Heidelberg Puts Spotlight on Speedmaster XL 105 at Print 05 in Chicago
07/14/2005
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is to put the
spotlight on the Speedmaster XL 105 at its booth (No. 1200) at
Print 05 where it will unveil the press to the American public.
The press made its world premiere at drupa 2004 in Düsseldorf. It began series production in April 2005 after impressing field test customers with its exceptional quality and high productivity of 18,000 sheets per hour, including at Raff GmbH, a printshop based near Stuttgart that has been using the Speedmaster XL 105 six-color model for over a year. The larger print format of 75 x 105 centimeters (29.53 x 41.34 inches) enables up to 25 percent more of the print sheet to be used for special jobs.
Raff is well-known for its international awards, including the "Sappi International Printer of the Year", and as the many-times winner of the "Sappi European Printer of the Year" gold award. "We don't just see ourselves as printers, but rather as a service provider that offers end-to-end solutions," says Martin Maurer of Raff, describing the company's recipe for success. When it comes to handling jobs, Raff sets great store by being on board as early as possible. Together with renowned advertising agencies, the experts at Raff develop outstanding products comprising paper and a diverse range of materials such as metal, Plexiglas, carbon, reflective film and textiles. For instance, the Mercedes-Benz image brochure for the SLK was produced with embossed aluminum and was spiral-bound, while image catalogs for Boss were inserted in felt sleeves. The company remains committed to quality for "normal" print jobs like brochures, catalogs and annual reports. More than 100 customers, both from Germany and abroad, keep the company's pressroom working to capacity in three shifts.
The press made its world premiere at drupa 2004 in Düsseldorf. It began series production in April 2005 after impressing field test customers with its exceptional quality and high productivity of 18,000 sheets per hour, including at Raff GmbH, a printshop based near Stuttgart that has been using the Speedmaster XL 105 six-color model for over a year. The larger print format of 75 x 105 centimeters (29.53 x 41.34 inches) enables up to 25 percent more of the print sheet to be used for special jobs.
Raff is well-known for its international awards, including the "Sappi International Printer of the Year", and as the many-times winner of the "Sappi European Printer of the Year" gold award. "We don't just see ourselves as printers, but rather as a service provider that offers end-to-end solutions," says Martin Maurer of Raff, describing the company's recipe for success. When it comes to handling jobs, Raff sets great store by being on board as early as possible. Together with renowned advertising agencies, the experts at Raff develop outstanding products comprising paper and a diverse range of materials such as metal, Plexiglas, carbon, reflective film and textiles. For instance, the Mercedes-Benz image brochure for the SLK was produced with embossed aluminum and was spiral-bound, while image catalogs for Boss were inserted in felt sleeves. The company remains committed to quality for "normal" print jobs like brochures, catalogs and annual reports. More than 100 customers, both from Germany and abroad, keep the company's pressroom working to capacity in three shifts.
Improved utilization of print sheet and higher output
Customers like Boss, Rolf Benz, Daimler-Chrysler, Maserati and Ferrari expect exceptional print quality with short delivery times. "The print quality offered by the Speedmaster XL 105 is excellent," confirms Lars Schmidt, Technical Manager at Raff. "The press delivers a mark-free print with no scratches. This is particularly important for us as we often work with metalized papers," continues Schmidt. He is also full of praise for the stable printing even at high speeds of 18,000 sheets per hour. "Overall, the Speedmaster XL 105 offers a production speed that is 20 to 25 percent higher than the Speedmaster CD 102 that we used before." Raff also occasionally requires area coverage of up to 340 percent, which is no problem for the Speedmaster XL 105. "The larger print format of 75 x 105 centimeters offers us 25 percent more area for certain print objects, as we can print more pages on the sheet," explains Schmidt. Add to this the performance increase of 20 to 25 percent per hour and you have the ideal conditions for printing catalogs in runs of 100,000. Average runs sizes at Raff vary between 3,000 and 40,000 prints.
Standardized workflow and transparent processes
Raff uses the Prinect workflow system. Data from the prepress stage controls the ink zone setting on the Speedmaster XL 105 via the Prinect Prepress Interface. The press itself features Prinect Axis Control that calculates the parameters for online color control.
As early as 2000, Raff implemented the Prinect Prinance management information system that is networked with the Stratos I-Point industry software and enables a number of functions including actual costing.
Customers like Boss, Rolf Benz, Daimler-Chrysler, Maserati and Ferrari expect exceptional print quality with short delivery times. "The print quality offered by the Speedmaster XL 105 is excellent," confirms Lars Schmidt, Technical Manager at Raff. "The press delivers a mark-free print with no scratches. This is particularly important for us as we often work with metalized papers," continues Schmidt. He is also full of praise for the stable printing even at high speeds of 18,000 sheets per hour. "Overall, the Speedmaster XL 105 offers a production speed that is 20 to 25 percent higher than the Speedmaster CD 102 that we used before." Raff also occasionally requires area coverage of up to 340 percent, which is no problem for the Speedmaster XL 105. "The larger print format of 75 x 105 centimeters offers us 25 percent more area for certain print objects, as we can print more pages on the sheet," explains Schmidt. Add to this the performance increase of 20 to 25 percent per hour and you have the ideal conditions for printing catalogs in runs of 100,000. Average runs sizes at Raff vary between 3,000 and 40,000 prints.
Standardized workflow and transparent processes
Raff uses the Prinect workflow system. Data from the prepress stage controls the ink zone setting on the Speedmaster XL 105 via the Prinect Prepress Interface. The press itself features Prinect Axis Control that calculates the parameters for online color control.
As early as 2000, Raff implemented the Prinect Prinance management information system that is networked with the Stratos I-Point industry software and enables a number of functions including actual costing.
An exciting future
Raff is a dynamic company that is constantly developing. Trained typesetter Dieter Raff founded the printshop as a two-man operation in 1974. Today, Raff manages a group of several specialist companies geared to media service provision. The Raff Group and its 130-strong workforce achieved sales of 18 million Euro in 2004.
Workflow system expansion is top of the company's investment list. Raff hopes to strengthen integration with customers using the Prinect Printready System and streamline processes between proof and approval. "We are constantly thinking about how we can further improve print production," explains Martin Maurer. "We're also considering a Speedmaster XL 105 with six printing units and a coating unit," he says of the company's future plans. "That would enable us to perform a great deal of the coating work in house that we currently outsource."
Raff is a dynamic company that is constantly developing. Trained typesetter Dieter Raff founded the printshop as a two-man operation in 1974. Today, Raff manages a group of several specialist companies geared to media service provision. The Raff Group and its 130-strong workforce achieved sales of 18 million Euro in 2004.
Workflow system expansion is top of the company's investment list. Raff hopes to strengthen integration with customers using the Prinect Printready System and streamline processes between proof and approval. "We are constantly thinking about how we can further improve print production," explains Martin Maurer. "We're also considering a Speedmaster XL 105 with six printing units and a coating unit," he says of the company's future plans. "That would enable us to perform a great deal of the coating work in house that we currently outsource."
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