Kennesaw, Ga. – Heidelberg displayed its new and expanded digital portfolio at a recent open house held at its North American Print and Packaging Technology Center in Kennesaw, Ga. The themed open house was the latest in a series of marketing events aimed at creating more opportunities for 1:1 engagement with customers. 

Those in attendance walked through equipment and workflow demonstrations, attended guided technology overviews, and participated in a lively and informative Q&A focused on Heidelberg’s digital offerings and strategy. Highlights included the new Linoprint CV and Linoprint CP digital printing systems, and the new Prinect Digital Front End, in advance of its formal U.S. launch this fall.  Also on display at this digitally focused event were the LED-based EFI VUTEk GS3250 LX Pro for high-speed, wide-format printing, and the Zund cutting system.

The Right Stuff

"In positioning itself for success in the digital marketplace, Heidelberg is doing all the right things, including leveraging Ricoh technology and working with partners like Fuji to develop a highly anticipated inkjet-based digital printing system,” said Tony Pelc, COO, Allied Printing Company in Ferndale, Mich. “The event made clear that Heidelberg is well-prepared to stay in the digital game for the long haul, and that’s welcome news for the industry, as well as for the legions of loyal Heidelberg customers, including Allied Printing."

 “I was blown away by the quality of the demonstrations,” said James Daly, Pressroom Supervisor, Print Services, Urner Barry Publications in Bayville, N.J. “Everything was well prepared and available for viewing, and all of the presenters were knowledgeable and interested. The Prinect Color Toolbox and Prinect Digital Front End driving the new systems were impressive in their own right, and should help to sell the Linoprint machines. It was the best one-day overview I’ve seen. I can’t wait until our Linoprint machine lands on the floor here in New Jersey!”

For Michael Duhrs, pressroom manager for Foote Printing in Cleveland, Ohio, the open house was a chance to see the new Linoprint CP digital printing system, a potential future upgrade for the company, as well as to network with other owners in attendance. In addition, “I was very interested in the presentation on Heidelberg’s Anicolor technology, and appreciated the chance to see the VUTEk wide-format printers and the Zund digital cutter side-by-side,” he said. “The format was well-structured and productive in terms of value for time spent, in my opinion. As always, Heidelberg personnel were as knowledgeable, professional and helpful as could be. I’m glad I attended.”

In It To Win It

“Customer-focused events such as this enable Heidelberg to demonstrate the success of our digital strategy and permit visitors to experience the evolution of our portfolio,” said Juergen Grimm, President of Heidelberg Americas. “Customers not only see first-hand the ways in which these new products enhance the current digital landscape, they also gain valuable insight into new, future-facing products Heidelberg is already developing, which will continue to alter the growing market for cutting-edge, digital printing technologies. We are confident that our loyal customers recognize real leadership when they see it.”

This time around, said Andy Rae, Senior Vice President, Equipment, “Customers were impressed with the capabilities of the new Linoprint CV, especially its ability to print white and clear inline on a variety of new substrates—all at a much lower price point than other digital machines with similar capabilities. Since that machine was installed in our Technology Center, we’ve had an overwhelming number of requests for demos and samples.” 

See for Yourself

When it becomes necessary to produce very short runs and variable data printing quickly and profitably, Heidelberg’s Linoprint CV and Linoprint CP digital printing systems offer greater productivity, near-offset quality, and tremendous substrate flexibility for complex graphics work and commercial printing. 

These systems also can be integrated into the Prinect print shop workflow via the new Prinect Digital Front End, which builds on the success of the Prinect Digital Print Manager by enabling these new digital presses to integrate seamlessly into commercial offset print environments. Heidelberg’s unique color management, along with improved print quality stability and tight registration, enables these new engines to achieve true hybrid job production matching a shop’s offset presses.  The engines’ expanded substrate range, ability to accommodate format sizes up to 13x27.5”, together with the Linoprint CV’s 5-color capability, offer commercial printers marketable applications not previously available in this price class.  

In short: Heidelberg’s digital portfolio provides all the tools you’ll need to increase your competitiveness and profitability on a sustainable basis—without sacrificing the quality you expect from Heidelberg.