CHICAGO, September 28, 2003 — Heidelberg USA, meeting consumer demand for new sheetfed presses, today unveiled two significant new products to the offset market – the Printmaster PM 52 and the Speedmaster SM 52-D with die-cutting. The presses, designed to improve speed, efficiency and productivity, are part of the largest showing of sheetfed equipment at Graph Expo/Converting Expo 2003. The Printmaster PM 52 [see separate press release] is 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 and stationery. Meanwhile, the Speedmaster SM 52-D [see separate press release] is now available and being shown for the first time in the United States during Graph Expo. Sold exclusively through Heidelberg, the 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. “Heidelberg is seeing that more and more printers are interested in new sheetfed presses that will help make their companies more efficient,” said John Dowey, vice president, sheetfed, Heidelberg USA. “And as the economy makes a more favorable turn, the investment tax credits from the government become more and more attractive. We continue to see printers looking to new innovations in sheetfed to drive the future growth of their businesses.” In addition to the PM 52 and SM 52-D, Heidelberg will host live demonstrations and presentations to introduce the many new features and functionalities now available. A summary of sheetfed news at the show follows. - Speedmaster CD 102: Heidelberg will display this popular offset press, which offers the most comprehensive workflow integration through open secure standards and the CP2000 Center, the printing industry's most advanced press control system. The CD 102 is available in a wide range of models to meet all market needs, including anything from 2 to 10 printing units and the integration of up to four coating or drying units. Whatever the combination, the CD 102 offers enhanced productivity and flexibility to help printers produce top quality work quickly and easily. Other key features include: - Perfect integration to the digital workflow with connections to MIS and electronic prepress - Contact-free sheet travel with Heidelberg’s innovative AirTransfer system, which is automatically controlled by the CP2000 Center - The high-performing DryStar dryer ensures optimum drying results with contact-free, non-smearing sheet travel - Heidelberg's exclusive AxisControl system for closed-loop color control, right from the CP 2000 console - Fast-response inking systems that ensure stable inking and high print quality throughout each run - QM DI Pro: The ideal solution for short-run color printing, Heidelberg’s Quickmaster DI 46 Pro will be on hand during Graph Expo running live demonstrations to highlight the speed and versatility of digital offset printing. Visitors will experience first hand how the QM DI easily handles lenticular printing, printing on plastics and magnetic paper. The QM DI Pro, with its streamlined workflow and superb color management, can now be used with Heidelberg’s Prinect Printready system to ensure more efficient, high-quality runs. Two key focal points: The new MetaDimension RIP and special applications that use many of the unique features of the press, such as the 16 pt. maximal stock thickness or the ultrasonic double sheet detection. The new MetaDimension Rip streamlines the workflow with direct proofing options and enhanced screening and color management features. Heidelberg also is showing for the first time the new Saphira Quickplate, which is a plate material for all Quickmaster DI presses. At the show, Heidelberg will use the QM DI and the Digimaster 9110 cp to demonstrate a common workflow using Prinect Printready and Metadimension. Other key benefits of the Quickmaster DI Pro include: - The quality of offset printing with the speed of a digital workflow - Minimal makeready times and industry-leading production speeds - High degree of automation, including ink key presetting and Smart Spoolin, along with standardization make it is possible to handle a complete job change in less than 10 minutes - Total function control from the ergonomic CP2000 Center simplifies the use of the waterless offset printing system - Speedmaster SM 74: Throughout Graph Expo, Heidelberg will run live demonstrations on a Speedmaster SM 74 10-color perfecting. The Speedmaster SM 74, the leader of the half-size press market, is extensively automated so that even very short runs can be printed on it profitably. The CP2000 Center has an open interface that enables the operator to control the entire press using a touch screen. This results in greater productivity and cost-effectiveness as well as integration to the digital workflow. The SM 74, also regarded for its high precision and stability, provides uncompromised quality on both sides of a job in one pass. Other key features include: - A suction-tape feeder that allows fast stock changes regardless of format size or substrate and high production speed - Printing units with high automation for fast plate changes, ink settings and wash-ups - A powerful inking system and Alcolor Vario -- Heidelberg's hickey-picking dampening system that combine to allow high stability and superb print quality - Automated changeover from straight printing to perfecting and vice-versa - High-pile delivery with sheet guidance that results in reliable production on a wide variety of stocks Following the show, the machine will be shipped to its new home: Colorado Printing in Grand Junction, CO. This machine will be the second long perfecting SM 74 for the fast-growing commercial printer, supplementing an 8-color model installed less than two years ago. - Star Alliance Peripheral Systems: Heidelberg is the only manufacturer that designs and builds presses and press peripherals as integrated systems. As machines have gotten bigger, their impact on the pressroom has increased. Through Heidelberg’s Star Alliance Peripheral Systems, the impact of heat and air movement on the pressroom environment has been minimized. This not only makes for a better pressroom environment, but also helps keep cooling energy costs low. The Star Alliance Peripheral Systems will be the central feature of Heidelberg’s environmental center, where visitors to the Heidelberg booth can learn about creating safer, more pleasant working environments. - Remote Service: Heidelberg will showcase its newly enhanced Remote Service Program, which delivers electronic diagnosis of Speedmaster presses equipped with the CP2000 Center as well as the ImageControl System without a visit from a technician. If printers have a problem on their press, Remote Service lets Heidelberg's technicians help get the press back into production - quickly and efficiently. With Remote Service, Heidelberg's experts can check all electronic components that would normally be evaluated during the service call. The problem can then be identified and resolved via remote service. Printers benefit from increased machine availability, fewer on-site service calls and lower costs. The service is so successful that more than 70 percent of service calls can be resolved through remote diagnostics and without a service technician ever visiting the site. - On-Line Kit CPTronic: The On-Line Kit CPTronic enables the on-line connection of CPC 1.04 Speedmaster presses since 1995 to a digitally networked Prinect production workflow and provides nearly the same functionality to a CPC 1.04 press as a CP2000 press. This new online kit, which enables a networked press, further demonstrates Heidelberg’s commitment to extending the productive and competitive life of older models, and prolonging the value of capital expenditures. Key benefits: - Enables the use of Premium Remote Service to reduce machine down-time - Jobs can be shared between presses - Thumbnail representation of jobs for easy identification - User Interface very similar to CP2000 - Direct integration with CP2000 and other CPC 1.04 presses - Ink-key presetting data derived from prepress is transferred directly from PrepressInterface to the press over the network, instead of being delivered via memory card, further improving efficiency in the pressroom