Heidelberg has announced new hardware options for inline finishing and an updated version of the Prinect DFE for its Versafire EV and EP sheet-fed toner presses.
The new hardware options, made by Plockmatic, include a banner feeder for 330 x 700mm sheets, which enables the production of six-page A4 products, and a new booklet finisher with double-slot delivery for continuous production. The booklet maker can now fold and staple up to 30 sheets, while a new air-assisted interposer allows preprinted or blank separator sheets to be fed from two input trays; this also allows hybrid litho and digitally printed jobs to be assembled. Ease of maintenance is also said to have been significantly improved.
The expanded finishing capabilities are supported in the Prinect DFE Version 2020, allowing pre-setting of the feeder and finishing modules to automate the print and finishing workflow. Additional imposition options or register sheet printing are now available, while a Document Assembly PDF plug-in allows training documents with register and separating sheets to be prepared separately for automatic processing in the DFE and printing and finishing on either Versafire press.
Tools for generating custom ICC profiles for specific media are also now included. Heidelberg says that this process can be carried out in less than 10 minutes and does not require specialist knowledge but can ‘significantly improve’ output quality, especially on tinted stock.
The new options will be available from December 2019 and implemented on existing Versafire EV and EP models via firmware upgrade to connect the new finishing devices.
