KENNESAW, Ga. – September 24, 2008 – Heidelberg USA today announced the sale of the 100th Speedmaster XL 105 press in the United States. The milestone press will go to Image Graphics and Litho, a general commercial shop in Portland, Ore., which purchased a 5-color model of the press with coater.

“Heidelberg first introduced the XL 105 at drupa 2004 and made its North American debut at Graph Expo 2005. We built the XL 105 to give commercial and packaging printers a solution for achieving greater productivity while enabling them to maintain the highest quality and reliability,” said Clarence Penge, vice president of sheetfed product management, Heidelberg USA. “This latest milestone indicates the strong support the XL 105 has received among top printers in the North American marketplace.”

Image Graphics, founded in 1975, has been on a tremendous run the past 10 years.  They are currently expanding not only their workforce, but adding the latest technology by choosing the XL 105 to keep pace with the growth of their customer-driven business.  “We already have work lined up for the XL 105,” said President Jerry Hilbert. “Our client relationships are strong, and even in this tough economy our clients are looking to give us additional work because of the exceptional customer service and quality we provide.  In the hands of our craftsmen, the increased capability and larger format — along with the real production speeds of 18,000 sph — will greatly assist us in meeting the needs of our current customers, and in generating new business as well.  Our customers, our production crew, and our sales team are all very excited about this addition to Image Graphics.”

Hilbert reports that the shop looked to Heidelberg for a 40-inch press solution after having enjoyed “tremendous success” with its 5-color Speedmaster CD 74 press, which was installed four years ago. Image Graphics’ experience with Heidelberg reliability and service was a key factor in going with the XL 105. “We are very impressed with Heidelberg’s service, and have two Heidelberg mechanics in this area whom we regard very highly. We’ve also talked to several people who own XL 105 presses, and have received extremely positive feedback on the XL 105,” said Hilbert.

In preparation for the new pressroom addition, Image Graphics also is upgrading its prepress capabilities with a Suprasetter 105, scheduled to be installed next month; the press itself will be up and running by the end of the year. The shop also recently upgraded its Prinect workflow for the CD 74 press to ensure the latest in connectivity, quality control and production efficiency. In addition to its Heidelberg prepress and press equipment, the shop runs a KAMA die cutter, two Stahlfolder Ti 36 folders and a Stitchmaster ST 90 saddlestitcher. To ensure the continued top performance of its CD 74, the shop relies on Saphira press consumables from Heidelberg.

Hilbert and his staff are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their XL 105 and are busy preparing the floor to receive the new equipment. “Our sales team and our customers are very excited,” Hilbert said. “We look forward to watching the partnership we’ve established with Heidelberg further enhance our business.”

The latest version of the popular XL 105 press — the Speedmaster XL 105 with perfecting device, which was first unveiled at drupa 2008 — will be shown at Graph Expo in Chicago, where it will make its U.S. debut. For more information about the Speedmaster XL 105, visit www.heidelberg.com.