KENNESAW, Ga., September 7, 2004 - Heidelberg will introduce the Speedmaster CD 74 with optional perfecting system for the first time in the United States at Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2004. This press, unveiled at drupa 2004, enables high quality printing on both sides of the sheet with short changeover times between paper and board and from the straight printing mode to the perfecting mode. Depending on the job mix, a 15 percent to 25 percent increase in productivity can be achieved with the new press over the traditional perfecting presses on the midsize market. The Speedmaster CD 74 perfecting models are ideal for commercial printers handling a wide range of printing stocks, packaging and label printers, and print shops that mainly produce greeting cards or book jackets in perfecting mode. "Heidelberg understands that medium-sized printers demand maximum flexibility, but that they often only have one press in the 50 x 70 cm format range," said Steen Jensen, senior vice president of product management for Heidelberg USA. "The CD 74 with perfecting system now enables our customers to meet the many different requirements they face. This press can process high quality print products with increasingly diverse printing stocks.” The new Heidelberg press was developed with a three drum system that enables even printing stocks up to a maximum thickness of 0.8 mm to be processed reliably in perfecting mode. In many cases, users can achieve extra productivity when printing multiple ups or jobs involving special formats. The maximum print speed both in straight and perfecting mode is 15,000 sheets per hour. The CD 74 with a convertible sheet reversing device is available in four to six color models, with coating system and extended delivery options. It is available in the 53 x 74 cm and 60.5 x 74 cm formats. The press also boasts a double-sized transfer cylinder that has been fitted directly in front of the storage drum. This takes the sheet from the impression cylinder of the printing unit located before the sheet reversing device and guides it toward a double-sized storage drum. This drum has all the reliability of Heidelberg’s sheet reversing devices, like the rotary sucker system that aligns the sheet perfectly. A single-sized reversing drum with a pincer gripper bar then guides the sheet in the gripper closure to the following printing unit. The result: extremely high register accuracy. Productivity gains are directly related to product mix. The heavier the printing stocks over 250 gsm, the more the improvements in productivity become evident. These printing substrates, previously considered difficult, can now be produced with short setup times, reduced cleaning times and an effortless production run. “Automated makeready and easy-to-control sheet travel make the Speedmaster CD 74 an extremely user-friendly press for a broad range of substrates from ?imsy papers to stiff board and plastic sheets,” Jensen said. “This new advancement in sheetfed technology is highly versatile and supports fast setup, simple automated operation and reliability during the production run, even with frequently changing printing stocks of various substrates. This is a revolutionary solution that will help printers drive efficiencies into their business process and increase profitability.”