The Versafire EP is based on the tried-and-tested platform of the Versafire CP and has been systematically enhanced for the needs of customers in the graphics industry. Like the recently introduced Versafire EV, the Versafire EP has been developed for flexible production and maximum performance.
Both machine models from Heidelberg feature the Prinect Digital Front End (DFE) and an intuitive user interface that simplifies prepress work. The Prinect DFE uses the tried-and-tested Heidelberg renderer technology for the production of digital and offset printed products. This seamlessly optimises consistency of colour and form between the two production methods.
‘With the machines from the new Versafire generation, we offer our customers in commercial printing exactly the right solution for their applications,’ explained Stephan Plenz, member of the management board responsible for digital technology at Heidelberg. ‘The Versafire EV comes into its own in creative applications with many spot colours, while the Versafire EP is the high-performance machine for high volumes.’
The Versafire EP is available as a four-colour press with redundant toner supply and technology geared towards stable, safe, efficient and reliable production. It will be available in Europe from June, with other markets to follow soon afterwards.
‘The new Versafire EP delivers extremely stable production at a constantly high speed,’ said Marcus Unterleider, managing director of the Unterleider Medien Gruppe. The company, based in Rödermark, has been testing the new high-performance digital printing system from Heidelberg for several weeks.
Unterleider Medien Gruppe employs over 50 people and has three divisions: print production with digital and offset printing, lettershop for personalised marketing, and global logistics. This enables it to supply its customers from the banking, insurance, retail, publishing and agency sectors with everything from a single source. ‘Printing alone is no longer enough these days, customers are looking for full range of services,’ confirmed Unterleider. ‘We’ve been on a growth course for years and recently purchased a new building for our logistics services.’
Marcus Unterleider was an early adopter of digital printing and integrated production with the Heidelberg Prinect Workflow. That is why the company uses the Prinect Web-to-Print-Manager for its B2B shops and the recently installed Prinect Production Manager for its printing activities. The aim is to integrate both the offset and the digital printing systems by means of a common workflow. ‘We want to achieve maximum automation and be able to decide quickly whether the incoming data will be sent to the Suprasetter platesetter or directly for digital printing,’ said Unterleider. The company uses several Speedmaster presses from Heidelberg for its offset printing.
Short runs and personalised jobs are handled on the Versafire EP or the Linoprint C901. Unterleider has been using the Linoprint C901, the first generation of digital printing systems from Heidelberg, since 2013. The Versafire EP is mainly used for long runs – for example it is currently producing a personalised catalogue with a run of 20,000 pages. The personalised title page is printed digitally, while the contents are produced using offset printing.
‘The Versafire EP is characterised by ease of operation and the new Prinect DFE,’ explained Unterleider. ‘For the first time it is now also possible to print textured linen papers in high quality. The new banner size of 1030mm in duplex mode and 1260 mm in simplex mode enables a wealth of new applications. For example, Unterleider can now print an 8-page flyer on both sides and with personalisation in one pass, something that was not possible up to now in this paper length.
The Versafire EP produces 115 or 135 A4 pages a minute, and can process papers up to 450g/sqm. The automatic inline calibration ensures maximum colour consistency and there is now a mechanical lateral register for the inline register, which ensures the best possible register accuracy.
