Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is going green at IPEX 2010 in Birmingham, UK. Print shops and their customers, print buyers, are increasingly calling for environmental protection and sustainability and are taking an ever greater interest in ecological factors as a means of securing a competitive edge. During IPEX, Heidelberg will be showing how economic principles and ecological printing can be reconciled in all market segments.

"We believe that environmental protection is crucial to the print media industry. We support and advise our customers on all aspects of this key issue and see IPEX as the ideal platform for showcasing "ecological printing" in all its multifaceted glory," explains Stephan Plenz, responsible for the Heidelberg Equipment division.

On show at IPEX 2010, Prinect Pressroom Manager/Analyze Point is the first module to be exhibited with an in-built function for calculating the CO2 footprint of print material.

HEI ECO Tours at IPEX: Ecological printing takes center stage
HEI ECO guided tours will take place at 1 p.m. each day throughout the show. The tours give visitors the opportunity to scrutinize selected machines and exhibits and find out how ecological print production helps to safeguard resources and lower costs. Experts from Heidelberg will be showing how emissions and the consumption of resources can be minimized and offset. The type of paper used has a significant influence on the CO2 emissions from print production and the reduction of paper waste is therefore the best tool for easing the pressure on the environment. This is a key focal point of development work at Heidelberg. Other key aspects of ecological printing include energy efficiency and alcohol-free or alcohol-minimized printing.

The Prinect print shop workflow, which integrates all production processes, delivers significant paper waste savings. For example, color presettings from prepress are fed to the press and fold marks to postpress. When used with the new Speedmaster CX 102, for example, Prinect Inpress Control measures and regulates color and register while the press is running, which saves approximately 150 to 200 sheets per job. In small-format printing, the Speedmaster SM 52 with Anicolor technology enables an impressive reduction in start-up waste of up to 90 percent.

Prinect Pressroom Manager/Analyze Point is the first module to be exhibited at the show with an in-built function for calculating the CO2 footprint of printed material. On completion of a job, this function allows the user to read out CO2 emissions based on paper and energy consumption and the printing plates used.

When it comes to energy efficiency and health issues, the peripherals of the Star series score top marks. They are specially designed to work in harmony with the presses. For example, the AirStar central air supply cabinet on the Speedmaster XL 105 helps to cut power consumption by up to 50 percent. The CleanStar in the Speedmaster XL 75 extracts process air at the delivery and cuts ammonia content and fine dust by up to 80 percent. This helps to improve air quality in the pressroom and safeguards the health of press operators.

Thanks to the integration of FilterStar, the CombiStar Pro supports alcohol-free or alcohol-minimized printing. This system uses two-stage fine filtration to clean the circulating dampening solution. The working window between overdampening and scumming stays open for longer and the printing process runs more consistently. This is also helped by the precise metering of dampening solution via the Digidos metering device. The additive is now metered much more precisely and data on additive consumption is continuously compared with current water consumption. This prevents metering faults.

Apart from two presses that run on a maximum of three percent alcohol, all the presses on the Heidelberg booth use no alcohol whatsoever. The less alcohol that is used in the dampening solution, the lower the VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions released into the atmosphere.

During the show, visitors will be able to judge the energy efficiency of all the machinery for themselves, as each press is fitted with a clear electricity meter that accurately shows actual power consumption.

The holistic approach that Heidelberg applies to environmental issues also incorporates prepress and postpress machinery in addition to the presses themselves. For example, visitors taking part in the HEI ECO tours will discover that, thanks to the latest generation of laser diodes, the Suprasetter A75 CtP imagesetter has the lowest power consumption in its class. And in postpress, the intelligent makeready processes of the Stahlfolder KH 66 folding machine can save up to 2.5 metric tons of paper a year.

The entire Heidelberg involvement in IPEX 2010 is climate neutral. Booth personnel are wearing an "environment badge".

Heidelberg Services contribute to ecological print production
At the heart of its booth, Heidelberg is focusing on its comprehensive service portfolio. Here too, there are a great many "green issues" that the HEI ECO tours explore. For example, maintenance work can be carried out on presses via Remote Services, which often helps eliminate the need for a call-out and therefore saves on CO2 emissions.

In terms of consumables, the company offers, for example, the Saphira Chemfree plate, which delivers faster imaging, works without the use of developing chemicals and consumes less water. A growing number of Saphira products are designed to significantly cut environmental impact without impairing performance. Production operations conducted during the show will use materials such as Saphira Excel, a biodegradable ink that is based on natural raw materials.

New brochure: Effective Environmental Protection in the Print Shop
Heidelberg has created a brand new brochure that targets all aspects of environmental protection and draws on practical experience to provide ideas for practical application. In it, readers are shown how equipment and services from Heidelberg can help deliver environmentally friendly and cost-effective production for the entire value-added chain in printing. Using a concrete set of circumstances, each process step is examined to reveal savings in terms of time, paper, water, power, and CO2. One such example shows that using recycled paper can save 220 metric tons of CO2 per year. By using Saphira Chemfree plates, users can save over 1,000 operating hours, 350,000 liters of water, 3,100 kWh of electricity and thus 1.47 metric tons of CO2. Prinect Inpress Control enables savings of almost 670 hours in makeready times, 102 metric tons of paper and 110 metric tons of CO2. The brochure is available in English and can be picked up directly from the booth.

The booth's accreditation certificate: Heidelberg is offsetting total CO2 emissions of 638 metric tons through a gold-standard climate-protection project run by natureOffice.

Entirely climate-neutral trade show presence
One of the largest exhibitors at the show, Heidelberg is offsetting its trade show emissions for the entire eight-day event, including the assembly and dismantling phases. The CO2 emissions have been calculated at a total of 638 metric tons and are being offset through a climate protection project in New Caledonia that is run by natureOffice and focuses on wind power. The project embraces a total of six small wind farms located in two different provinces and providing a combined output of around 30 megawatts. The project is accredited to gold standard. The total CO2 emissions for all processes and materials related to the trade show and the company's 2,300 m2 booth were calculated by experts from natureOffice. Factors taken into account range from logistics operations - including assembly and dismantling - and the operation of machinery at the show, to travel to and from the event, and accommodation for the 250 members of staff. Additional parameters involved in the CO2 calculations for the booth include consumables such as paper and inks, and power supplies for the technology and equipment used at the show.

"This sends a clear message that we are taking further, sustainable steps to protect the environment. These measures include consistent environmental management at our sites, developments designed to cut paper waste and the improvement of energy efficiency," explains Stephan Plenz, Member of the Management Board responsible for the Heidelberg Equipment division. "During drupa 2008, we offset the CO2 emissions relating to all the print products produced on Environment Day. We are going a lot further at Ipex 2010 and are incorporating every aspect of our involvement in the show over all eight days", adds Plenz. This holistic approach also means that efforts to minimize CO2 emissions are also an important part of the planning phase. For example, machines are being transported by road and sea instead of by air. Furthermore, all the presses print with either no alcohol whatsoever or with minimum alcohol.