ask for the top of the line model,” says Bou, “you have certain expectations of machine performance and customer service. Heidelberg lives up to its reputation in both areas.”

Tour Golf, Inc. Achieves Hole in One with New Heidelberg Technologies
In the golf industry, like many other industries, print customers submit their orders urgently at the last minute. Tour Golf, Inc. made the wise business decision to bring its printing in-house to turn jobs around faster while enabling better control over quality. The Canton, GA golf wholesaler purchased a Prosetter P 52, Saphira Violet Plates, a PRO 68 plate processor, a 4-color Printmaster PM 52 press and a high-speed POLAR 78X cutter - all from Heidelberg. Owner Tom Eubank says the results so far are fantastic, the press gets up to color very quickly and everyone on his staff is happy. “Everyone’s stress level in the office has gone down,” he says. “Now they complain that I didn’t make the purchases sooner.” Customers are happy too. By keeping jobs in-house, shop turn-around times have gone from two to three weeks down to two to three days. Tour Golf, Inc. produces golf marketing booklets and scorecards for golf courses around the nation. The marketing booklets provide 3-D images of golf courses for players who are new to a course. Tour Golf, Inc. has been in business for 16 years and employs 17 people.

All-Heidelberg Independent Printing Adds Sixth Polar Cutter to Bindery
Independent Printing Co., De Pere, WI knows a good thing when it sees one. The company recently installed a POLAR 137XT high-speed programmable, JDF-compatible cutter, adding a sixth POLAR cutter to its Finishing line-up, which also boasts B-26-4-4-4 and T66-4-4-4 Stahlfolders, with many accessories, including eight- and 16-page units, two stackers, knife folding, etc. Why POLAR? Finishing Operations Manager Larry Ambrosius says, “We like the speed of the knife and back gauge, the tilting ability of back gauge and the block programmability of the cutter because these features give us more cutting options.” Independent’s all-Heidelberg pressroom boasts an impressive array of Heidelberg equipment, including an 8-color Speedmaster CD 102 with coating unit and UV capabilities, 6-color Speedmaster CD 102 with coater, 6-color Speedmaster SM 74 with coater, 5-color Speedmaster SM 74 perfector with coater, 5-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfector, 2-color Speedmaster SM 74, 6-color Speedmaster CD 74 with coater, two Quickmasters and seven Heidelberg letterpress cylinders. Independent Printing Co. serves a regional market with general commercial printing, and provides presentation folders to clients nationwide. The $38 million company has 300 employees, 100 of whom work in finishing.

Delaware’s Printing Office Stays Ahead with New Technologies
The State of Delaware’s Printing and Publishing Office in Dover is an operation that other states can admire. It recently installed a Heidelberg Quicksetter 300E platesetter, two 2-color Printmaster QM 46 presses and a Stahlfolder USA B 20 folder. Manager Sarah Bolado says the print shop runs more efficiently now and can keep a larger portion of its projects in-house. Before the installation, the shop sent electronic files to another print shop to have film output. With the Quicksetter’s computer-to-plate technology, making a plate has gone from 12-24 hours to just 30 minutes. Bolado says the two new QM 46s replace two older presses that broke down often and couldn’t print full density black. She says the new QM 46s print jobs faster and with higher quality. In addition, the shop’s old folder was noisy and couldn’t score, so color jobs often would crack when folded. With the new Stahlfolder, jobs that took three or four hours to fold, now take only an hour-and-a-half. Bolado says the Heidelberg solutions handle more complex and voluminous print projects. With 11 employees, The Printing and Publishing Office is a full-service printing facility that prints forms, letterhead, brochures and newsletters for all agencies that fall under Delaware’s executive branch of government.

Seckman Printing Wastes No Time Getting “Up to Speed” with New Speedmaster XL 105
Seckman Printing, a general commercial printer in Forest, VA recently replaced an aging half-size press with an ultra-fast, ultra-efficient, 6-color Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 with coating unit and extended delivery. Accessories include the new Inkline 3000 automated ink supply system, DryStar 3000 dryer and Prinect Image Control color-measuring system. “We run the XL 105 at 18,000 sph across three shifts and with most stocks,” reports Plant Supervisor Jay Pearce. “There’s been a learning curve for us because the XL 105 is such a different type of press versus other 40-inch presses, but the results are worth it. We already see an increase of at least 80 percent in productivity compared to our existing 40-inch presses due to the advanced automation.” In addition to the new XL 105, Seckman’s all-Heidelberg pressroom hosts a pair of 6-color and 2-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfectors. Plates are produced on a Suprasetter S 105 with four multi-cassette loaders. The company’s full-service bindery features a trio of Stahlfolders and a pair of programmable POLAR paper cutters. Heidelberg consumables, including blankets and ink foils, are in use throughout the shop. Established in 1980, the company’s 75 employees serve a local customer base made up of colleges and universities, corporations, manufacturing firms and ad agencies. “Heidelberg technology is so advanced that it takes a little time for our team to grasp the new concept,” says Pearce, “but the technical support Heidelberg gives us is tremendous. Heidelberg is the top leader of the printing industry, hands-down.”

Business Blossoms at Greenwell Chisholm; Company Works Toward Integrated Workflow
Greenwell Chisholm in Owensboro, KY is positioning itself for growth with the installation of a 6-color Speedmaster 74 press with coater. Co-owner Tony Trego said he is eager to integrate his prepress with the new press, as well as turn jobs around more quickly. “We’re moving toward becoming an all-Heidelberg shop because we like the integrated workflow it offers,” says Trego. The shop already has a good foundation of Heidelberg equipment; it houses a Prosetter 74SCL platesetter using Heidelberg Saphira Violet plates, a 92X POLAR cutter, a 2-color Printmaster QM 46 press and uses all of Heidelberg’s front-end software. Co-owner Carl Greenwell said the shop also uses Heidelberg’s consumables, including Saphira plates, blankets and plate chemistry solutions. The general commercial printer produces brochures, catalogues, posters, pocket folders and other materials for advertising agencies and the floral market. They also offer a full range of mailing and fulfillment services. Founded in 1919, Greenwell Chisholm employs 40 people.

King Printing Installs First Heidelberg Press
When the owners of King Printing Co. in Lowell, MA set out to upgrade their company’s technology, they turned to the best in the business. As part of the upgrade, the family-owned book manufacturer installed a 5-color Speedmaster CD 74 perfector from Heidelberg in March. The new press, which replaces an older competitive model, also features an inline coating unit for aqueous coatings, extended delivery and the suitable DryStar Combination Dryer. “We increased the capacity in our pressroom to maintain and improve our company’s reputation for fast turnaround,” says Adi Chinai, joint managing director. He added that while the company still is ramping up production on the new machine, it already has experienced a significant increase in productivity, based on the number of jobs produced per shift on the new press. The press is used primarily for components printing: covers, inserts and endsheets. Among perfect, mechanical and hard cover binding lines, the company’s in-house bindery also operates Heidelberg stitchers and cutters. Established in 1978, King Printing serves the educational and trade book markets, providing university presses and educational publishers with books in quantities from 100 to 50,000. With sales volume “in the double-digit millions,” says Chinai, “We’ve carved out a niche catering to short-run, quick-turnaround customers requiring fast time-to-market.” In that respect, he adds, “Heidelberg equipment is very robust and serves us extremely well.”

Madison Area Technical College Gets “Prinected” with Signa Station 2.0
Soon the 36 printing students in the sheetfed offset litho class at the Madison Area Technical College in Madison, WI will have increased prepress training opportunities, thanks to Heidelberg’s recent donation of a Signa Station 2.0 imposition and sheet assembly station to the school. This software will impose jobs for the program’s Heidelberg Prosetter 74 platesetter using Heidelberg Saphira Violet Plates. According to David Stuber, printing instructor, Madison Area Tech’s printing curriculum is a well-established and highly respected program where instruction revolves around a pressroom equipped with no fewer than six Heidelberg Quickmaster 46 two-color presses, and a Heidelberg GTO. Finishing equipment at the site includes a high-speed programmable POLAR 66 cutter and two Heidelberg B20 Stahlfolders. The new Signa Station is part of a technology upgrade designed to maintain a state-of-the-art educational printing facility that educates well-rounded students who know their way around an entire print workflow from prepress to postpress. “Heidelberg’s support has been vital in helping the Madison Area Technical College educate the best and the brightest among our next-generation workforce. Having trained on the best equipment available, these talented young people will be especially well-prepared to carry the industry into the future.”

OmniColor Doubles Production and Enhances Print Quality with New Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 74s
OmniColor Printing in East Providence, RI is seeing crisper dots and doubled production capacity. To accommodate growing print volume, Owner John Nickson recently replaced one of his old presses with two new Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 74s: a 5-color for conventional and UV inks with coating unit for water-based and UV coatings and a 4-color with perfector and inline aqueous coating capabilities. “UV dryers have really helped speed production because we can finish jobs right off the press, even on uncoated paper,” says Nickson. “And because the ink dries before it can be absorbed into the stock, the dots are noticeably sharper on these substrates.” In addition to faster turn-around times and higher quality output, the new presses also accommodate larger sheet sizes, up to 23 X 29. This means that OmniColor’s customers can enjoy the efficiency advantage of printing six-up versus the previous four-up. Founded in 1981, OmniColor Printing is headquartered in a recently updated 17,000-square-foot facility and employs 20 people. The commercial printer produces high-end marketing materials, including brochures, catalogs and annual reports for ad agencies and graphic design firms. OmniColor is not new to Heidelberg equipment; its facility also houses two Printmaster QM 46 presses and two POLAR cutters with lift and jogger.

Sprint Print Takes the Lead with New CtP and Press Solutions from Heidelberg
Walk through the doors of Sprint Print in Madisonville, KY and you’ll see a transformed business. It now houses a new Suprasetter A74 platesetter with automation using Heidelberg Saphira Chemfree Thermal Plates; a 4-color Speedmaster SM 74 perfector with high-pile delivery; and a Prinect workflow – all from Heidelberg. Sprint Print Owner Craig Winstead says, “Heidelberg made a different class printer out of us.” Winstead is most enthused about his new platesetter, which replaced a film image setter. He said the platesetter has saved his shop the most in time and effort and has substantially increased the quality of their four-color work. “I am tickled to death with that platesetter,” says Winstead. He also is seeing great results with his new SM 74. “The makeready is quicker,” says Winstead. “You don’t see my press operator running around the press as much.” Sprint Print is a general commercial printer that produces brochures, booklets, 24- and 48-page books, newsletters and postcards for corporations and individuals located within a 100-mile radius of his shop. Winstead started the business as a quick print shop in 1978 after graduating from the University of Louisville. Now specializing in offset printing, Sprint Print has two locations and employs 27 people.

Dupli Graphics Installs Three Small-Format Presses from Heidelberg
Dupli Envelope & Graphics Corp. in Syracuse, NY recently installed a pair of Heidelberg 2-color Printmaster QM 46 presses and a Heidelberg two-color Printmaster PM 52 press to handle increased volume throughout the shop. The new presses join Dupli’s existing line-up of Heidelberg presses. Dupli prints corporate stationery, employs 150 and serves a national customer base. Established in 1965, the $25 million, family-run company has been a Heidelberg customer for the past 10 years. “Heidelberg is a great partner for us,” says the company’s vice president, Kemper Matt.

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.