The Printmaster GTO 52 from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) turns 40 this year. The GTO - which stands for Grosser Tiegel Offset (large platen offset) - was unveiled at drupa 1972. With its exceptional flexibility and print quality, this very robust press set the standard for small-format applications. The GTO 36 x 52 cm (14.17 x 20.47 in) format established a new format class in professional high-quality offset printing. Having sold over 106,000 printing units, the Printmaster GTO 52 is the best-selling press in the 35 x 50 cm (13.78 x 19.69 in) format. Customers appreciate its high quality, which matches that of larger presses. The GTO is a flexible entry-level model based on manual operation that can be used for applications such as numbering, perforating, imprinting pre-punched products, envelope printing, leaflets, forms, cards, and labels. Its high-precision single-sheet feeder supports a wide range of different formats and substrates - from light-weight paper to cardboard. 

Heidelberg is marking the anniversary by offering four exclusive GTO anniversary models on attractive terms. Customers ordering GTO single- to four-color presses between May 1 and October 31, 2012 will also receive selected accessories and a specially designed printing unit guard. A column in the Commercial Flexibility section of the Heidelberg stand at this year's drupa will display the four different designs of the GTO press over the years. 

"The Printmaster GTO 52 is a global success story. In the years ahead, we will see continued demand for this ideal entry-level press from customers in both industrialized countries and emerging markets," states Stephan Plenz, member of the Management Board responsible for Heidelberg Equipment.

In successful operation the world over 
"The Printmaster GTO 52 has more than doubled our sales and won us numerous additional orders because our customers know we have a new Heidelberg press," stresses Ms. Liuping, who runs Yi Nuo Wie Printing in Xi'an, China. The company purchased the GTO in 2009 at China Print in Beijing and has been extremely happy with its print quality and flexibility from the outset. With its 20-strong workforce, the print shop produces items such as invitations, labels, brochures, and postcards. It also prints special papers for customers from the automotive industry and the telecommunications, banking, and financial sectors. "Printing on special papers with a pearly luster coating is particularly popular with our customers. We are also able to deliver faster because, instead of processing just 10 sets of plates a day as we did previously, we now manage 30," continues Liuping. In addition to the GTO, the print shop also operates an SORS two-color press and a Suprasetter CtP platesetter from Heidelberg.

Brazilian print shop Santha Fé Editora e Artes Gráficas in São Paulo has also been won over by the versatility, quality, and excellent availability of the Printmaster GTO. "Installing our new GTO in summer 2010 won us new customers and enabled us to print high-quality flyers and catalogs," underlines owner Emidio Carleti. "Its high resale value and low maintenance costs were among the factors that led us to buy this press," he adds. The print shop's 30 staff get through 15 to 20 jobs with an average run length of 1,000 to 5,000 sheets each day.

"Our print shop considers it extremely important to offer customers impressive quality, optimum reliability, and fair prices," explains Ernst-Otto Jäger, one of the managing directors of Foto-Litho-Jäger in Kassel, Germany. Founded in 1949, the print shop operates two Printmaster GTO 52 presses and has added digital printing to its portfolio. "We'd had nothing but positive experiences with our GTO 52 two-color press in terms of fast setup, smooth paper travel, and stable inking. In 2010, we therefore decided to add a GTO 52 four-color press with Prinect Classic Center, as the hourly rate can be kept very low for both presses and the GTO fits well into our overall concept," explains Jäger. The eight staff use the GTO presses for very short runs, art prints, letterheads, flyers, and brochures for customers in the region and other print shops that no longer support the 36 x 52 cm format. Foto-Litho-Jäger systematically focuses on sustainable print production based on alcohol-free printing on FSC-certified paper and 100 percent green electricity. 

Ongoing further development ensures state-of-the-art features 
New developments such as the Prinect Classic Center or the alcohol-free direct continuous dampening system for eco-friendly printing ensure that the Printmaster GTO 52 continues to enjoy market success even after 40 years. The Prinect Classic Center combines precision with straightforward operation. The membrane keypad on the user-friendly central console is used for all ink and register settings. Settings can also be stored for repeat jobs. 

The excellent print quality is achieved thanks to a high-volume inking unit with a storage capacity of 1:6.5 for high-quality processing of solid colors. Four oscillating inking form rollers help prevent ghosting, which is a particular advantage on surfaces with negative cut-outs. The alcohol-free direct continuous dampening system has an extended working window that applies a thin, even film of dampening solution for a fast and stable ink/water balance. What's more, the inking and dampening system can be washed in a single pass. Bearer to bearer pressure between plate and blanket cylinder enable precise transfer of the print image onto the substrate, while high-precision Heidelberg printing units ensure a long service life and the robust design for which the GTO is renowned. 

GTO product development: 

1972   drupa: Launch of the single-color GTO in the 320 x 460 mm (12.60 x 18.11 in) format 
1977   drupa: Launch of the first four-color GTO 
1980   First GTO 52 in the 360 x 520 mm (14.17 x 20.47 in) sheet format 
1984   Market launch of the first GTO models with Alcolor dampening system 
1986   drupa: Launch of the GTO 52 five-color press 
1990   drupa: Launch of the first fully digitized five-color GTOF-S with CPTronic, stream feeder, and a print output of 12,000 sheets/hour 
1995   drupa: New GTO series with single-, two-, and four-color models 
2000   drupa: GTO models in a new design 
2002   Launch of the Prinect Classic Center (remote control for inking and register) 
2009   Streamlining of models: Four standard models with standardized configuration for the Printmaster GTO 52 press series: GTO 52-1, GTO 52-2, GTO 52-4, and GTO 52-4 with Prinect Classic Center 
2012   Anniversary press to mark 40 years of the Printmaster GTO 52