KENNESAW, Ga. -- Heidelberg reports that C&S Press, a general commercial printer in Orlando, Fla., has selected a 4-color Speedmaster SM 52 with Anicolor inking unit over several digital options it had been evaluating. Ultimately, the owners of C&S determined that the Anicolor machine would enable the company to compete more effectively with short-run, nonvariable digital printing while steering clear of digital “click” charges amounting to more than $50,000 per month for the same productivity C&S already derived from its two conventional offset presses.

“Once the facts were known to us, the decision was a no-brainer,” said company president and co-owner Dan Ellis. “We don’t spend more than $20,000 per month for consumables on any one of our existing offset presses, and we weren’t about to start.” Besides, Ellis explained, “You can’t argue with five-minute makereadies and a maximum of just 50 sheets needed to come up to color on a 4-color job. That’s a savings of 350 sheets over a typical conventional 4-color makeready, and it’s a huge benefit to us in terms of client satisfaction and higher profitability.”

While C&S utilizes the Speedmaster SM 52 Anicolor press primarily for shorter run work, Ellis also said he retains the flexibility to use the Anicolor’s many strengths for longer run lengths, an advantage not shared by Anicolor’s digital counterparts. In full production since early December, the new press has capacity to spare. The SM 52’s outstanding productivity is such that C&S also acquired a pair of Heidelberg Prosetter violet platesetters to ensure that it can satisfy the SM 52’s voracious appetite for Heidelberg Saphira violet aluminum plates. As for quality, Ellis said, not only does the Anicolor press use real ink rather than “toner dust,” it also yields printing with greater color fidelity and dot gain equivalent to conventionally printed materials.

“I wish we had an exclusive on this machine,” Ellis said.

Anicolor Trumps Digital Alternatives for Short-Run Work
Featuring zoneless short inking for total color stability and makereadies up to 40 percent faster than conventional, Heidelberg Anicolor technology offers the advantages of offset for the shortest of print runs. The easy-to-use Speedmaster SM 52 Anicolor prints up to 15,000 sheets per hour in 14x20” format or 30,000 sheets per hour in letter-sized format, with up to 90 percent less makeready waste. Dramatically shorter setup times enable users to print more jobs each day at reduced cost. Anicolor achieves the even transfer of precise ink volumes across the sheet by using a format-sized screen roller located between the chambered blade and the inking form roller. Ink volume is metered by adjusting the temperature of the screen roller. Used in conjunction with Heidelberg’s proven Alcolor dampening system, Anicolor uses conventional printing plates and achieves a consistent ink/water balance in a matter of seconds. Saphira process inks exhibit an optimum response to temperature fluctuations, further reducing makeready times and waste and increasing press capacity.