When people think of high-quality print, HEIDELBERG is often the first name that comes to mind. Our reputation for world-class printing equipment has been well earned over the past 175 years, but what surprises people is that HEIDELBERG is also a leading innovator in workflow and automation software.
Despite our long history in this space for over thirty years, there are still a lot of misconceptions about what our Prinect solutions can do. That’s why I’ve pulled together answers to some of the most Frequently Asked Questions we get about Prinect – to show just how powerful, smart, and robust this software really is.
– John O’Donnell, Vice President of Prinect, Heidelberg USA
Q: What is the long-term vision for Prinect and how does it support the future of intelligent, connected print production?
O'Donnell: As machines have become increasingly data driven, Prinect® has come to play an essential role in HEIDELBERG’s business. Software now does the decision making and planning that people used to — only faster and more accurately. That translates directly to higher equipment efficiency and less downtime on the shop floor.
With our latest software releases, Prinect takes automation even further — making every part of your process more informed and efficient. Whether it’s optimizing production paths across multiple jobs or fine-tuning ink train settings for challenging print runs, Prinect helps your team make smarter decisions through AI and global data insights gathered from HEIDELBERG® users worldwide. And as Prinect migrates to the cloud, we’re only just scratching the surface of what’s possible.
Q: Some printing companies assume Prinect is a highly complex system that is only suited for HEIDELBERG customers or large industrial printers. How do you respond to that perception?
O'Donnell: Prinect is an incredibly scalable solution that can be easily tailored for a variety of environments — digital, packaging, commercial, industrial, or any mix of them. To reduce any unnecessary complexity, we work closely with your team to identify the right capabilities for your specific production needs and provide custom customized training focused on a seamless integration.
Prinect is built to drive color and production data to any press — delivering measurable value and ROI — and not just to HEIDELBERG presses. We’ve successfully transitioned several users that utilize non-HEIDELBERG offset presses from competitive workflow and automation systems.
Q: Why choose Prinect over other workflows?
O'Donnell: For a complete solution, most of our competitors’ systems require additional third-party software packages to handle various functions. Prinect is truly all-encompassing — bringing every part of print production inside one solution. This simplifies your workflow and reduces monthly costs.
Q: How is Prinect unique compared to similar products?
O'Donnell: Prinect is not a seat based license workflow product. Most of the software’s features can be tuned on without further licenses. This helps our users grow into our large feature set, commercial print including web if needed, folding carton including design and label. This level of flexibility is what sets Prinect apart. Unlike other software products that will not have all of what is needed included in their offering. No need to export, reimport files to other programs. Prinect can adjust to fit you business requirements.
Q: How are customers using Prinect in unexpected ways?
O'Donnell: With our “keys to the kingdom” subscription license, virtually all parts of the workflow are site-licensed and not seat based. We have seen shops put some of the production tools in the hands of CSRs. Imagine your CSR getting a file and immediately identifying any potential issues. Instead of waiting for the file to reach prepress to uncover problems, you avoid delays upfront — saving time, preventing disruptions, and ultimately saving both you and your customer money.
Q: For customers who think their current workflow is “good enough”, what might they be missing by not taking a closer look at Prinect?
O'Donnell: In today’s world, where skilled workers are increasingly hard to find, many older workflows rely heavily on manual processes with numerous human touchpoints. While some believe the human eye enhances quality, the truth is it often slows down production and drives up costs. Prinect reduces these manual steps by automatically handling issues or alerting your team only when intervention is needed.
