Users applaud the Heidelberg system's flexibility and
ability to integrate in the Prinect workflow
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has recently
delivered its 1,000th Prosetter violet platesetter to Harper House
Inc. in Dallas, Texas, USA. Harper House was founded in 1919 and
started out as a photoengraver trade shop. Today it is with a staff
of 76 a comprehensive cross media service provider, including the
full range of creative services, photography, premedia and print.
Now the company is augmenting its prepress portfolio with this
investment in a Prosetter 74. Harper House has its sights set on
advertising and direct marketing agencies with particularly high
requirements for top-quality color management. "It was the
system's flexibility and productivity that impressed us the
most. The Prosetter 74 can grow with our requirements. With an
output of up to 16 plates per hour, it offers high levels of
productivity and can be seamlessly integrated in our Prinect
workflow with Signastation and MetaDimension," says Chip
Harding, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Harper House
Inc., commenting on the company's investment decision.
"The Prosetter series from Heidelberg offers small and
mid-size commercial printers a cost-effective way of benefiting
from a fully automatic CtP workflow. Its modular design and ability
to be integrated in the Prinect workflow make it a secure long-term
investment for users. Heidelberg customers have lapped up these
benefits and we have now had more than a thousand orders,"
says Andreas Forer, Vice President Product Management Imaging
Systems. Proven technology with excellent price performance ratio.
The Prosetter series uses violet light and internal drum
technology for platesetting, thereby delivering excellent plate
production quality at an attractive price performance ratio. The
Prosetter uses customizable internal punching to ensure the high
registration accuracy.
The productivity of the Prosetter 74 starts at 16 plates per
hour and increases to 24 with the high-speed version, which can
also be upgraded on site. The print formats supported range from
the Printmaster QM 46 to the Speedmaster CD 74.
New functions now available
The new Multi Cassette Loader (MCL), which was unveiled at
drupa 2004 and began shipping in mid-September, is designed for
greater flexibility and automation when processing several formats.
It can hold up to 600 printing plates at 6 mil thick or 400 at 12
mil thick and ensures fully automatic plate production. The MCL
enables four cassettes for different plate formats to be exchanged
during imaging, which reduces downtime and increases the
cost-effectiveness of the overall operation.
The Single Cassette Loader (SCL), which automatically feeds
plates to the Prosetter and automatically removes slip sheets and
up to 400 of these can be held in an integrated collection
container. It also loads and transports the imaged plate with its
integrated conveyor system to the online processor where the plate
is developed. Customers can easily field upgraded from the
semi-automatic mode to the SCL and MCL.
Modularity for growing requirements
The Prosetter series is based on a modular system concept for
the prepress stage. Every model can be upgraded to meet changing
requirements and add-ons retrofitted on site. The Prosetter images
up to 16 plates per hour in four-page format and up to 12 plates in
eight-page format. The high-speed Prosetter models (F 74 and F 102)
are capable of imaging 24 and 18 plates per hour respectively.
Plate on Demand for higher plate throughput The seamless
integration of all print operations in a standardized workflow is
the key to achieving high performance and cost-effectiveness with
every printing system. The Prosetter can be integrated in a
JDF-based prepress workflow with Prinect Printready or Prinect
MetaDimension. The secure flow of data in Prinect guarantees
maximum plate throughput by separating plate production from the
other parts of the workflow. The press operator can at any time
access the data of any printing form at the Prinect CP2000 Center,
enabling him to image individual plates or to completely control
plate production from the press control station and thus further
improve integration between the prepress stage and the printroom.
This "Plate on Demand" function is a distinctive feature
that is unique to Heidelberg and is a key element in the future of
print production.
Image:
The 1,000th Prosetter in operation at Harper House Inc. in
Dallas, Texas, USA. The operator is impressed by the system's
flexibility and productivity.
Further information on Harper House Inc. is available from:
Harper House Inc.
Chip Harding
Vice President and COO
904 South Ervay St.
Dallas, Texas 75201, USA
Tel: +1 214 744-4646
E-mail:
charding@harperhouse.com
Website:
www.harperhouse.com