KENNESAW, Ga., December 18, 2006 - Heidelberg recently hosted a customer event at its U.S. headquarters in Kennesaw, Ga. on the topic of long perfecting versus peak performance straight printing. Attended by more than 50 high performance printers from across the country, the event focused on helping printers determine which production process, and ultimately which equipment configuration, is best for their business. As a surprise announcement during the event, Heidelberg conducted a drawing and awarded the winner with a scholarship endowment in his name through The Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF). "We were pleased to host an esteemed group of printers at our Print Media Demonstration Center (PMDC) in Kennesaw to talk about this important industry topic and help them gain the information they need to make future business decisions," said Jim Dunn, president, Heidelberg USA. "The scholarship endowment announced during the event is part of our long-term commitment to graphic arts education initiatives and to the print industry as a whole." The scholarship award included a one-time $5,000 donation in the name of the winner, Mr. Norvin Hagan, president and CEO of Geographics in Atlanta, to the PGSF to be awarded to a graphic arts school of Mr. Hagan's choice. The donation will be added to a larger fund administered by PGSF, the annual earnings from which will be available year after year for qualifying students of the selected school. The "Straight Printing vs. Long Perfecting" event began with an in-depth look at Heidelberg's Prinect integrated workflow and color management solutions and a virtual demonstration of a job passing through the Prinect workflow. Printers then "followed" the job to the pressroom for a series of live runs of the same job produced on two different presses: on the Speedmaster SM 102 10-color perfecting press in a single pass and on the ultra productive Speedmaster XL 105 straight printing press in a 6-color, coater configuration in two passes. In addition, the covers were printed on the Speedmaster CD 74 8-color perfecting press with coating unit. Once the jobs were printed, guests watched as the final products were finished on the Stitchmaster ST 350 saddlestitcher. Visitors were also given an exclusive walking tour of Heidelberg's systemservice training and dispatch areas, where they saw regional service teams in action. The day ended with a press productivity analysis and discussions about the results of the production comparison. "When comparing perfecting versus straight printing for commercial jobs and signature work, the conclusion lies primarily in the run lengths and the specific business model and positioning of the printer in his market," said Roland Krapp, vice president of Sheetfed Product Management, Heidelberg USA. "For example, it makes a difference if a printer's goal is cost leadership or best-in-class delivery times." Krapp noted that "Though jobs have to pass twice on the XL 105, it is surprising to see how much the press' fastest makeready times and highest production speeds contribute to lower cost to print, from very short runs all the way up to run lengths of 40,000 copies or beyond. The SM 102 only breaks even in cost to print at higher run lengths, but for all different jobs, it provides by far the shortest job throughput times, especially when considering that work is made available sooner for the bindery. Our live production comparison clearly confirmed user statements that both presses complement each other and that shops with high production volumes can't afford to miss one or the other." Heidelberg's Speedmaster XL 105 straight printing press is designed to deliver maximum productivity through the fastest makereadies and real production speeds of up to 18,000 sheets per hour. The Speedmaster SM 102 is the world's leading perfecting press and sets the standard for One Pass Productivity. The SM 102 offers printers the fastest job turn-around time. The highly automated Speedmaster CD 74 three-quarter format press allows for a cost-effective 6-page up production on a very broad range of substrates from ?imsy papers to stiff board and plastic sheets. The recent Kennesaw event was a follow-up to a Technology Luncheon that Heidelberg hosted at Graph Expo 2006 in Chicago. At the Chicago luncheon, a panel of industry-leading printers spoke about the impact that long perfecting and high-speed straight printing presses have on their shops. Luncheon attendees were then invited to the PMDC in Kennesaw to see the presses perform live. Immediately following the Kennesaw event, Heidelberg hosted its annual Brats & Dots event, a regional open house also held in the PMDC, which was attended by more than 200 customers from the Southeast.