Polish print shop Chromapress will shortly take delivery of a Speedmaster SM 74 equipped with the 50,000th half-format printing unit from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). "With our new Speedmaster SM 74 five-color press with coating unit we are aiming to boost productivity and offer top quality at reasonable prices," explains Chromapress owner Janusz Wyszynski. The commercial printshop has big plans and is looking to increase orders and sales by 70 percent over the next two to three years. "We are expecting fast makeready, excellent flexibility, and a high level of automation with the new Speedmaster. It will extend the range of grammages we are able to process, and the coating unit will produce impressive finishes that put us in an excellent competitive position," continues Wyszynski.

Chromapress was founded in 2003 and most of the 20 employees come from a state-owned print shop that produced high-quality work on Speedmaster presses. More than 100 customers including banks, retailers, associations, organizations, and advertising agencies put their trust in Chromapress.

Around 20 percent of production is exported. Typical run lengths range from 1,000 to 30,000 sheets and most orders are four-color jobs with spot colors and coating. The full-service printshop’s equipment already includes a Speedmaster SM 74 four-color press.

Half-format product portfolio geared to customer needs
"Delivering the 50,000th half-format printing unit marks yet another chapter in our success story in this market segment. The 50 x 70 centimeter format enjoys a high market share with our customers. All models can be customized to suit individual requirements and service portfolios," explains Stephan Plenz, Member of the Management Board responsible for Technology and Operations at Heidelberg. The product line first appeared in 1980 with the M-Offset series, and the Speedmaster SM 74 made its global premiere at drupa 1995. A press with a simpler configuration was launched at drupa 2000 in the form of the Printmaster PM 74. At the same trade show, Heidelberg presented the Speedmaster CD 74 for high-end half-format printing. This press features a different cylinder concept and is increasingly the platform of choice for special applications such as UV, CutStar or FoilStar.
 
Since drupa 2008, the product portfolio has been updated, and the 50 x 70 centimeter (19.69 x 27.56 inch) format now includes the scalable Speedmaster SM 74 and the Speedmaster XL 75. The Speedmaster SM 74 is available in configurations ranging from a two-color press to a ten-color model with high-pile delivery. The series also includes two- to five-color configurations with standard deliveries that were designed above all for print shops with short and medium runs. The new five-color press in particular is ideal for print shops that wish to use spot colors and varnish in a single pass. It can process substrate thicknesses from 0.03 to 0.6 millimeters (0.0012 to 0.024 inches) at a maximum printing speed of 15,000 sheets per hour. The fully automatic perfecting device and the coating and drying options of the high-pile delivery models boost the range of applications that are available with the Speedmaster SM 74.

With a capacity of up to 18,000 sheets per hour, the Speedmaster XL 75 sets new performance standards in the 50 x 70 centimeter format class. Exceptional flexibility is ensured thanks to the ability to process a large number of substrates in thicknesses from 0.03 to 0.8 millimeters (0.0012 to 0.031 inches) and the wide range of straight printing and perfecting models with up to 12 printing units and a coating unit. As a customized press with surface finishing options such as UV coatings, double coating units, cold foil application with FoilStar, and Duo presses with flexographic printing units before the offset units, the Speedmaster XL 75 also supports versatile configuration to generate added value for customers. This makes it the perfect choice for commercial, packaging, and label printers.