Chicago, September 28, 2003 – Today at Graph Expo/Converting Expo 2003, Heidelberg introduced new solutions that will help printers succeed in a business environment characterized by shorter run lengths, heightened competition, demand for quicker turnarounds and lower pricing. Throughout the week, Heidelberg is demonstrating connected solutions, providing educational seminars and offering consulting resources to help print media professionals increase productivity and profits. “Our customers are looking to Heidelberg to provide new innovative solutions, knowing that we will back them up fully with support and resources to ensure their successful implementation,” said Niels Winther, president of Heidelberg USA. “Our presence at Graph Expo this year provides the right balance of hardware, software and brainware. We look forward to a positive show.” Leadership in CIM is Central Focus Heidelberg’s show theme, “Connect/Create,” refers to the company’s central focus on computer integrated manufacturing (CIM). Solutions being spotlighted in Heidelberg’s booth, #1000, demonstrate interconnectivity and automation. Show attendees have multiple opportunities to learn about Heidelberg’s portfolio of CIM workflow products, Prinect, through a main presentation that features Heidelberg customers who are CIM pioneers and an interactive workflow tour that demonstrates the benefits of a connected print operation and provides a roadmap for migrating to a CIM environment. Additionally, Heidelberg is showcasing solutions that offer advanced automation and optimization tools that reduce operator workload and increase production capacity. Among the automated solutions being featured: color management and prepress solutions that set ink key zones and send information downstream to reduce redundant job ticket entry, new 20-inch presses with added tools and features, enhancements to digital presses that increase productivity, a new web press with a wider, eight-pages-across format that delivers productivity and efficiency advantages and a host of finishing products that eliminate bottlenecks and enable printers to meet tight production schedules. Top News: New Technologies take Center Stage Heidelberg is introducing a host of new technologies and solutions at Graph Expo. Additionally, the company is providing educational forums, consulting and support services to teach printers how to maximize performance and profitability. A summary of Heidelberg’s top news at Graph Expo follows. Expanding the 20-Inch product portfolio: Heidelberg launched the Printmaster PM, a new 20-inch press that is available in one- to five-color models with a wide range of special accessories and automation so that customers can tailor the press to their precise needs. Positioned as a growth step up from the Printmaster GTO 52, the Printmaster PM 52 represents the ideal route to growth for small and midsize businesses that print a wide range of commercial jobs such as advertising material, brochures, business cards, stationery and annual reports. Processing packs twice as fast as competitors: Heidelberg unveiled its new Speedbander pack delivery, which outputs counted and sleeve-wrapped packs. Counting, pressing, jogging and sleeve-wrapping of folded sheets are fully automated and rationalize the workflows downstream of the folder and gang-stitcher. Highly productive, flexible solution for bookbinders and full-service commercial printers, the Speedbander accepts folded sheets and stitched products in max. 3-up or 4-up, stacks them into packs, sleeve-wraps and delivers them at an ergonomic working height. It processes 600 packs per "up" every hour and can therefore output almost twice as many packs as other well-known systems, helping finishing specialists to save on makeready time and personnel costs. Accurate die-cutting at 9,000 sheets/hour: Heidelberg launched Dymatrix 105 CS, a new fully automated, high-speed die-cutting system. Demonstrated for the first time in the Heidelberg booth, Dymatrix contains the latest technology to allow for stable and accurate die cutting with the industry’s only upper platen drive and advanced feed-to delivery station eliminating vertical movement. From the sheet transport system to the machine drive system all the way to the cutting, stripping and blanking stations, formally known as the Jagenberg WPM 304, the Dymatrix 105 CS is capable of producing 9,000 finished sheets an hour. In January 2003, Heidelberg announced it had purchased the Diana folding box gluing operations and WPM die-cutting activities from the Jagenberg Group. In-line die-cutting in one pass: Shown for the first time in the United States at Graph Expo, the Speedmaster SM 52-D offers in-line die-cutting and finishing steps that can be done in one pass, thereby significantly increasing efficiency and production speed and lowering total costs. The SM 52-D, now available exclusively through Heidelberg, features highly automated printing units that make changeovers fast and simple. The new press comes with an innovative short-path inking mode that considerably shortens the reaction time of the inking unit, especially when running light coverage forms, and maintains the same maximum press speed as the original Speedmaster SM 52. Leveraging gapless blanket technology for web printers: Heidelberg unveiled the much-anticipated new Sunday 3000/32, the world's first single-circumference web press to offer the advantage of an eight-pages-across cylinder configuration. A 72-inch (1830 mm) web width allows the press to print 32 magazine-size pages per revolution at speeds of up to 100,000 impressions per hour. Gapless blanket technology is vital to the new 2 x 8 format. The tubular blankets eliminate vibrations that would otherwise compromise speed and print quality with the wider cylinders. Meeting high-volume, black-and-white digital demand: Heidelberg introduced the new Digimaster 9110 cp digital press to the North American commercial print market. The monochrome press, available only through Heidelberg, is designed to meet the specific demands of commercial printers that handle high-volume, black-and-white print jobs. Its key attributes include variable paper handling, improved workflow, greater productivity and enhanced image quality. The press prints a wider range of substrate and paper sizes, including sheets up to 14" x 18" and easily integrates with Heidelberg’s Prinect MetaDimension software, enabling commercial printers to use one workflow for both offset and digital print workflows. Graph Expo 2003 marks the first U.S. demonstration of the 9110 cp with inline wire-comb binding. Expanding service offerings: Heidelberg announced new customer service programs created to improve upon its industry leading level of customer support. Heidelberg customers now have the option for regular check ups of their equipment through the new automated Fitness Check system, which allows for remote maintenance checks to ensure proper running order of all its equipment out in the field. Heidelberg also expanded on its broad network of phone-based services and experienced operators to field and process incoming requests more efficiently and effectively, 24 hours a day. Heidelberg’s integrated approach to customer service is the most comprehensive in the industry and the new systems are aimed at increasing productivity and up-time on all of its customers equipment. Enhancing productivity of PDF and Postscript processing: Heidelberg unveiled an upgraded version of its MetaDimension workflow system, enhancing the productivity and flexibility of PDF and Postscript processing while at the same time showing the future industry trends for the common integration of prepress systems employed at commercial printers. The system provides a single workflow solution for both offset and digital print production customers. It’s part of Heidelberg’s Prinect Printready workflow system and it uses a new Adobe Post Script interpreter with enhanced interpreter performance and increase throughput. Improving digital color workflow and efficiency: Heidelberg announced three new configurations of the NexPress 2100 digital production color press and the NexStation II front end – both of which will help printers run more efficient and profitable businesses. These solutions, now available, provide improvements in printing, RIPing and overall workflow functionality. The digital front end, NexStation II, enables printers to choose the solution that best fits their current requirements and upgrade as their businesses grow. The new configurations are on display in the Heidelberg booth. “The printing industry is rebounding so it is more imperative than ever that printers use technology to their advantage and learn how to get the most from their current solutions and know where to invest to increase profits,” Winther said. “In keeping with our mission to be our customers’ business partner, we are focusing on far more than new equipment. We are providing evaluation, education and consulting on technologies that enhance a printers existing solution set and new solutions that add real value and provide a quicker return on investment.”