A good three years after
launching sales of the Linoprint C series of digital printing systems,
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is unveiling a new generation of
digital printing presses that delivers even better performance. The new
Linoprint CV and Linoprint CP models are geared toward improved flexibility and
productivity in the cost-effective production of short, personalized, and
hybrid print runs. The new Prinect Digital Frontend sets a new standard in
digital printing quality thanks to the use of Heidelberg Renderer (RIP)
technology - which has been tried-and-tested in offset printing - and
Heidelberg color management.
Linoprint CV offers greater flexibility due to white and coating
functions and supports a large range of materials
With a printing speed of 90 pages
per minute, high quality standards, and comprehensive functions, the new
Linoprint CV sets new standards in its performance class. The system will be
able to print with five colors, making it unique in its segment. Besides the
four primary colors, the system also offers white with high opacity or
alternatively a coating with high gloss properties as an additional color -
either as a full-area or spot coating. Switching between white and a coating is
simple, which means both surface finishing techniques can be used with
flexibility.
Users can choose from a huge
variety of substrates, ranging from structured papers to coated media, colored
paper and synthetic films. What's more, because the Linoprint CV is designed
for large paper formats, users can produce up to 700 mm long, three page
folding brochures or posters in a single operation.
The multiple paper magazines in
the system can be refilled on the fly, which keeps makeready times short.
Several high-capacity magazines, which can be fitted with optional
vacuum/suction-tape feeders, also ensure a continuous supply of paper without
the operator having to constantly monitor the Linoprint CV. The system can thus
also process long runs in a single pass, without interrupting production. A
new, enlarged operating cockpit further enhances ease-of-use by helping the
operator to both maintain a clear overview of every print job and re-run repeat
jobs.
Linoprint CP offers outstanding
productivity and comprehensive inline finishing solutions
The new Linoprint CP produces
advertising and presentation materials at a printing speed of 130 pages per
minute, as well as high-quality personalized print products, professionally
bound books, and brochures. The system has a modular design that safeguards a
high level of availability. The image transfer and fusing units are physically
separate, which reduces heat from affecting the process of image transfer and
makes it easier to locate and clear paper jams. The standard configuration
includes a vacuum/suction-tape feeder that ensures even difficult printing
materials such as heavy coated media are fed into the press reliably. The
inline finishing units offer a whole host of solutions - from high-capacity
stacking, perforating, and folding all the way through to leaflets and books
with adhesive binding. The Linoprint CP can also be used to process a range of
materials, some of which can be quite challenging, such as structured papers
and plastics. A color toner with a low melting point further increases the
range of materials that can be printed. The press operates using a feedback
monitoring system that automatically corrects toner density and thus delivers
excellent color stability.
New Prinect Digital Frontend: More integration and certainty in the
production process
The Prinect Digital Frontend
newly developed by Heidelberg supports the seamless integration of both new
digital printing systems into the overall workflow of a print shop. This means
that all print jobs can be centrally managed in one workflow system,
irrespective of the production process that has been selected.
To ensure repeat jobs can be
carried out with greater certainty and reliability, all work processes such as
job creation, preflight checking, color management, and impositioning can be
saved as linked sequences. This certainty in production also extends to the
printing of personalized data. Furthermore, the Prinect Digital Frontend also
supports the finishing options of the new Linoprint systems, thereby enabling
several print jobs to be produced ready for sale in a single operation.
"The newly developed Digital
Frontend from Heidelberg generates decisive added value for users. Indeed, besides
getting better quality and productivity from digital printing systems, print
shops also want to be able to control and manage as many applications as
possible via a central workflow. That is precisely where the strengths of the
Prinect Digital Frontend come into play," says Jason Oliver, head of
Business Area Digital at Heidelberg.
Everything from a single source
In addition to the new Linoprint
systems from Heidelberg, digital printers can also benefit from a broad range
of technical and machine-based services, training and consulting offerings, and
consumables offered in collaboration with Ricoh. This entire portfolio is
designed to reinforce and extend the competitiveness and performance
capabilities of print media companies.
Both printing systems and the
Prinect Digital Frontend will be available from spring 2015 and will replace
the previous Linoprint C 751 and Linoprint C 901 models.
Partnership with Ricoh is carried forward
In 2011, Heidelberg began
marketing digital printing systems from Ricoh in the value segment under the
name Linoprint and now, a good three years later, finds itself in a successful,
strategic partnership with the Japanese company. To date, Heidelberg has
installed about 500 Linoprint C systems worldwide. Heidelberg is now marketing
the Ricoh presses under the names Linoprint CV and Linoprint CP as much more
developed versions, particularly with regard to the software functions and the
integration capabilities those bring. Heidelberg is thus underscoring its
expertise as the only conventional manufacturer in the sector to successfully
offer integrated digital and offset applications.
"Partnerships are the key to
long-term market success in the digital sector. By marketing highly developed
digital printing systems from Ricoh, Heidelberg has succeeded in establishing
itself as a digital print supplier in the sector," says Oliver.
