Taking The Direct Route

In the Quickmaster DI 46-4 plus (the enhanced version of the Quickmaster DI), each plate cylinder has an autowinding unit with two rolls. Fresh plate material for new jobs is taken off one roll while used masters are simultaneously wound onto the other roll. When a new job is RIPed and sent to the press, plates are advanced and tightened automatically, then imaged in under four minutes. In less than 10 minutes, a job can go from the RIP to the first sheet, according to Victor Wiley, Heidelberg's direct imaging sales manager for the western region. Because of this quick workflow, he says, costs go way down.