Polish print shop Chromapress will shortly take delivery of a
Speedmaster SM 74 equipped with the 50,000th half-format printing
unit from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). "With
our new Speedmaster SM 74 five-color press with coating unit we are
aiming to boost productivity and offer top quality at reasonable
prices," explains Chromapress owner Janusz Wyszynski. The
commercial printshop has big plans and is looking to increase
orders and sales by 70 percent over the next two to three years.
"We are expecting fast makeready, excellent flexibility, and a
high level of automation with the new Speedmaster. It will extend
the range of grammages we are able to process, and the coating unit
will produce impressive finishes that put us in an excellent
competitive position," continues Wyszynski.
Chromapress was founded in 2003 and most of the 20 employees
come from a state-owned print shop that produced high-quality work
on Speedmaster presses. More than 100 customers including banks,
retailers, associations, organizations, and advertising agencies
put their trust in Chromapress.
Around 20 percent of production is exported. Typical run
lengths range from 1,000 to 30,000 sheets and most orders are
four-color jobs with spot colors and coating. The full-service
printshop's equipment already includes a Speedmaster SM 74
four-color press.
Half-format product portfolio geared to customer needs
"Delivering the 50,000th half-format printing unit marks
yet another chapter in our success story in this market segment.
The 50 x 70 centimeter format enjoys a high market share with our
customers. All models can be customized to suit individual
requirements and service portfolios," explains Stephan Plenz,
Member of the Management Board responsible for Technology and
Operations at Heidelberg. The product line first appeared in 1980
with the M-Offset series, and the Speedmaster SM 74 made its global
premiere at drupa 1995. A press with a simpler configuration was
launched at drupa 2000 in the form of the Printmaster PM 74. At the
same trade show, Heidelberg presented the Speedmaster CD 74 for
high-end half-format printing. This press features a different
cylinder concept and is increasingly the platform of choice for
special applications such as UV, CutStar or FoilStar.
Since drupa 2008, the product portfolio has been updated, and
the 50 x 70 centimeter (19.69 x 27.56 inch) format now includes the
scalable Speedmaster SM 74 and the Speedmaster XL 75. The
Speedmaster SM 74 is available in configurations ranging from a
two-color press to a ten-color model with high-pile delivery. The
series also includes two- to five-color configurations with
standard deliveries that were designed above all for print shops
with short and medium runs. The new five-color press in particular
is ideal for print shops that wish to use spot colors and varnish
in a single pass. It can process substrate thicknesses from 0.03 to
0.6 millimeters (0.0012 to 0.024 inches) at a
maximum printing speed of 15,000 sheets per hour. The fully
automatic perfecting device and the coating and drying options of
the high-pile delivery models boost the range of applications that
are available with the Speedmaster SM 74.
With a capacity of up to 18,000 sheets per hour, the
Speedmaster XL 75 sets new performance standards in the 50 x 70
centimeter format class. Exceptional flexibility is ensured thanks
to the ability to process a large number of substrates in
thicknesses from 0.03 to 0.8 millimeters (0.0012 to 0.031 inches)
and the wide range of straight printing and perfecting models with
up to 12 printing units and a coating unit. As a customized press
with surface finishing options such as UV coatings, double coating
units, cold foil application with FoilStar, and Duo presses with
flexographic printing units before the offset units, the
Speedmaster XL 75 also supports versatile configuration to generate
added value for customers. This makes it the perfect choice for
commercial, packaging, and label printers.
Image:
From left to right: Joachim Dencker, Small- and
Half-Format Assembly Manager, Stephan Plenz, Member of the
Management Board responsible for Technology and Operations, and
Bernd Blumberg, Small- and Half-Format Product Manager - all
from Heidelberg - in front of the Speedmaster SM 74 with the
50,000th half-format printing unit.
The 50 x 70 centimeter (19.69 x 27.56 inch) format
- 1980: Heidelberg enters the multi-format half-format market
with the M-Offset series in the 48 x 65 centimeter (18.90 x 25.59
inch) format.
- 1994: Launch of the Speedmaster SM 74 in the 53 x 74
centimeter (20.87 x 29.13 inch) format at the GEC trade show in
Milan in response to customers' need for a larger format.
- drupa 1995: World premiere of the Speedmaster SM 74 with a
number of innovations. Over the years, this series has undergone
continuous development and it can now be ordered in various
configurations to suit customer needs - from the Speedmaster
SM 74 two-color press to the ten-color model.
- drupa 2000: The Printmaster PM 74 is unveiled as a less
automated and more economical alternative to the Speedmaster SM
74.
- drupa 2000: The Speedmaster CD 74, a press for high-end
half-format printing, makes its debut. This press features a
different cylinder concept and is the ideal platform for special
applications, as reflected by the many different configurations
and press lengths that currently exist.
- drupa 2004: Additional automation features and configuration
options are added to the Printmaster PM 74.
- drupa 2008: Streamlining of half-format models. The
Printmaster PM 74 and the Speedmaster SM 74 are combined to
create the new, scalable Speedmaster SM 74. The Speedmaster CD 74
is replaced by the Speedmaster XL 75.