KENNESAW, Ga., June 26, 2008 – The fruits of more than two years of hard work are paying off for Carded Graphics, which just installed one of the first Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 presses available with hybrid UV capability in the U.S. The packaging printer and folding carton converter located in Staunton, Va. recently built a 60,000-sq.-ft. addition to make way for the upgraded press, which will double the company's production capabilities. The 7-color XL 105 press with aqueous coater and hybrid UV and full logistics for nonstop production was installed with a full prepress system from Heidelberg – including a Suprasetter 105 platesetter and Prinect Prepress Manager workflow system, Prinect Prepress Interface, Prinect Image Control color measuring system and Prinect Inspection Control, which monitors color consistency across the sheet.

President and Owner Murry Pitts, who created Carded Graphics by merging two companies just over two years ago, said, "We chose a hybrid system from Heidelberg for its ease of use and production capability. We can now switch between aqueous coating and UV inks easily, which is a big advantage and enhances our capability portfolio."  Carded Graphics already is taking UV orders from clients, which the company would previously have had to outsource. "The XL 105 gives us a way to serve our existing UV clients better, and gives us a value-added sales approach for customers who are looking for higher gloss and different printing substrates," Pitts said.

The new press comes with a plastics and substrates package to help Carded Graphics print any grade of folding material up to 40-point thickness. "Our capability now covers the full spectrum," Pitts said. "Some of our customers request foil board and other substrates, and we can now do that internally – there isn't much we can't print now." The new press was also built on an elevated platform for ease of printing on thicker substrates and larger stock.



The Speedmaster XL 105 is designed to achieve the industry's highest output with significantly faster changeover times and the highest real production speeds. The benefits of its full automation for package printers include:

    •    Larger Format: The Speedmaster XL 105's 29.53 x 41.34" format allows for more rows of ups per sheet – a key advantage for boosting the net output of packaging and label printers.

    •    Wall Screen Control: The XL 105 permits extensive workflow integration on the basis of open, future-proof standards through the Prinect Press Center screen.

    •    Heidelberg Logistics: The fully-automatic logistics system consists of fully automatic pile changing, automatic material conveying and pile buffering. This is critical for securing a constant maximum production speed with thicker board substrates.

    •    Preset Plus Delivery: Delivery system with aerodynamically designed gripper bars and perfectly adapted Venturi air sheet guide plates stabilizes any size substrate at maximum production speeds. Fully remote-controllable sheet breaks and high-frequency joggers secure perfectly aligned delivery piles that are ready for finishing processes.

In addition to expanded capabilities and greater productivity, seamless workflow and quality control are important to Pitts and the Carded Graphics team; so important that the company decided to replace a fairly new CtP device with a new Suprasetter 105 platesetter from Heidelberg to create a streamlined production process from the front end to back end. "I knew that Heidelberg's Prinect Prepress Manager workflow would be a crucial part of our expansion," Pitts said. "Every part of our process, from prepress to finishing, can now connect and work seamlessly to create a finished product with faster turnaround and precise color management. Prinect is really a superior workflow system." Carded Graphics has run Prinect Prepress Manager workflow since January, and has now integrated the Speedmaster XL 105 into its workflow. Positive-working offset aluminum Saphira Thermoplate PN plates from Heidelberg are in use with the new Suprasetter 105.

Carded Graphics primarily serves national accounts in the food, medical and medical devices, consumer electronics, tobacco products and pharmaceutical packaging industries. Pitts bought the company in April of 2006 from Manchester Industries and merged it with his own North Carolina-based Pell Paper Box. In the same year, Pitts moved the entire operation to Staunton, Va. in the Shenandoah Valley and retained the Carded Graphics LLC name. Now with more than 75 employees, Carded Graphics has expanded its operations and capabilities to become one of the largest folding carton converters in the region.