Heidelberg has announced two new models in its Versafire line of toner digital presses, the LP and LV, which respectively replace the EP and EV-suffixed models introduced in 2018, plus a new Prinect-based DFE to drive them and provide smooth integration across offset and digital print operations within a business.
Based on the new Ricoh Pro 9500 and Pro 7500 models launched in August and September 2023 respectively, the machines are essentially aimed at volume CMYK production and more creative five-colour work, with a range of fifth colour options which include white, clear, invisible red, gold and silver toners, plus neon yellow and neon pink.
As with the previous generation, Heidelberg’s main point of differentiation from Ricoh’s own offering is in its its front-end and prepress integration expertise across offset and digital print using a ‘two printing processes – one workflow technology’ principle. This allows steps from job creation and preflight checking through to colour management and imposition to be automated and pre-costed. The presses and DFE also link into Heidelberg’s wider ecosystem that includes consumables, digital services, software, cloud-based solutions, training, consulting, inventory management and logistics.
The Versafire LP is aimed at cost-effective production of larger volumes and/or lots of short runs. Suitable for up to a million clicks each month, it is said by Heidelberg to be one of the market’s most productive SRA3 toner-based digital presses. Functions such as automatic register along with calibration, inline colour measurement and content monitoring should maximise reliability in production.
The fifth toner in the Versafire LV offers flexibility in wide-ranging applications in short-run printing, while its level of automation and upgrade options offer excellent flexibility and investment security, according to Heidelberg.
