Heidelberg

Thanks to Drupa, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG recorded a significant improvement in incoming orders over the previous year in the first quarter of financial year 2008/2009. Incoming orders were up by around 23 percent over the same quarter the previous year to 1.151 billion Euro (previous year: 934 million Euro). Still, sales and earnings were significantly down on the equivalent figures for the previous year due to difficult market conditions and customers’ reluctance to invest in the run-up to Drupa. Sales by the Heidelberg Group in the first three months (April 1 to June 30) totaled 657 million Euro (previous year: 742 million Euro).

HEIDELBERG, GERMANY—August 6, 2008—As a result of the keen interest shown in the new Heidelberg Eco Printing Award at drupa, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has decided to extend the closing date for entries by a month to the end of August 2008. This means that any printshop around the world that is equipped with at least one sheetfed offset press now has until August 31, 2008 to submit an entry for this illustrious award. The prize will be awarded to the most sustainable printshop and innovative stand-alone solutions for environmental protection in prepress, press, and postpress. For more information on the entry conditions, go

Day Two at Drupa brings Bob past offset presses, ink-jet presses, DI presses and into Dusseldorf’s Altstadt.

IPG Editor Bob Neubauer wraps up his Drupa visit with a look at bindery and digital printing equipment, inclding new ink-jet presses. (He also pokes fun at some odd contraptions he stumbles upon.)

Join IPG Editor Bob Neubauer as he navigates his way through the massive German trade show.

Kendell Martin, director of print and distribution services at RBC Ministries, does not take investment decisions lightly. When it came time to look at new stitching equipment, a few members of the RBC staff traveled to Kennesaw, Ga., to visit Heidelberg’s Print Media Demonstration Center (PMDC). Armed with some of their toughest print jobs, the team tested Heidelberg’s stitching equipment and quickly became enamored. “We decided to replace our existing stitcher with Heidelberg’s Stitchmaster ST 350 when we experienced, first-hand, the advanced technology,” Martin reports. “We also received great counsel from our Heidelberg contacts, who helped us find the best fit for our

Ten innovative technologies have been selected to receive InterTech Technology Awards from the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF). Inaugurated in 1978 to foster awareness and understanding of advanced graphic arts technology, the PIA/GATF InterTech Technology Awards honor excellence in innovative technology for the graphic communications industry. This year’s winners are: • Alwan Dynamic DeviceLinks, by Alwan Color Expertise. • EskoArtwork Neo, from EskoArtwork.  • POLAR P.A.C.E. Cutting Systems, from Heidelberg. • Prinect Inpress Control, also from Heidelberg. • HIFLEX MIS and Web2Print, from HIFLEX Corp. • Inca Onset, by Inca Digital Printers Ltd. • KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic

GHENT BELGIUM—July 21, 2008—Access to the comprehensive, best practice workflow specifications and resources are now easier than ever for printers, prepress professionals and designers as The Ghent Workgroup (GWG) unveils its newly streamlined, fast website, www.gwg.org. In addition the GWG, the international cross-section of PDF and print experts known for creating, testing, and releasing specifications and best practices that have been proven to make it easier for users to ensure PDF document quality across workflows around the world; announces newly elected officers to its executive committee. The www.gwg.org Website The latest version of the website has been completely revamped to address the expanding population

PITTSBURGH—July 17, 2008—Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2008 InterTech Technology Awards. For over thirty years, recipients of this prestigious award have not only had a major impact on the graphic communications industry, but they also consistently prove to be successful in the commercial marketplace. The independent panel of judges deliberated over technology submissions ranging from consumables to MIS systems to large-format presses. A recurring theme with 2008 InterTech nominations was process efficiency; submissions contained solutions to automate production steps, provide in-line process control, and manage production. Great strides in technology were also

DIGITAL PRINTING technology had its strongest showing yet at Drupa 2008, the world’s largest graphic arts trade show. The two-week event, which took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, last month, lived up to its billing as “The Ink-jet Drupa,” with “green printing” being the only challenger as a show theme, since virtually every exhibitor touched on it. About 391,000 visitors prowled the 19 halls of Drupa this year, (see sidebar about in-plants that attended), checking out the 1,971 exhibitors from 52 countries. Most of the attention, though, centered on the new digital printing devices, particularly those in the ink-jet category—though with prices ranging from $1