Klampfer Druck is revamping its short-run printing operations. The Austrian printer, which employs about 100 people, installed a Heidelberg Jetfire 50 in late August to handle some of the jobs that had previously been produced using digital toner or offset printing.
"Given the nature of our orders, we are often no longer able to produce runs of between 1,000 and 2,000 copies cost-effectively on a digital toner press?or even using offset printing." , explains Robert Klampfer, CEO of Klampfer Druck, which produces commercial print materials and folding cartons at five locations.
An analysis of its order backlog, conducted with Heidelberg prior to the investment, made it possible to identify the jobs to be transferred to inkjet printing and, according to the manufacturer, to confirm the economic viability of this decision as soon as production began.
Three printing methods for distributing jobs
The Jetfire 50 inkjet press joins the toner presses as well as two Heidelberg offset presses?a Speedmaster XL 106 and a Speedmaster CX 104. Prepress employees were assigned to operate the Jetfire 50 after completing a brief training session.
The Jetfire 50 can print up to 4,560 SRA3 sheets per hour in duplex mode. Heidelberg reports a current availability rate of approximately 90%. The color consistency between the Jetfire 50 and offset printing also makes it possible to produce an initial run digitally and then switch to offset as volumes increase.
The Jetfire 50 also makes it possible to consolidate certain production processes that were previously carried out in multiple steps: for example, gift certificates and personalized mailings?which were previously produced in two steps combining offset and digital printing?are now printed in a single pass on the Jetfire 50.
The Jetfire 50 has been integrated into a third-party workflow solution already in use at Klampfer Druck. The printing company is considering implementing Prinect Touch Free, Heidelberg?s workflow solution designed to further automate order processing between digital and offset printing.
