Heidelberg Reports Major Interest in Digital, at Print China 2015

This year, Print China 2015 once again lived up to its reputation as Asia’s largest trade show for the printing industry, as more than190,000 visitors took the opportunity to find out about current and future print media industry topics in Dongguan in Guangdong Province from April 7-12, 2015.
 
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has been represented in China for many years and knows customer needs for integrated and efficient solutions, enhanced service and new applications like no other supplier.
 
A particular highlight was the integration of digital and offset applications. The new Linoprint CV digital printing systems and the Jetmaster Dimension 250 for 4D printing were presented in China for the first time. The premiere of the four-color Speedmaster CS 92 proved a popular response to the rising demand for cost efficiency and the main print formats used in Asia. This machine has been specially developed for Asia and cuts printing plate costs by more than 20% due to its new sheet format. The new Speedmaster CS 92 also met market needs, with sales of nearly 20 presses.
 
“We’re delighted with how the trade show went and the interest in the solutions exhibited was high, as we had expected,” said Harald Weimer, member of the Management Board responsible for sales and services at Heidelberg.
 
Like everywhere else in the world, Chinese print shops are also harnessing the potential of digital printing. The new Linoprint CV from Heidelberg with white/coating function offers users even greater flexibility for cost-effective printing of short and personalized runs. The Linoprint CV also supports a wide range of substrates.
 
The Jetmaster Dimension 250 digital printing system has been specially developed for print service providers looking to build up new business areas. This system prints three-dimensional objects with personalized content – hence the name 4D printing. At Print China, the Jetmaster Dimension printed more than 500 soccer balls with customized content and exceeded all expectations.
 
“We’d like to build on the wow effect generated here. We have a lot of people interested in this technology and will be launching the Jetmaster Dimension on the Chinese market by the end of the year,” says Weimer.
 
The new Gallus DCS 340 digital labeling system was also unveiled at Print China 2015. This is a joint project between Heidelberg, Gallus and Fujifilm that shows the opportunities offered by the new partner strategy at Heidelberg.
 
Special print formats are mainly used for production in commercial printing in Asia, and the new Speedmaster CS 92-4 is a response to this. With its print format of 650 x 940 millimeters (25.59 x 37.01 inches), it cuts printing plate costs by 20 percent over a conventional 70 x 100 centimeter (27.56 x 39.37 inch) press. The target groups are commercial and packaging printers.
 
The Speedmaster CS 92-4 will be produced in proven Heidelberg quality at the Qingpu plant near Shanghai. Since the start in 2006, this site has supplied more than 5,000 printing units or more than 1,350 presses in the Speedmaster SM 52, SM 74 and CD 102 series. Four-color standard presses are produced for the small and medium formats, while up to six colors including coating unit are supplied for the 70 x 100 centimeter (27.56 x 39.37 inch) format.