French print shop IDMM recently installed three new Speedmaster XL 75 presses at its new production site near Lyon. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) supplied one Speedmaster XL 75 four-color press and two Speedmaster XL 75 five-color presses, all three equipped with a coating unit and the spectrophotometric inline measuring system Prinect Inpress Control. "On a site covering a total area of 5,000 m2, we have built a 2,000 m2 pressroom that makes the logistics of the print job production process transparent. This creates clarity for all our staff in their day-to-day work and offers our customers greater reliability in production combined with a higher-quality end product," explains IDMM president Françoise July. The print shop, which employs 22 staff, has just celebrated its 18th anniversary and considers it important to regularly modernize its production facilities. IDMM's varied product portfolio covers everything from brochures for the mail-order trade to the elaborate commemorative publication that it has sent out primarily to local customers. The print shop processes all kinds of printing stock, ranging from 70 to 600 gsm, in runs of anything from 500 to more than 300,000 sheets. "Due to the market's declining print volumes and, above all, increasingly short runs, we needed to rethink our company to enable a faster response while also ensuring top quality," stresses managing director Patrice Marta.

The new Speedmaster XL 75 presses completely satisfy the requirements for print speed, fast plate changes, and print quality. "Our three new Speedmaster XL 75 presses have standardized our equipment and made us very flexible. We can print our jobs on any of the three machines and always be sure of achieving an equally good result. Makeready times are now much shorter and we estimate that this has boosted our productivity by around 20 percent," says a delighted July. For example, IDMM now prints perfecting jobs on printing stock ranging from 70 to 400 gsm at a maximum speed of 15,000 sheets per hour without any interruptions. "We know we can rely on Heidelberg and our cooperation dates back many years. Covering everything from prepress and Saphira consumables to postpress, we enjoy a high-quality service from a single source," underlines July.

Prinect Inpress Control ensures quality print jobs

"We are the only print shop in the Rhône-Alpes region to have Prinect Inpress Control on all its presses," says Marta proudly. This spectrophotometric inline measuring system integrated in the press controls register and color quality on the fly. "Inking up now requires fewer than 100 sheets with most of the jobs. After just two months, we have succeeded in cutting setup waste by 50 percent, and a further reduction is definitely possible," continues Marta. Thanks to this higher quality, IDMM now intends to enter higher-end segments and reposition itself on the market. In prepress, two Suprasetter A 75 machines controlled by the new version of the automatic print shop workflow Prinect communicate with the presses in real time. "This production data acquisition system enables us to get even more out of our investment," concludes July.

Green printing with lower CO2 emissions

Cutting waste by 50 percent results in an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions. All three presses are equipped with Star peripherals that are designed to minimize energy consumption and waste, and to reduce noise levels and CO2 emissions. For instance, CombiStar improves the quality of dampening solution and, as a result, this only needs to be replaced every three months instead of every four weeks.

The IDMM print shop proudly bears the "Imprim'Vert" environmental label. This is a certificate recognized by the graphic arts industry and awarded to print shops that have achieved positive results in employing environmentally friendly business practices. Companies bearing the label are required to comply with a number of guidelines that ensure enhanced environmental protection. The ultimate goal is a continuous improvement in the company's commitment to the environment and a well thought-out, long-term reduction in environmental pollution. IDMM is currently in the process of obtaining FSC/PEFC certification, and in the course of 2011 it should also be certified to ISO 14001.