CHICAGO, October 10, 2004 – At Graph Expo/Converting Expo 2004, Heidelberg will introduce several new presses to the North American market, including two redesigned and updated Speedmaster 102’s and the new Speedmaster CD 74 with perfecting device. These presses, plus many others, are creating a new standard in the offset printing market and have been designed to improve speed, efficiency and productivity for customers everywhere. The sheetfed printing market remains Heidelberg’s core business and at this year’s Graph Expo, Heidelberg will unveil more new products than it has in many years. These new systems will show printers why it continues to lead the print media industry in technology, innovation and sales. “We are committed to providing printing professionals with the most advanced systems on the market and at Graph Expo this year we are demonstrating the next generation of equipment that will lead the industry into the future,” said Steen Jensen, senior vice president of Heidelberg USA. “More and more customers are looking for flexibility and versatility to help them adapt to changing market conditions and those are two of the criteria that Heidelberg incorporated into all of its new equipment.” Today the company offers three distinct lines of sheetfed presses: Printmaster, Direct Imaging and Speedmaster Presses. The Printmaster series is specially geared to the need of small- and medium-sized print shops that are just getting started with multicolor offset printing or want to grow into this market. The Direct Imaging Presses address specifically the short run 4-color market. The Speedmaster models offer a high level of automation and productivity, primarily targeting industrialized printing operations. These presses are flexible and can also be equipped for a wide range of special applications. Heidelberg will be showcasing several innovations for the Speedmaster 102 line, including completely redesigned Preset Plus feeder and delivery systems. These newly-developed systems radically shorten the setup time when changing stocks as well as increasing net output and running speed – especially when printing on difficult substrates. A number of innovations relating to coating applications will also be on display ranging from faster anilox roller exchange to specialist solutions like the FlexoKit for processing special coatings, inline die-cutting or increased stock thicknesses. Highlighted on the Speedmaster SM 102 10-color perfector will be the ability to print 4-colors and coat both sheet sides in one productive pass. “Heidelberg continually looks for new ways to give its customers advantage over the competition and thanks to new innovations in design, feeding and coating, our customers are becoming more productive than ever before,” said Jensen. “This has been a historic year for Heidelberg and we’re all excited for what the future will bring.” Heidelberg has reached an important milestone and will celebrate a great accomplishment by presenting its 10,000th Printmaster QM 46 sold to the PIP franchise owned by Linda and Paul Ramirez of Paramus, N.J., at the show. The Ramirez’s print shop is a franchisee of Franchise Services, Inc., one of the nation’s largest franchise chains that own Sir Speedy, PIP and Multicopy. Since 1996, it has been working with a Quickmaster QM 46-2 which has already made more than 25 million prints for high-quality print jobs and looks for the new system to continue to improve the shop’s overall performance. Heidelberg will be showcasing a wide variety of systems for different types of printers that are sure to give everyone in attendance something to see in the Heidelberg booth. Below are brief synopses of the Heidelberg sheetfed presses that will be on display in booth #1000. DIRECT IMAGING SYSTEMS Quickmaster DI – 46 Pro The QM DI Pro, the result of years of study on the revolutionary Quickmaster DI, is the latest direct imaging system from Heidelberg. Introduced in 1995, the QM DI 46 is celebrating its ninth anniversary and Heidelberg continues the success story in A3 format with the new ProSpot technology. This new imaging technology is optimized to work with the press and the MetaDimension RIP. As an additional benefit for Quickmaster DI customers, Heidelberg USA is launching the Saphira Caleidoplate, a new and alternative plate material, specifically for the use with Heidelberg DI presses. The QM DI ProSpot images digital information directly on the plate - in the press. The new ProSpot technology includes a smaller laser spot size that yields higher print quality. Due to the high level of automation and standardization, makereadies are fast. The Quickmaster DI ProSpot has lead to a whole new level of productivity and efficiency, and therefore, makes it viable to print jobs with offset quality that would previously have been regarded as unprofitable for such technology. This smooth and easy-to-use system combines the workflow components with the printing press – all in one solution. SMALL FORMAT PRESSES Printmaster PM 52 At last year's GraphExpo in Chicago, Heidelberg unveiled the Printmaster PM 52, a new A3-format press. Since then, Heidelberg has installed these systems around the country and the results have exceeded expectations. With paper formats ranging from 4.13” x 5.71” to 14.57” x 20.47” and printing stock thicknesses up to 0.016”, the Printmaster PM 52 handles a broad spectrum of jobs and stocks. It can print everything from lightweight paper to cardboard or padded envelopes. Investment security is ensured by proven features included in the standard scope of delivery such as the suction tape feeder, Alcolor continuous dampening system, high-volume inking unit and EasyPlate plate clamping system with positioning run for simple, fast plate changing. For higher productivity and even more convenient operation, the AutoPlate precision plate-changing system, Prinect Classic Center remote ink control system, fully automated sheet reversal perfecting and automated blanket wash-up devices are also available. The Printmaster PM 52 is positioned between the world famous Printmaster GTO 52 and the Speedmaster SM 52. It represents the ideal route to growth for small- and medium-sized businesses that print a wide range of commercial jobs. Speedmaster SM 52 Since drupa 2004, the Speedmaster SM 52 is the first press of its format class to be available with eight printing units. This new top of the line press features the ultimate level of automation and ease of use, such as wash-up tray sensors and air panels in the delivery that allow high-coverage printing without gutters. Heidelberg's booth features a Speedmaster SM 52 6-color with coater and perfector with an extended stock range and Vario Dampening system. The Vario Dampening system, shown for the first time in the U.S., allows for additional productivity and sustained quality. Another innovative feature is the increased stock thickness: the maximum stock thickness is increased up to 24 point. This new option includes a sheet break and the delivery and transfer cylinders with adjustable diameters and is on display for the first time in the U.S. The SM 52 also uses the new Transfer Jacket Plus and Perfect Jacket Plus that further improve the print quality of straight and perfected jobs. The coating unit of the Speedmaster SM 52 sets new standards for high-quality inline coating in the 35” x 50” format sector and is available for four- to six-color presses. The coating unit, featuring the proven Heidelberg two-roller system, ensures that the coating is applied evenly over the entire sheet. HALF SIZE PRESSES Speedmaster CD 74 The majority of the Speedmaster CD 74 presses sold feature a coating system with diagonal register as standard and the number of coating systems with a chambered blade system is increasing all the time. Heidelberg also supports a fully integrated solution for UV printing with the special CD 74 UV model. The CD 74 can run a wide variety of printing stock thicknesses from onion skin to 32 point board without changing over the transfer grippers. With high automation as standard, this press is flexible, easy to operate and ensures high productivity and cost-effective printing. In order to fully address the particular needs of the customers, Heidelberg supplies the Speedmaster CD 74 in two formats - 23.82” x 29.13” or 20.87” x 29.13”. The former lets printers run 6-up but also fits the needs of printers running square-inch products like packaging and labels. The latter matches perfectly to Heidelberg’s proven Speedmaster 74, so printers running those presses need not stock two plate sizes. Various printing and coating options can be specified to match the needs of all customer segments. Packaging, label and specialty printers will particularly appreciate the smooth sheet travel and robustness of this medium-format press. For drupa and GraphExpo, Heidelberg developed a revolutionary new perfecting device that allows perfecting without limits in regards to stock thickness. This new device was designed on the basis of the well proven Heidelberg 3-drum perfecting device, which has set the standard in perfecting quality for decades. In the CD 74, this system is combined with the innovative sheet travel concept to give the CD 74 unsurpassed flexibility. Speedmaster SM 74 The Speedmaster 74 is the ultimate perfecting machine for producing commercial print jobs in the half-size format. The press can be equipped with 2 – 10 printing units, perfecting device and even an optional coating unit. For highest productivity the SM 74 can be integrated completely into a digital workflow system. For further improvement regarding quality and productivity, Heidelberg has introduced a brand new feeder with a central suction tape at drupa 2004. This feeder is equipped with a pneumatic pull lay and offers operation without any brushes or wheels on the feed board table. Beside this, the entire sheet travel has been renewed; TransferJacket Plus on the transfer drums ensures the highest quality in straight and perfecting. With all these new features the SM 74 has entered the next chapter of quality and productivity, and once more raised the benchmark in the half-size category of presses. Printmaster PM 74 The Printmaster PM 74 was established in the small and medium-sized commercial printing market in 2001 and its success has been ongoing. With its compact design and integrated standard delivery, it is the ideal press for the innovative commercial printer. Not only is it wonderfully easy to operate, it also offers excellent print quality and extremely high levels of flexibility. To ensure high quality and great flexibility, the PM 74 is now equipped with the same new feeder, redesigned sheet travel and pull lay like the SM 74. Changing formats and printing stocks is now even easier and more convenient. Stocks range from a 0.0012” lightweight paper to a 0.024” thick card, the overall makeready times are reduced once more. Another new standard on the PM 74 is the AutoPlate package that allows automated plate changing with remote adjustment of the diagonal register and motorized printing pressure adjustment. In addition to these new features, Heidelberg is introducing a new range of automation components for the Printmaster PM 74. A proven blanket and impression cylinder washup device and an automatic inking unit washup device are available. There is also an optional inking unit temperature control device that ensures standardized, consistent print quality particularly for long runs. Plus, the Alcolor continuous dampening system can now be expanded with an optional Vario function. All these features help reduce makeready and speed up job changes, leading to higher flexibility and profit. LARGE COMMERICAL PRESSES Speedmaster SM 102 The new Speedmaster SM 102 line will be represented by a 10-color perfector which will significantly expand the range of applications and the productivity of perfecting presses. Combined with the new Preset Plus feeder will be Heidelberg’s CutStar Plus roll-to-sheet feeder. CutStar Plus lets printers utilize lower-cost roll stock to enhance its competitiveness as well as assist in processing very lightweight stocks. Also new are Plus generation cylinder jackets that enhance perfecting quality, broaden the ink and stock range and reduce washup intravels. The new cylinder jackets, which are called PerfectJacket Plus and TransferJacket Plus, are on the market now and can even be retrofitted to many existing presses – proof that Heidelberg is committed to helping customers keep its current machines running at peak levels. A key highlight of the show will be the new Perfecting Coating System (PCS) which allows simultaneous 4-color printing and aqueous coating on both sides of the sheet in one pass. PCS functions without additional printing units by cleverly integrating an anilox coating system into existing offset units. This means printers with such a press can perfect up to 4-colors plus coating on both sides, 5-colors of ink on both sides or up to 9-colors plus coating in straight printing mode. In addition to implementing the optimizations required to comply with new legal and technical product safety standards, the press has also been completely redesigned and a whole array of detailed ergonomic improvements added. As a result, the press is now not only safer, but also more convenient to use. Speedmaster CD 102 drupa generation Speedmaster CD 102 is the latest generation of the world’s best selling 40” press. The drupa 2004 version features many advantages that give it an even higher degree of automation and cost-effectiveness. Thanks to its "Plus" feeder and delivery systems, printers can concentrate more closely on the quality of the printed result. Enhanced preset functions reduce manual setup work to ensure ease of operation. Moreover, digital integration into the print shop's workflow means that jobs can be processed in less time, with less potential for human error. In order to keep up with the demand for more innovative coating effects as well as trends in packaging and label toward non-absorbent substrates, the CD 102 is equipped with a totally new generation of drying systems. DryStar 3000 is a full 30 percent more powerful than its predecessor but at the same time handles the sheet more gently for ideal control – even at high speeds. The vast stock flexibility and high degree of automation will be highlighted in a demonstration with a wide range of substrates – all run at maximum production speed. The new Preset Plus feeder and delivery systems, as well as the peripherals supporting them, were designed around the performance requirements of the newest member of the Speedmaster family: the new Speedmaster XL 105 launched at drupa 2004. This means the new SM 102 and CD 102 benefit this transfer of technology in the two areas most important to high output: feeding and delivering the sheet. The XL 105 defines a totally new category in high-end offset presses – the “Peak Performance Class.” Designed from a clean sheet of paper, and engineered to operate at 18,000 sheets per hour, the XL 105 has already proven itself in numerous beta-test sites in Europe, US deliveries start in Spring 2005. The XL 105 will have its official US launch in early 2005 during an open-house event in Heidelberg’s corporate headquarters in Kennesaw, Georgia.