Building on its strategic relationship with Ricoh,
Heidelberg is poised to launch a new generation of digital printing systems, as
well as a new digital front end. Following the success of its Linoprint C751
and C901 models, Heidelberg will market their replacements: the new Linoprint
CV and Linoprint CP digital color printing systems.
A New Generation Ups
the Ante on Performance
The new Linoprint CV and Linoprint CP models deliver
improved flexibility and productivity in the cost-effective production of
short, personalized, and hybrid print runs. Heidelberg’s new Prinect Digital
Frontend (DFE) supports the seamless integration of both of these digital
printing systems into a shop’s overall production workflow. It also sets a new standard in digital
printing quality, thanks to Heidelberg’s proven RIP and color management
technologies. Heidelberg is the only conventional manufacturer active in the
digital printing sector to successfully offer integrated digital and offset
applications. The new Heidelberg Prinect
DFE will be offered in addition to EFI’s new Fiery FS150 digital front end.
“Both the Linoprint CV and Linoprint CP offer greater
productivity, near-offset quality, and tremendous substrate flexibility to
complex graphics work and commercial printing,” said Dan Maurer, Vice President
Digital Print and Postpress Product Management for Heidelberg USA. “The new
Prinect DFE builds on the success of our previous Prinect Digital Print Manager
by enabling either of these new digital presses to integrate more elegantly
into commercial offset print environments,” Maurer said. “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.”
Flexible All-Rounder
With a printing speed of 90 ppm across its substrate range,
the Linoprint CV sets new standards in its performance class. The system is
targeted to customers that already have digital capacity and want to grow both
volume and application flexibility. In addition to printing with the four
primary colors, the system also offers either a high-opacity white or
high-gloss coating as an exchangeable fifth color. Superior registration
accuracy enables multi-pass applications featuring raised printing and unique
white effects for short-run labels or packaging. Users can choose from a huge
variety of substrates ranging from structured papers and coated media to
colored paper and synthetic films up to 14-point board.
Because the Linoprint CV is designed for paper formats up to
13x27.5”, users can produce three-page folding brochures or posters up to 27.5”
in a single operation. Multiple paper magazines can be refilled on the fly,
keeping makeready times short.
With its innovative laser technology, the Linoprint CV
delivers razor-sharp, high-resolution images, thanks in part to the color toner
comprised of ultra-fine particles. Added features include a generous color
scale as well as toner with a low melting point. The combination of these
features make it possible to print on a variety of materials - including
heat-sensitive plastics - with image and color quality close to that achieved
in offset.
Productive
High-Achiever
The Linoprint CP produces advertising and presentation
materials at a printing speed of 130 pages per minute, as well as high-quality
personalized print products, bound books and brochures. The heavy-duty modular
design of the system, which incorporates separate imaging and fusing units,
further enhances the robustness of the system, which can yield monthly print
volumes exceeding one million images.
The Linoprint CP sets new standards in productivity,
quality, and availability. Its flexibility, scalability, and user-friendly
operation make it the ideal solution for high- or low-print volume. Excellent
register and color accuracy ensure the best possible results. The standard
configuration includes a vacuum/suction-tape feeder that ensures even difficult
printing materials such as heavy coated media are reliably fed through the
press. Assorted inline finishing solutions include bookletmaking and inline UV
coating, as well as high-capacity stacking, perforating, folding, and adhesive
binding. Like the Linoprint CV, the Linoprint CP also has a low toner melting
point, which enables it to process a range of materials, including structured
papers and plastics. The system can accommodate up to 18-point board stock, a
capability useful in the production of short-run packaging and packaging
proofs.
Both the Linoprint CV and Linoprint CV will be available
with Heidelberg’s Prinect Digital Front End, or with EFI’s Fiery front end,
depending on the production workflow already in place.
Intuitive User
Interface
Replete with intelligent functions from design to postpress,
Heidelberg’s Prinect Digital Frontend (DFE) ensures that all print jobs can be
centrally managed in one workflow system, regardless of the selected printing
process. Additional benefits include highly flexible digital printing, and
reliable quality and color management.
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.
Prinect Digital Frontend supports the finishing options of the new Linoprint
systems, enabling several print jobs to be produced and ready for sale in a
single operation.
“Heidelberg is excited to bring the new Prinect Digital
Front End to the market for both our traditional customers and those that
already have a substantial digital footprint,” Maurer said. “We have received
great customer feedback from our installs of Prinect Digital Print Manager
workflow with our Linoprint C901+ and C751 systems, based on its ease of use,
features, and integration to Prinect prepress and press software. Our new DFE
takes all this up another notch.”
The Linoprint CV will launch in January 2015, with the
Linoprint CP and DFE to follow in March and July, respectively.
Something for the
Smaller Shop
Over time, Heidelberg has forged many strong relationships
with the community of small commercial, quick, and in-plant printers. Beginning
this month, in response to customer demand, Heidelberg USA will begin marketing
the new, entry-level Linoprint CM high-volume, black-and-white digital
production machine to supplement color production in smaller shops. Also new is
the Linoprint CE, which will enable smaller commercial shops, quick printers,
and in-plant operations to transition to an upgraded platform at lower volumes
and lower cost with no loss of quality.
