CHICAGO, IL - Rochester Institute of Technology and Heidelberg will strengthen their partnership through a major initiative to enhance web offset education and research opportunities. In an agreement announced at Print 01, Heidelberg will install its most advanced commercial web press, a gapless Sunday 2000, at RIT’s School of Printing Management and Sciences. The school will break ground for a new building on its Rochester, N. Y., campus to house the press this fall. The installation will be completed in the fall of 2002. “This is much more than a press consignment,” according to Dr. Albert J. Simone, president of RIT. “This reflects a long-term partnership with Heidelberg that continues to bring the most advanced technology to our campus and the most advanced education and applied research capabilities to the industry.” Heidelberg chairman Bernhard Schreier said his company is proud to support RIT. He noted that the school plays a vital role in the graphic arts industry worldwide with thousands of graduates holding leadership positions with printers and suppliers. “The success of print media depends heavily on the three factors that define RIT’s mission and our partnership with this world-renowned institute – state-of-the-art technology, outstanding training and advanced process knowledge,” Schreier explained. The Sunday 2000 at RIT will replace an M-1000B web press donated by Heidelberg predecessor, Harris Graphics, in 1986. The new web press will join a long list of advanced Heidelberg prepress, press and postpress technology at RIT, including a Topaz scanner, Speedmaster 74 and Quickmaster DI sheetfed presses, a Polar cutter and a Stahl folder. Heidelberg introduced the Sunday 2000 in 1999. The press is designed for the highest quality commercial and publication applications. Makeready and waste reduction features make the Sunday 2000 especially adept at shorter run lengths and frequent changeovers. “It’s important to realize that this is a new, state-of-the-art web press system that will provide the best possible platform for advanced research and training,” Dr. Simone explained. Heidelberg will install a Contiweb CS splicer, PCF-1 pinless combination folder and the new GATF InterTech award winning Ecocool dryer as part of an integrated Sunday 2000 system at RIT. The six-unit, single-web press will feature a 24-page 2x6 plate cylinder configuration and will print at up to 2,000 feet per minute. It will be equipped with semi-automatic plate changing capabilities and Heidelberg’s Omnicon controls. RIT will seek additional partners to supply consumables and some auxiliary components. In addition to educational opportunities for students and for the industry, RIT conducts extensive applied research for web offset printers and suppliers. “By scientifically studying topics like press performance, print quality and the interaction of consumables in web offset production, RIT has provided extremely valuable data for Heidelberg, for other suppliers and for our customers,” Schreier explained. “This new web press system will allow them to modernize and expand these important research capabilities.” Heidelberg and its Print Media Academy will use the new Sunday 2000 for training and research projects, including collaborative efforts with RIT. Heidelberg and RIT will also utilize the RIT press for demonstrations and as a benchmark to help web printers evaluate Sunday 2000 performance. About Rochester Institute of Technology Internationally recognized as a leader in imaging, technology, fine and applied arts, and education of the deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology enrolls 15,000 full- and part-time students in more than 250 career-oriented and professional programs. RIT’s School of Printing Management and Sciences, considered among the best of its kind in the world, offers programs in graphic media, printing systems, and traditional and electronic publishing. Among its lead programs, RIT just launched the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, enrolling more than 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students in information technology, computer science, and software engineering. For the past decade, U.S. News and World Report has ranked RIT as one of the nation’s leading comprehensive universities. RIT is also included in Yahoo Internet Life’s Top 100 Wired Universities, Fisk’s Guide to America’s Best Colleges, as well as Barron’s Best Buys in Education.