For small commercial print shops
through large industrial packaging environments, Heidelberg offers complete
integration through its Prinect Packaging Workflow, the first and only fully
integrated workflow for packaging printers.
Beginning with the introduction
of the Prinect Packaging concept at drupa 2008, Heidelberg has steadily added
special functions that extend the functionality of its flagship Prinect
software suite. By adding a single module to their existing Prinect commercial
workflow, both commercial and packaging printers can enjoy comprehensive
integration of all print shop processes to accommodate the development and
production of folding cartons and labels.
"Favorable To Our Customers"
Inland Label (LaCrosse, Wis.) is
a satisfied, longtime user of Heidelberg's Prinect workflow solution. The
custom label printing company currently operates three generations of
Heidelberg's flagship Speedmaster XL 105 presses, in addition to a recently
installed Speedmaster XL 106 9-color press.
"Heidelberg's Prinect
Workflow provides Inland with tools to establish and maintain a custom color
management system," said Amy Jungerberg, Inland's Prinect Prepress
Manager. "This system has given us the knowledge and opportunity to reduce
the number of spot colors printed on press by replacing these colors with
7-color process. This is becoming more and more favorable to our customers as
it helps them reduce costs."
Family owned and operated for
three generations, Inland Label has been exclusively dedicated to package
decoration since the 1970s. Product offerings include cut-and-stack,
pressure-sensitive, in-mold, roll-fed and shrink labels. The company produces
more than 25 billion premium offset and gravure-printed package labels annually.
"Prinect is used by several
departments at Inland, from planning layouts for single and combo runs in
Prinect Signa Station, to imposition and plating through Prinect Cockpit and
our Suprasetter CtP systems," Jungerberg continued. "The pressroom
also benefits from the use of Prinect since all ink information is available
for every job, helping to reduce makeready."
Like Inland Label, other Prinect
users can easily change custom Pantone colors into 7-color process with the
MultiColor Tool inside of Heidelberg's Prinect PDF Toolbox, and print every job
with ink that is already in the press. The addition of orange, violet, and/or
green lets packaging and label printers create hundreds of custom colors with
less makeready time and lower waste. To learn how the Prinect MultiColor Tool
can save money in your pressroom, watch a demo here, or contact your Heidelberg
representative.
Collect, Re-Use and Repeat
The concept behind Prinect
Packaging Workflow stems from the fact that the majority of work performed by
folding carton and label printers consists of repeat orders. Because packaging
from different production batches often winds up side-by-side on store shelves,
every effort must be made to ensure that precisely the same quality standards apply
to each batch. As bulk goods, packaging materials also must be manufactured as
economically and quickly as possible, sans error, and without wasting expensive
materials.
Heidelberg's Prinect Packaging
Workflow deploys a variety of tools across prepress, press and postpress to
re-use data automatically in order to improve quality and productivity.
Entering data only once reduces error, saves money, and optimizes makeready
time. Because Prinect enables custom configurations for all types of packaging
jobs, users also benefit from flexible job management, reliable costing and
maximum production reliability despite growing cost pressure.
Heidelberg's Prinect offering
integrates the prepress department with the pressroom by providing the press
with up to 28 separate preset parameters, in addition to ink key presets. An
important benefit of this capability is time saved. Ten minutes saved on
makeready for a 57" or 62" Speedmaster XL VLF press running six or
more colors represents a considerable savings-one that also comes with
significant error reduction, better consistency and repeatability. Prinect also
includes powerful calibration, profiling, and quality control tools for
consistent, reproducible color quality and matching with approved print sheets.
Consult A "Pro"
The heart of Prinect Packaging
Workflow is Packaging Pro, an add-on option to the Prinect Signa Station
imposition and sheet assembly tool. With multiple functions to support the
manufacture of labels and folding cartons, Prinect Signa Station Packaging Pro
enables the import, processing and export of CAD data; preparation of complete
signatures including all color marks and control elements; definition of
clippings on the sheet with automatic or interactive conflict resolution in case
of overlapping; and the optimum calculation of gang forms for various print run
volumes. Once a sheet layout has been created, users can generate an
interactive, three-dimensional soft proof of the carton that can be shared with
the customer via email, eliminating the need to produce a costly physical
sample first.
Any Way You Want It
Prinect Packaging workflow is
flexible enough to accommodate commercial printers that produce some packaging
work and are already familiar with the Prinect platform; packaging converters
like Inland Label that operate from one to three production sites; or very
large packaging concerns that may or may not have a global presence. The most
economical configuration offering the greatest benefit would derive from the
interplay of Prinect Sign Station Pro (imposition), Prinect Prepress Manager
and Prinect Pressroom Manager (data preparation and output) and a Heidelberg
Speedmaster press.
Modular, scalable and open,
Prinect adapts to individual requirements and can grow with the customer, even
where components from other manufacturers are already in use. Many businesses
initially use Packaging Pro as an independent solution, and then proceed to
expand their packaging workflow with Prinect, step by step, until all areas are
fully integrated.
