Kennesaw, Georgia, March 14, 2002 -- Heidelberg U.S.A. and Sir Speedy have initiated a collaborative research and development effort that will make on-demand, custom printing fast and economical. Heidelberg's recently introduced digital color production press, the NexPress 2100, will be installed at select Sir Speedy centers nationwide for on-the-job trials and qualification. The Sir Speedy center in Tucker, Ga., is the first to receive the innovative machine, which incorporates technological innovations to set new standards for image quality, system uptime, reliability and consistency. "As the business world moves to digital printing, leading printers all across the U.S. have turned to digital presses to increased profitability, high volumes, and quick and economical short runs for their print operations, " said Karl Post, Vice President, Strategic Development, Sir Speedy, Inc. "Our franchisees have embraced digital printing as a customer solution and the NexPress delivers the technology to meet their demands." Sir Speedy Printing and PIP Printing, Inc. are franchisers with more than 1,100 centers in 23 countries, and a global digital network that links customers to an international team of highly trained communications experts. The client base of Sir Speedy Printing ranges from small business establishments to America's most established Fortune 100 companies. To fulfill the ever-increasing demands of this broad client base, Sir Speedy & PIP offers customer the latest in the best-of-practice equipment to ensure the delivery of work done efficiently and effectively, at all times. The installation of the NexPress will allow Sir Speedy to expand its offerings in digital color. The NexPress 2100 digital production color press dramatically enhances the ability of printing businesses to provide new services and produce higher-value print media, including full variable-data jobs. Its rugged, press-like design - built in the tradition of Heidelberg - combines with hundreds of technology innovations to set new standards for image quality, system uptime, reliability, and consistency. By combining its industry-leading offset printing and paper handling capabilities with its partner Kodak's world-class electrophotography and imaging science technologies, Heidelberg is establishing new performance measures for digital color print production and driving digital color printing to the next level. The NexPress 2100 combines the power of a press with the flexibility of a printer. It was developed jointly with Kodak and offers new standards of image quality with patented NexPress DryInk formulations and the NexQ quality-control system. Together, these elements allow the NexPress 2100 to produce ready-to-finish sets, automatically collated, dry and static-free as soon as they hit the stacker at the full engine speed of 2100, A3+ (350 x 470 mm) or tabloid-sized (13.8 x 18.5 inches) sheets per hour. The NexPress 2100 is intuitive to use, even for operators with little or no digital experience. It integrates with current workflows, IT systems and finishing equipment to provide complete solutions for the digital printing needs of today - and for the future. It sets new standards for uptime, with rugged design and the NexPert Operator Support System. Virtually every part that ever needs service or maintenance - more than 40 components in all - can be replaced by the operator in minutes or seconds, with no special tools. "Sir Speedy has been involved in the development of the NexPress for more than two years and we find the NexPress an invaluable addition to our business," says Karl Post. "The NexPress adds to Sir Speedy's product offerings to meet our customers' needs and gives us a distinct advantage in the marketplace." "The partnership between Sir Speedy and Heidelberg USA is based on listening to the needs of the marketplace and development of customer solutions," says Eric Frank, vice president, Digital, Heidelberg USA. "The opportunity to deliver digital printing and variable data printing to help Sir Speedy franchises nationwide succeed is an important opportunity for Heidelberg."