KENNESAW, Ga. - Heidelberg USA announces the following new
product installations:
Heidelberg Long Associated with Quality for Veteran Colorado
Springs Printer
Few printers know offset printing like Werner Thanner, a
Swiss émigré who worked as an instructor at the
International Typographical Union retraining hot metal typesetters
on how to use new "cold type" and offset equipment during
the 1960s. Thanner founded LT Litho in Colorado Springs in 1987
after over four decades of printing experience, from his
apprenticeship days in Switzerland in the 1940s to running (then
later selling) his first print shop in the 1970s - and he has
worked with Heidelberg equipment throughout his career. "I
grew up in Switzerland with Heidelberg presses," Thanner said.
Thus, it was an easy decision for him to invest in a new Heidelberg
five-color Speedmaster CD 74 press with coater. "We receive
extremely good support from Heidelberg. That creates a comfort
zone." With 19 full-time employees, plus a few part-time
employees, LT Litho runs multi-color sales materials, booklets,
pocket folders and other general commercial work. With the addition
of the Speedmaster CD 74, Thanner expects to expand into packaging,
since the new press can handle heavier board than his old one, and
can do it all at higher speeds. "The CD 74 is running
exceptionally well," he said. "It's printing beautifully.
The word is out that we have this wonderful Heidelberg press, and
it has helped business already. We're trying to sell quality, and I
think we have a reputation of being the best in town, especially
now with the new CD 74." LT Litho also recently installed a
new POLAR cutter to keep up with the new press. The shop uses
Heidelberg blankets and other consumables to ensure top output
quality and performance on its new Speedmaster press. "I'm
proud of the equipment and I think we will make our mark in the
industry locally," Thanner said. "At my age, people ask
why I don't retire. But I like the printing business and I like to
see a good product come off the end of the press. It's
gratifying."
American Greetings Upgrades Custom Printing and Thermography
Capability with New Heidelberg Press
Greeting-card giant American Greetings recently added a
one-color Speedmaster SM 52 from Heidelberg to its plant in
Osceola, Ark. and saw productivity more than double over its old
press. "The primary reason we went with Heidelberg was because
of how robust the equipment is," said Production Engineer
Trung Nguyen. "That press really is a heavy duty machine. None
of the other small-format printing equipment on the market comes
close." American Greetings uses the unusual one-color
configuration to add text to pre-printed cards; the company also
uses its new Speedmaster SM 52 to print adhesive onto cards, which
then go through the thermography process. "The new Heidelberg
press is working really well," Nguyen said. "Everyone in
the department is happy with it, including the operator - the
equipment is very operator friendly." To ensure continued top
performance from its new press, American Greetings uses Heidelberg
Perfect Dot blankets and wash-up solution. The company also
receives free maintenance and support for three years through
Heidelberg's systemservice 36plus. "The new SM 52 runs at
twice the speed of our old press," Nguyen said.
Heidelberg's Quick Actions and Prosetter P52 Save the Day at Q's
Printing and Design
When her platesetter stopped working one day, Q's
Printing and Design Owner Suzi Marshall began frantically searching
for a company that could process their plates overnight to keep the
business running. She turned to Heidelberg Sales Representative
Jack Kasper for help. "Jack was able to find someone to
process our plates and have our business going in no time,"
Marshall said. "He went out of his way to help me without
trying to sell me equipment." Based on her experience with
Heidelberg and what she'd already learned about Heidelberg
platesetters and other prepress offerings, however, Marshall was
already sold on the new prepress equipment she wanted for her shop.
In about four weeks, her new Prosetter P52 was up and running at
Q's Printing and Design, along with new Prinect software. "The
program that Heidelberg offered was superior," Marshall said.
"The quality of the Prosetter P52 is better than other
platesetters I've seen, the speed is wonderful…it takes only
one-third of the time it used to take us to make a plate." As
the only four-color print shop in town, Q's Printing and Design
does trade printing and short-run color printing for regional
customers near San Angelo, Texas. Marshall started the company more
than 25 years ago on her own, and has grown the company to its
current size, with five additional employees. The company also
operates Heidelberg bindery equipment, including a POLAR cutter and
Stitchmaster saddlestitcher.
RBC Ministries Invests in Heidelberg Technology, Purchases New
Stitchmaster ST 350
Kendell Martin, director of plant and distribution
operations at RBC Ministries, does not take investment decisions
lightly. When it came time to look at new stitching equipment for
the bindery, a few members of the RBC staff traveled to Kennesaw,
Ga. to visit Heidelberg's Print Media Demonstration Center (PMDC),
one of the largest print demonstration centers in North America,
which offers year-round training classes and showcases the latest
printing technology. Armed with some of their toughest print jobs,
the team from RBC tested Heidelberg's stitching equipment, and
became quickly enamored. "We decided to replace our existing
stitcher with Heidelberg's Stitchmaster ST 350 when we experienced
first-hand the advanced technology that clearly is head and
shoulders above the competition," Martin said. "We also
received great counsel from our Heidelberg contacts, who helped us
find the best fit for our needs and organization." The
Stitchmaster ST 350 has been in production at RBC Ministries for
more than a month now, and already the output exceeds expectations.
"We had planned for a 28 percent increase in productivity over
the previous stitcher and trimmer, but have achieved closer to 40
percent," Martin said. "This was the smoothest equipment
install in my 25 years in the business. I was impressed with the
entire process from start to finish. The install was completed on a
Friday and we were in full production mode the following Sunday
night." Martin reports that his entire team has adapted nicely
to the easy-to-use computer interface, which is in keeping with
RBC's goal of going "hands free" by 2011. "The
ability to detect incorrect signatures and out-of-square booklets
are huge quality control features that we did not have on our
previous unit," Martin said. Grand Rapids, Mich.-based RBC
Ministries says it will continue to work with Heidelberg to match
future shop needs with the best solutions.
Rapid City Shop Stays Competitive with New Six-Color Speedmaster
SM 74 from Heidelberg
Dan Simpson put Heidelberg's Print Media Demonstration Center
(PMDC) in Kennesaw, Ga. to the test when deciding how to upgrade
his shop, Simpson's Creative Printers in Rapid City, S.D. "We
created four pretty difficult jobs for the demo room to run for
us," he said, as he evaluated a new Heidelberg six-color
Speedmaster SM 74 press with perfector and aqueous coater.
"Once we saw the press in action, we were satisfied that it
was the press for us." Simpson especially liked the perfecting
system on the SM 74. "It's a great tool," he said.
"It's easy to use and I felt really comfortable with the
perfecting unit Heidelberg has on this press - a feeling that has
proven true, post-installation." The technical capabilities of
the press were outstanding - but in the end, it was service,
workflow integration and Simpson's relationship with Heidelberg
that made his decision easy. "When you add up the total - the
cost of the press, our relationship, print quality, features - it
just made sense," Simpson said. "We are far from a large
city. Heidelberg has invested pretty heavily in the Rocky Mountain
region, and they have people in Denver who can easily get here and
keep us running. That was also a big consideration." Simpson
opted for systemservice 36plus, which includes all repair services,
parts and 24/7 support for three years. In addition to the new
Speedmaster SM 74, the shop also runs a host of prepress, press and
postpress Heidelberg equipment, including a Prosetter violet
platesetter, a two-color Printmaster QM 46, two POLAR cutters, a
Stahlfolder B26 folder and a 6-pocket Stitchmaster saddlestitcher.
Simpson has noticed an increase in sales since upgrading his shop.
"I believe March was the largest month we've ever had,"
he said.
Louisville Envelope Manufacturer Upgrades In-Plant Capabilities
with Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102
At Papercone, a specialty envelope manufacturer in
Louisville, Ky., purchasing a new Heidelberg five-color Speedmaster
SM 102 with perfector was a "no brainer" for Chairman and
CEO Brooks Bower. "We've always had Heidelberg presses,"
he said. "They're very reliable, dependable and we receive
good support and service." Papercone often prints on Tyvek,
laminated sheets or other unusual materials. "We've always had
good luck with Heidelberg on all of the different substrates we
use." Founded in 1964 and now employing 160, the shop has
complete internal printing capabilities for the envelopes it
manufactures. In addition to the new Speedmaster SM 102, which
replaced three older presses, Papercone also runs two POLAR cutters
from Heidelberg. "The automation on the new press is
amazing," Bower said. "Our productivity on the SM 102 has
doubled due to automation and fast setup times."
CDS Publications Masters Bindery Efficiency with Cutter, Folder
from Heidelberg
After 25 years in the printing and bindery business,
Randy Moreno has experienced first-hand what works and what does
not. Experience has taught him that he prefers Heidelberg's POLAR
cutting equipment for its reliability and quality. Now as the
bindery manager for CDS Publications in Medford, Ore., Moreno
recently chose to install a POLAR 137 XT cutter to upgrade his
postpress capabilities. "We still have a competitive cutter,
but our bindery operators prefer the POLAR, hands down,"
Moreno said. "Throughput is huge for us - the automatic
jogger, stack lift and counting scale are key, and the ergonomics
keep the fatigue factor low for our operators." Reducing waste
with the cutter's unloading system has already helped CDS become
more efficient after just a few months of operation. "We
actually got rid of one of our cutters, because the POLAR can
handle the work that used to require two cutters," Moreno
said. The company is also seeing great results from the recent
addition of a Heidelberg Stahlfolder USA B 30 folder to its
bindery. "The Stahlfolder B 30 folder has really opened up
some opportunities for us to do many different kinds of folds than
we had capability to do before, and we can also handle
larger-format work," Moreno said. He credits the delivery of
the folder to creating flatter, perfectly folded boxes. "I
wish I had the delivery on every one of our folders," Moreno
said. Overall, CDS Publications has seen greater efficiencies in
the bindery and throughout the shop with the addition of Heidelberg
technology. They have lowered overtime costs and created a more
efficient workflow. Founded in 1906, CDS Publications specializes
in bound publications, including books, catalogs, magazines,
brochures and instructional literature. The company is owned by
CGX, which owns more than 70 companies nationwide.
American Printing Doubles Productivity with New Printmaster PM
52 from Heidelberg
A new five-color Printmaster PM 52 press from Heidelberg
was recently installed at American Printing in Kalispell, Mont. The
population of Kalispell has grown about 40 percent in the past
seven years, and American Printing is staying ahead of the game
with its own growth strategy. Owner Shawn Tucker decided to upgrade
his production line with the new press from Heidelberg because of
his experience with Heidelberg's older model GTO presses. "We
have a second location that had used the GTO 52 press, and at the
first location we had been running a four-color GTO press since
1994," Tucker said. "We wanted to upgrade, and the
decision was simple - we wanted to go with Heidelberg. We got a
faster machine, and the five-color option gave us the coating unit
we wanted." Since the beginning of 2008, American Printing has
doubled its production capabilities because of the Printmaster PM
52 press. "Our color is more consistent, we have much shorter
make-ready times, and the machine is very easy to use," Tucker
said. All consumables for the press come from Heidelberg. American
Printing serves high-end graphic arts clients in the region,
producing publications, magazines, bulk mailings and advertising.
American Printing and its sister company, Towne Printer, have a
combined 23 employees. The shop continues to grow and expand along
with the city that surrounds it.
Sergio's Printing Creates a Stir with New Prepress, Postpress
Equipment from Heidelberg
Sergio's Printing of Miami, FL. has caused a stir in the
Miami printing market by installing a new Heidelberg Suprasetter
A52 platesetter and a Stahlfolder USA B 20 folder. According to
Owner Sergio Fernandez, the results of installing the new equipment
are "big time." The Suprasetter A52 "is amazing new
technology, and we have the first one installed in Miami,"
Fernandez said. "The direct-to-plate capability is incredible.
This is the best equipment I've ever had in my life." He
reports faster speeds and better quality with the Suprasetter,
which can mount a 100-page book in seven minutes - what used to
take three days. The company also installed Prinect prepress
software to increase workflow efficiency in production. The new
Stahlfolder is also up and running, helping the company produce
magazines, folders and trifold point-of-purchase materials.
"The folder is excellent, period," Fernandez said.
"It's the best one on the market. When we run four-color jobs,
the end product is perfect - quality from start to finish."
Because of his new Heidelberg purchases, Fernandez credits
Heidelberg with helping his business grow. "We have printers
that want to buy us out all the time now, but we are sticking with
it," Fernandez said. "Heidelberg has really taken care of
us." Sergio's Printing Inc. is a family-owned and operated
printing company that has been in operation since 1998.
Digital Shop Enters Offset Market with Heidelberg
MJA Graphics, previously an all-digital shop in Troy,
Mich., recently installed a two-color Printmaster QM 46 from
Heidelberg for its first foray into offset. "We had heard
nothing but good things about the press," Owner Rob Delaurier
said. "And now that we've installed it, it's working great. We
checked this morning and we're at 89,000 impressions in four
months." Over the last eight years of operation, MJA has grown
to ten employees and a plant with more than 11,000 square feet of
space. In addition to the new press, the shop also runs a POLAR
cutter from Heidelberg. Delaurier uses Perfect Dot blankets on his
press and other consumables from Heidelberg. "As an
all-digital shop with no offset capabilities, the Printmaster QM 46
lets us get into letterhead, business cards, envelopes and other
short to medium-run offset two-color work we had previously been
outsourcing."
Wax Family Printing Grows with Heidelberg Printmaster Press
Wax Family Printing in Murfreesboro, Tenn. began quite
literally as a mom-and-pop operation. Current Owner and General
Manager Kevin Wax's parents started the shop in 1966 in the
family's garage. When deciding how to best meet the needs of his
growing customer base, Wax turned to CPrint for recommendations and
settled on a two-color Printmaster QM 46 press from Heidelberg.
"Several other members of CPrint had spoken highly of this
particular press," he said. "It's been a tremendous
addition to our shop. The quick turnarounds and fast make-ready
times are just awesome." A general commercial printer, Wax
Family Printing also offers in-house design and mailing
capabilities. "We help our customers from concept to
completion," Wax said. "We have been blessed to survive
and then thrive in this market." Indeed, the operation is in
the midst of a major expansion, which should be finished within six
months, more than doubling the size of the existing facility. Wax
and his staff have enjoyed the speed and reliability of their new
Heidelberg, which handles jobs large and small with aplomb.
"I've seen the press run a whole order of 160,000 pieces and
not jam," said Press Operator Steve Richardson. "That
tells me I have a good press." The shop uses Perfect Dot
blankets from Heidelberg to ensure top quality and performance on
the new press. "We've already put over a million impressions
on the QM 46 in less than three months," Wax said. "It
runs like a champ."
Editorial Contact:
Manning Selvage & Lee
Rebecca Harbin
+1 404-870-6825
E-mail:
rebecca.harbin@mslpr.com