Why offset printers are enthusiastic about the Versafire CV .

Alain Herren is an enthusiastic digital printer. This past summer, his company Print8 AG in Biel invested in a Versafire CV from Heidelberg with the Prinect Digital Frontend. As a partner of Heidelberg Schweiz AG, the Print8 AG print shops in the Bern region and the French-speaking part of Switzerland make the Versafire CV available for test runs.

Print8 AG in Biel is a true digital print shop. Alain Herren, owner and Managing Director, started using digital printing methods back at the beginning of the 1990s, when digital color printers were referred to in the printing industry as "better copying machines".

Although Alain Herren learned the trade of the sheetfed offset printer, he firmly believed that digital printing would evolve and some day co-exist and be on a par with sheetfed offset. As Alain Herren told himself, “good things take time.”

What is possible on the Versafire CV.
One such “good thing” is now a reality. Since this summer, Print8 AG has been using a Versafire CV five-color digital printing system from Heidelberg for its production. Alain Herren is not the only one who is enthusiastic. Graphic designers, agencies, private customers, companies from the cosmetics and watchmaking industry – they are all impressed by the print results delivered by the digital printing system.
Alain Herren shows what is possible on the Versafire CV by presenting samples of his work, including hefty books with a substantial number of pages. “It is economically feasible to produce products with well over a hundred pages on the Versafire, if time is tight and the run is short”, says Alain Herren. It also has other impressive qualities: solid-tone areas printed on the Versafire CV lie smoothly on the paper. For hybrid products whose cover is printed using offset and whose contents are produced on the digital printing system, the colors are truly a good match. And the Versafire CV works with a high degree of precision: this is proven by lettering on the face trim of a book – structured like a tab, whose marks are printed offset over the individual pages.

The benefits of the Digital Frontend.
Also working at Print8 AG is Mischa Schenk, offset printer, longtime colleague of Alain Herren, and an ardent advocate of digital printing. In his opinion, an indicator of the progress of digital printing methods is the RIP technology. “With the Prinect Digital Frontend, Heidelberg has developed an RIP with the functional scope to be able to meet the requirements of printing professionals”, he says.
What does Mischa Schenk like about the Digital Frontend? "A few things,” he answers. The automatic impositioning and the optimal distribution of repeats over the sheet; the option to produce jobs with different papers for cover and contents in one pass; the simple, precise CMYK separation of PANTONE® colors. As far as he knows, Heidelberg RIP technology is the only one to offer this in digital printing. Another unique feature is the ability to be able to edit PDF files in the Digital Frontend: "Within a single document I can assign pictures, letters, and other elements opaque white, neon yellow, or the coating toner”, explains Mischa Schenk.

Demo center for Bern and the French-speaking part of Switzerland.
How highly Alain Herren and Mischa Schenk regard the qualities of the Versafire CV is indicated by the fact that Print8 AG has opened its doors as a demo center. Interested print shops from the Bern region and the French-speaking part of Switzerland can test-run print jobs on the digital printing system and learn about the functions offered by the Prinect Digital Frontend. Alain Herren is proud that Heidelberg Schweiz AG selected his digital print shop as a demo center. Alongside the wealth of expert knowledge that he and Mischa Schenk contribute, the very good knowledge of the French language was a factor in their selection.

For more information:

Marketing & Communications
Vanessa Malpezzi
Phone: +41 31 385 03 02
E-mail: vanessa.malpezzi@heidelberg.com