Heidelberg

Heidelberg USA wrapped up its fiscal year with a host of notable accomplishments: • More than 1,000 printing units were shipped. • Heldelberg saw a 73 percent increase in 20” format press installations and a 58 percent increase in 40” format press installations. In the 40” market, Heidelberg experienced the largest growth from sales of its Speedmaster SM 102, CD 102 and XL 105 presses. • Heidelberg’s consumables products saw a nearly 15 percent increase in sales. • Prepress sales grew by 16 percent with increased CTP shipments and greater market penetration of Heidelberg’s Prinect workflow solutions. • Post-press experienced a 44 percent increase in shipments of

A year or so ago, Printing Services at Arkansas State University installed a Heidelberg ProSetter 74 computer-to-plate system. To find out how it has helped and what the shop has learned since then, we got in touch with Director David Maloch. IPG: David, how has the new gear improved your business? Maloch: It’s all about speed. We have much greater speed in getting proofs ready and in getting plates to presses. We’ve eliminated film, masking sheets, and other materials, so we have faster makereadies on presses. The Heidelberg gives us easier duplications for four-up, six-up, eight-up, etc. work, and imposition of multipage jobs is a snap.

Heidelberg plans to introduce the new Adobe PDF Print Engine into its Prinect production workflow system. Prinect customers will get access to a PDF workflow spanning consistently from the creative professional to the production stages of the print service providers by using one common PDF technology. Heidelberg is currently implementing the Adobe PDF Print Engine into its Prinect MetaDimension RIP and plans to ship it as part of Prinect MetaDimension offering in late 2006. The new Adobe PDF Print Engine is a completely JDF/JMF controlled software engine which is optimally suited for the integration into Heidelberg’s native JDF Prinect architecture.

Agfa The Acento II four-up CtP system brings thermal plate imaging in two versions: the Acento II E model and the high-productivity :Acento II S. Acento II images all thermal digital plates sensitized for 830 nm lasers, including Agfa’s :Thermostar Plus, the new :Energy range of plates, as well as chemistry-free :Azura and developer-free :Amigo. The Avalon family of thermal plate­setters offers increased convenience, reliability and functionality and features Agfa’s new Avalon HD Imaging Head. The Avalon comes in five basic configurations with throughputs ranging from 10 plates per hour (pph) for the LE model to 40 pph for the XXT model. The

Agfa Corp. The Sherpa family of piezo ink-jet proofing systems combines a range of print engines with AgfaJet proofing base, dye- and pigment-based inks and a color management system. Grand Sherpa 50 and 64 (50˝/64˝) are 8-color machines with a 1,440x1,440 dpi maximum resolution. The 7-color Sherpa 24m and 44m offer 720-dpi resolution. Sherpa 43i and 62i offer fast contract proofing at 720 dpi. SherpaMatic 43 and Grand SherpaMatic offer dual-sided proofing. Grand Sherpa M is a new 7-color proofer that uses dye-based inks. The Grand SherpaMatic imposition ink-jet proofer has adjustable paper width up to 50˝, modes for single or double-sided printing, variable resolutions and controllable

Agfa ApogeeX 3.0 workflow software is based on PDF, JDF (Job Definition Format) and Digital Film. Featuring a single, easy-to-use user interface, it offers a range of capabilities. Provides extensive process automation and connectivity features. Apogee PrintDrive enables integration with non-Agfa workflow solutions and output systems. New step-and-repeat function requires a page to be RIPed and trapped only once. Apogee Raster Blaster helps integrate most non-Agfa output devices into workflow. Apogee Power Converter converts legacy formats to PDF. :Delano 2.6 project management system offers extended JDF connectivity. It offers better support for spot colors, an improved user interface and faster system responsiveness.

Heidelberg this month opened the fourth of six new regional offices in locations across the U.S. The Braintree, Mass., office will serve the Northeast region. Later this spring, an office will open in Owings Mills, Md., to serve the Mid-Atlantic region. In mid to late 2006, the San Francisco Bay area will see a new office. The regional offices expand Heidelberg’s presence in key areas and provide a network of local support that includes improved access to Heidelberg regional management teams. Each new office will house a team comprised of a regional sales manager and a regional service manager, who are equipped to meet

With on-demand printing making book production easy, in-plants are increasingly upgrading their perfect binders. Here are some of the latest models. By Elise Hacking Book Block Gluing Machine American Binding's Book Block Gluing Machine Type ID 5000 is specifically designed for the production of high-quality gauzed books. The machine is equipped with two glue trays, one for cold glue at the entrance (with infrared drying) and one with hot-melt glue and lateral gluing. Dimensions and processing of the gauze can be electronically adjusted. The ID 5000 handles paper sizes ranging from 3.9x5.9˝ to 11.8x20.5˝ in thicknesses of .11˝ to 3.2˝. www.americanbindingco.com

Computer-to-plate systems have dropped in price and jumped in quality. Take a look at the different systems on the market. By Bob Atkinson Computer-to-plate (CTP) technologies have been the norm at large print shops and newspapers for almost a decade. In the past few years, though, competition and new technologies have driven the cost of both CTP equipment and consumables down to the point where they're affordable and practical to any departmental or in-plant shop. In fact, if you use just 250 square feet of plate material per month—that's about 145 13x19˝ plates or 62 20x29˝ plates, for example—you'll find that the cost numbers

University of Kansas may have closed one in-plant, but it relocated and expanded another, to the delight of its customers. By Bob Neubauer TWO THINGS happened at the University of Kansas last year: The school closed the in-plant on its main campus in Lawrence, and it moved and expanded the in-plant at the University of Kansas Medical Center an hour away in Kansas City. Why would a university close one shop and expand another? Matt Doughty thinks he knows the answer: Service. Doughty, director of Publishing and Postal Services at KU's Medical Center, feels his 20-employee operation collaborates so closely with its customers, and