CHICAGO, October 10, 2004 – This week at Graph Expo/Converting Expo 2004, Heidelberg will unveil new equipment, workflow tools and service offerings that enhance and accelerate productivity and efficiency in the graphic arts and printing processes. These new innovations – shown for the first time in the United States – reinforce Heidelberg’s commitment to help printers run more profitable businesses. Heidelberg, bridging the passion and success of drupa to Graph Expo, is introducing significant new advancements in press, prepress, postpress and workflow technology that were met with overwhelming reviews at the May show in Dusseldorf, Germany. These new solutions – as observed by thousands at drupa - will help printers succeed in a changing business environment characterized by shorter run lengths, demand for faster turnarounds, heightened competition and lower pricing. “Heidelberg’s show theme, “Created with Passion. Made for Success,” is a statement about how everything we do and make is with the customer in mind,” said Heidelberg USA President James Dunn. “The technologies we will introduce this week will help print shop owners and managers reduce business performance concerns while at the same time connect with the areas of the business that they are passionate about.” Commitment to Sheetfed Innovation Heidelberg announced earlier this year a new corporate structure focused on the bedrock of today’s printing industry: sheetfed innovation and success. Heidelberg will demonstrate its continued commitment to sheetfed this week by showcasing new equipment, enhancements and technology for sheetfed printing that will raise the bar for industry performance in this sector. Heidelberg – located in booth #1000 – will have one of the largest displays of sheetfed equipment at Graph Expo, with live demonstrations and presentations to introduce the many new features and functionalities now available. Lead among the sheetfed highlights is the simultaneous US debut of two innovative perfecting technologies: the new Speedmaster SM 102 Perfecting Coating Solution (PCS): and the new CD 74 with optional perfecting system. Having long been proven as world leader in perfecting machines, Heidelberg has once again reaffirmed its leading position with these new systems. On the Speedmaster SM 102, PCS technology enables simultaneous process color printing and aqueous coating on both sides of the sheet. Demonstrated on a ten-color press, PCS lets the printer choose between 4-colors plus aqueous sealer on both sheet sides, or 5 over 5 ink perfecting without the coating. The fact that one press can operate in both modes shows the flexibility of the concept, and demonstrates a unique and customer-oriented solution to demands of the market. The CD 74 perfector, which was officially unveiled at drupa 2004, enables high quality perfecting with the flexibility to run anything from lightweight papers all the way to 32 point board – with no restriction on the maximum running speed. This makes the Speedmaster CD 74 perfecting models ideal for industrial printers handling a wide range of printing stocks, as well as companies operating in the demanding world of packaging and label production. Top News: New Technologies take Center Stage This week Heidelberg will showcase a host of new technologies and solutions at Graph Expo. Additionally, the company is providing educational forums, consulting and support services to teach printers how to maximize performance and profitability. A summary of Heidelberg’s top news at Graph Expo follows. Printmaster QM 46 Celebrates Significant Sheetfed Milestone Heidelberg marks a significant sheetfed milestone at Graph Expo this year, closing the sale of its 10,000th Printmaster QM 46 to PIP Printing & Document Services of Franchise Services Inc. The company operates worldwide under the Sir Speedy, PIP Printing and Multicopy brand names, making it one of the largest franchise chains in the United States. Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, the Printmaster QM 46 sets the industry standard for single-color and two-color presses in A3 format. The press, which requires little makeready, allows fast and productive processing of short runs. Heidelberg Chief Executive Bernhard Schreier is scheduled to honor Linda and Paul Ramirez, owners of PIP Printing & Document Services located in Paramus, N.J., during a certificate ceremony on Monday, October 11, at 11 a.m. in the Heidelberg booth. ‘Experience’ A Connected Workflow Heidelberg’s computer integrated manufacturing solution – Prinect – is showcased in the Prinect Experience, a series of eight integrated workstations that demonstrate how to employ CIM for highly efficient print production. The workshop tour offered daily will show printers how they can leverage the equipment that is already in their shops. A popular attraction at drupa, the Prinect Experience showcases the Prinect family of unique workflow products that completely and seamlessly integrates the production and business management processes – from start to finish. Informational stops along the tour will cover streamlining prepress, press, finishing, cutting, folding, stitching, quality assurance and even print production management. New Advancements in Sheetfed Technology In addition to the perfecting innovations, Heidelberg is showcasing other technologies to help the Sheetfed printer compete. The new Speedmaster CD 102 features a entirely new feeder and delivery system in addition to a new and easy to handle coating system. These components, make the new Plus generation of Speedmaster CD 102 more productive than ever and increase it’s versatility to handle poorly-conditioned board, lightweight or synthetic label papers, or plastics. The Plus generation feeder and delivery systems of the Speedmaster 102 were actually designed around the needs of the new “Peak Performance Class” Speedmaster XL 105, which was internationally launched at Drupa in May. The new press, which was designed from the ground up for ultra-fast make-readies and a running speed of 18,000 sheets/hour, will debut in the USA early in 2005. The XL 105 establishes a totally new class of high-output sheetfed offset machines. Another new innovation is the CutStar Plus roll-to-sheet feeder on the SM 102. CutStar Plus lets the printer buy and run paper at web-roll prices, which makes it ideally suited to perfecting or label production. And the new generation of Star Peripheral systems keeps the presses humming at top efficiency and reliability. Taken all together, these innovations are delivering a productivity boost of 8% to 10% by reducing make-ready time and increasing real-world running speeds. Consumable Products Heidelberg will unveil additional solutions to its consumable product line including the US introduction of Heidelberg Saphira Caleidoplate 46 for Quickmaster DI 46 Pro and Plus presses. The new Saphira Caleidoplate 46 with the Quickmaster DI 46 Pro & Plus team to deliver Optimum performance and reduce the total cost of ownership of the systems by eliminating time-consuming steps and production variables. The Heidelberg plate uses the latest in thermal processless plate technology and produces dots that are cleaner, sharper and have less dot gain. In addition to the Saphira Caleidoplate 46, Heidelberg Consumables will be demonstrating the Saphira Violet Plate with Prosetter 74 and 102 SCL, the Christala Quickplate Polyester Plates with Quicksetter 330E, Saphira Proofing Paper with HP 5500 and the Heidelberg Perfect Dot Blanket running the on following sheetfed presses on display: Quickmaster 46 2-color, Quickmaster 46 4-color DI Pro, and Speedmaster CD 74-6-color, Speedmaster CD 102 6-color and Speedmaster 102 10-color. Putting Quality Seal on Pre-Owned Heidelberg Equipment In an effort to help printers remain competitive amid a recovering economy, Heidelberg has launched a new quality assurance program that raises the standard for high-performing pre-owned equipment. Called Signature Quality Seal, the Heidelberg program ensures the quality and reliability of Heidelberg pre-owned equipment at prices printers of all sizes can afford. Every Signature Quality Seal press Heidelberg supplies goes through a stringent refurbishment process carried out by qualified Heidelberg technicians. After initial inspection, the machine is cleaned, refurbished as required and tested for performance. The result: a high-quality machine that will provide years of service. Introducing Advanced Prepress Solution Heidelberg today unveiled for the time in North America an advanced Suprasetter range the next generation of thermal external-drum platesetters and Prinect Printready with remote access. The new range is a cost-effective gateway to thermal technology that has the flexibility for subsequent system expansion, all in a single machine. The new computer-to-plate imagesetter was developed in-house by Heidelberg and supports all Heidelberg plate formats for sheetfed and commercial web offset. With five different speeds, various automation settings from manual to fully automatic and a high-performance system with Multi Cassette Loader (MCL), the Suprasetter sets new standards in the prepress sector. New Folding Solutions for the U.S. Market Heidelberg introduced two high-performance folding solutions to the North American market: the newly developed Easyfold folder and the Stahlfolder TH and KH series. Easyfold is the ideal folding solution for small format, short run printing, capable of folding stock up to 80 pounds cover. The new compact folder is perfect for the quick turn around of short runs that are typical for copy shops, quick printers, in-plants and digital printers. Meanwhile, the all-new TH buckle-plate folder and KH combination folders are ideally suited for commercial folding applications for printers and trade binders. The Stahlfolders of the new TH/KH generation deliver the quality and speed that buyers expect of printers and binderies. The TH buckle-plate folder is equipped with various optional automation components, which offer shorter makeready and deliver increased efficiency due to their comprehensive integration in the workflow. Expanding Popular Service Program for Press, Postpress For the first time at Graph Expo/Converting Expo 2004, Heidelberg’s systemservice team will have a positive and distinct presence in the Heidelberg booth. This year’s higher profile is due to a renewed focus on Heidelberg’s partnership with its customers in securing the performance of their equipment investment throughout its lifetime. Through a display called "Product Life Cycle Services." Heidelberg will demonstrate its comprehensive support services from installation to de-installation. In addition, Heidelberg will launch a complete "Service Product Portfolio," including the new Info Scout and eSelfhelp. “Our customers expect Heidelberg to develop new innovations that will help them produce better results for their customers, generate new revenue streams and deliver a quick return on investment,” Dunn said. “We are confident that the experience we share this week will demonstrate to printers how to use new technology to their advantage, how to get the most from their current solutions and where to invest to increase profits.”