Prepress

Heidelberg launches Prinect Inpress Control 2

Wednesday 25. March 2015 - Faster setup and reduced paper waste thanks to improved color control

Spectrophotometric inline color measurement system maximizes productivity and cuts paper waste by further 10 to 20 percent
Automated measurement of register and dot gain during press run
New handheld spectrophotometer with extensive range of functions
Measurement of metallized materials and transparent substrates
The Prinect Inpress Control spectrophotometric inline color measurement system from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has proved a great success all over the world. Already installed on over a thousand Speedmaster presses, the system provides on-the-fly measurement and control of both color and register. Heidelberg has now launched Prinect Inpress Control 2, featuring a faster measuring and control algorithm that substantially cuts makeready times and paper waste during setup. Initial users report further 10 to 20 percent less paper waste and significantly increased productivity.
Prinect Inpress Control 2 can be installed on Speedmaster presses in the XL 75, SX 102, CX 102, XL 106, XL 145, and XL 162 series. The system is ideal for industrial printers of short runs with frequent job changes who want to deliver quick, cost-effective, and high-quality results. Recent Speedmaster presses already equipped with Prinect Inpress Control can be upgraded to the latest system.
Fast setup for maximum productivity
The Prinect Inpress Control 2 enhances spectral color measurement and control and reduces paper waste during setup by a further 10 to 20 percent. It activates this through more intelligent color control and faster print control strip measurement at the start of the job.
A further new feature is the automated register and quality measurement process, which removes the need for manual intervention. This ensures that quality measurements are not left out during production, but instead are displayed automatically and logged in quality reports. The all-new handheld spectrophotometer also offers printers significant benefits in usability. Wireless operation – if Bluetooth can be used – combines with a substantial increase in its range of functions. Alongside existing basic functions for Inpress Control 2 such as sample measurement, the device also supports all the functions expected of a handheld measuring instrument. If required, printers can still color calibrate the device themselves using the “Netprofiler” option.
The new Prinect Inpress Control 2 system also makes it possible to measure metallized and transparent substrates with opaque white below the print control strip. This is particularly relevant to packaging and label printing, where the color measuring system is proving to be an increasingly popular, cost-effective choice. Heidelberg spectrophoto-metric color measuring systems are also especially useful in these sectors for measuring and controlling spot colors. These can be derived directly from a color sample or selected from the integrated spot color database and controlled.
Highly satisfied customers
The Kliemo print shop in Eupen, Belgium, was one of the first print shops to install the new Prinect Inpress Control 2 system on a Speedmaster XL 106-10-P. “We are very satisfied with our experience of Inpress Control 2 so far and have already been able to cut waste paper by up to 50 sheets per setup,” says print manager Ralph Rodtheut. “Automated inline measuring has made very fast work of setting up many of our jobs.
And the wireless handheld spectrophotometer with its expanded range of functions really does make life easier for printers. The inline quality measurements for dot gain, slurring, and doubling are now processed automatically as well. All the important measurement data is logged and saved as necessary. This is important for repeat jobs and quality assurance.” Kliemo has a workforce of 50 and produces commercial jobs of all kinds, including several magazines and periodicals. “This continuous production monitoring system keeps our quality as high as possible, and the user-friendly operation has gone down very well with our printers,” says Rodtheut.
Technology at its finest
Prinect Inpress Control 2 is an inline color measuring system integrated into the final printing unit. For perfecting presses, an additional measuring system is installed in the printing unit before sheet reversal.
The spectrophotometric measuring unit measures process colors, spot colors, and register in the print control strip at any speed. Measuring and controlling during production ensures both fast setup and high color stability across entire runs. The Speedmaster does not need to be stopped during setup or for monitoring during the production run. Thanks to easy operation via the Prinect Press Center and online ink zone adjustment at up to ten printing units in straight or perfecting printing, this is the ideal system for Speedmaster quality assurance.