Heidelberg USA Announces New Product Installation Report

KENNESAW, GA—November 30, 2006—Heidelberg USA announces the following sample of new product installations:

New Speedmaster CD 74 Makes Impressive U.S. Debut at Colorado Print Shop
Colorado Printing Company in Grand Junction, Colorado is the first U.S. print shop to install a Speedmaster CD 74-4+LY-P-4+LX, which prints four over four and applies aqueous coating on both sides of the sheet in a single pass. Owner Mike Antonucci said the all-Heidelberg shop jumped on the opportunity to buy the new CD 74 as soon as the technology was available. The shop traded in two older presses (a 4-color and a 5-color) for the new 8-color CD 74, which does the job of both presses. Antonucci said the dedicated coating units apply a sufficiently thick film of coating, enabling even some gloss applications at higher production speeds. He added that the shop was so excited about the new press and its potential for the future that it made the purchase without even seeing it in-person. Instead, the shop tested the press by sending a file to Heidelberg, Germany, where it was printed on a CD 74 with similar configuration and mailed back to Grand Junction. Based on the impressive results and a long-standing relationship with Heidelberg, Colorado Printing made the purchase. Antonucci said Heidelberg has been with the company during every phase of its growth. And grown it has. Colorado Printing recently moved into a 150,000 sq. ft. space, which accommodates two other recent purchases: an 8-color Speedmaster SM 102 with perfector and a 10-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfector. Founded in 1947, the shop employs 120 people who serve various graphic art and manufacturing firms in the Rocky Mountain region.

It’s All About Service for United Printing & Mailing
Craig Hauer, CEO of United Printing & Mailing in Phoenix, Ariz., likes to keep things moving quickly. As a direct mail operation, his shop houses a United States post office right in the building, ensuring that projects are in and out quickly. With the recent installation of a new

4-color Printmaster PM 52 from Heidelberg, United Printing & Mailing can keep up with all the latest trends and customer demands. According to Hauer, United Printing & Mailing can now accomplish in one day what used to take more than two and a half. “We have at least 60 percent more throughput,” Hauer said, adding that the PM 52 is run at full speed most of the time. “It has much quicker makeready times and production speeds than what we had before,” he said. While Hauer has not had to use Heidelberg’s systemservice yet, he said that he was sold on the service offerings that Heidelberg packaged with systemservice

36plus, including Heidelberg’s maintenance inspections. Founded in 1965, United Printing & Mailing generally serves national clients in the automotive industry. The family-owned and operated shop has 37 full-time employees.

Steadfast Print and Mail Services Expands Same-Day Services with Heidelberg POLAR 78 X
Steadfast Print and Mail Services in Sacramento, Calif. has brought cutting in-house with the purchase of a new Heidelberg POLAR 78 X. General Manager Jeffrey Buchman said what used to be a one-day turnaround is now just one hour. He described the new cutter as “superb” and reported that productivity is up 100 percent on finishing paper. With so many products on the market, Buchman said his shop selected Heidelberg because of its quality, durability, service and support. “We knew the training was going to be good, and the cutter would be installed on time,” said Buchman. Founded in 2004, Steadfast Print and Mail Services produces direct marketing materials for the automotive and real estate industries, as well as medium to large corporations. The shop’s 14 employees churn out up to three million pieces of direct mail a month. Buchman said as the shop evolves, it plans to purchase more Heidelberg equipment.

Professional Printers Sees Double with New Stahlfolder TH 82
Professional Printers in West Columbia, S.C. has nearly doubled productivity with its new Stahlfolder TH 82 from Heidelberg, and is so pleased with the results, that it has ordered another one. “These are the best folders in the marketplace,” Senior Vice President Tom Conley said. “We have had nearly double the productivity with the machine, with fewer personnel.” Professional Printers replaced two older Stahlfolder models with the new one, which Conley compares to driving a Mercedes. The Stahlfolder TH 82 is part of the newest generation of Heidelberg folders: the Stahlfolder TH/KH family of folders features more automation, optimized machine operation and print image recognition scans for maximum productivity. Conley and his partners want to become a complete Heidelberg shop, and are well on their way. Professional Printers boasts 8-color, 4-color and 2-color Heidelberg Speedmaster presses, a 2-color Printmaster QM 46 and a new POLAR cutting system with jogger. “As we move forward and replace old equipment, we will look to Heidelberg,” Conley said. Professional Printers produces books, brochures and maps for colleges and universities, industrial clients and agencies.

Graphic Imagery Produces Quality with Prosetter 52 and POLAR 78 X from Heidelberg
Stuart Imison, president of Graphic Imagery in San Francisco, loves the business of printing. After moving to the U.S. from England more than a decade ago, he began working in the pressroom at Gateway Graphics. After several years, Imison left the company, only to return in 2003 to buy the shop, which he renamed Graphic Imagery. Imison’s vision for progress and growth is evident with the recent installations of a POLAR 78 X and Prosetter 52 from Heidelberg. “I don’t know how we ever got by without our new cutter and the Prosetter 52,” Imison said. “We are busier than ever now, but the new equipment has improved efficiencies to the point where we can do more work with the same number of employees without compromising quality.” Imison said. The small general commercial printer primarily produces business materials, brochures, posters and other corporate and marketing pieces on its 4-color and 2-color Heidelberg GTO presses. Graphic Imagery serves clients in many industries, including financial services, retail, computing, professional services and entertainment/hospitality – as well as trade clients.

Ad Agency Figment Designs Takes Printing In-house, Boosts Profits
Most advertising agencies don’t want anything to do with printing, but Figment Designs in Miami is different. After exceeding $400,000 a year in printing costs, co-owner Jeff Pankey said the shop brought printing in-house to control costs and better meet deadlines. Figment Designs purchased a new Heidelberg 5-color Printmaster PM 52 and a Prosetter 52 violet CtP device two months ago. Pankey and his business partners, Mario Leon and Manny Sardinas, have been in the printing industry for 15 years and say they selected Heidelberg because of the company’s reputation for reliability. “You want your clients to rely on your deadlines and promises; therefore, you have to have equipment you can rely on,” Pankey said. So far, the results have been strong. Since installing the new PM 52 and Prosetter 52, profitability has soared to 12-18 percent – and that’s after hiring three staff members to run the printing. In fact, Figment has partnered with Vision Concepts Ink to take on other printers’ work to keep the press running steadily and boosted the expected printing to exceed $900,000 in 2007. Pankey founded Figment Designs in 1994. Its clients include the travel industry, Caribbean resorts, a large bakery, healthcare providers and the real estate industry. Figment Group is the parent company of Figment Designs, Figment Distribution and Figment Transportation, and employs 17 people.

Evansville School Teaches the Nuts, Bolts and Dots of Printing on a Printmaster PM 74 with Perfector
Printing instructor Dave Thomas wanted his students to learn perfecting on “the best equipment out there.” With this goal in mind, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation in Evansville, Indiana just installed a new 2-color Printmaster PM 74 with perfector. Twenty students are enrolled in the “Digital Media and Graphic Communication” course, which teaches prepress and offset lithography. So far, the high school seniors have printed school newspapers and curriculum guides. Thomas said he has been pleasantly surprised at how well the students have grasped the automation. Their next assignment: making plates. Thomas said the school believes it’s important to teach students on equipment that they will find in professional shops. A third of the program’s students will go on to a two- or four-year school, while the majority will go straight into the workforce. The printing class is taught at the Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center, which houses several Heidelberg presses, including two single-color Printmaster QM 46s, one 2-color Printmaster QM 46 and a KORD dating back to 1974.

Embassy Press Moves Ahead with Quickmaster DI 46-4
Embassy Press Inc. in Plano, Texas just installed a 4-color Quickmaster DI 46-4 Pro Spot with digital imaging. Owner Frazier Monroe said his shop purchased the press to turn jobs around more quickly and improve resolution. With the additional color proofing and management program, Monroe said “Now we have a very reliable proof of the press sheet.” Currently, the shop is running the new Quickmaster DI at 9,000 impressions per hour and is already seeing a reduction in processing time. “We’re hoping to see a 25 percent reduction in pressroom time, and I believe we’re going to get it,” Monroe said. Embassy Press has built its business on printing sales literature for home builders in the Dallas area. The company also is launching its own art quarterly where customers can purchase frameable print art. Embassy Press has four employees and is anticipating an impressive sales year. Monroe adds that Heidelberg has been instrumental in making that happen.

Golden Manet Press Sticks with Heidelberg for Newest Press Installation
Golden Manet Press, a 90-year-old union print shop in Quincy, Mass., won’t mess with a good thing. When the company’s older Heidelberg 2-color Printmaster QM 46 needed to be replaced, Golden Manet turned to the latest version of the 2-color Printmaster QM 46, which includes new technology updates designed to deliver even more features and benefits. “We were already satisfied with the press,” said Lance Peterson, president of Golden Manet Press. “The new P-QM 46 had newer technology that we wanted to try.” Peterson said the company’s previous model had run over 20 million impressions since its installation more than six years ago. The shop now owns two Heidelberg 2-color Printmaster QM 46 presses, a Quickmaster DI 46-4 and a POLAR 78 cutter. Golden Manet Press is a commercial printer that produces business materials including letterheads, envelopes, brochures and posters for unions and various businesses across Massachusetts and in Texas, New York, Washington, New Jersey, Rhode Island and St. Louis.

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.