Based in Ranchi in Jharkhand, National Printers has recently installed a Heidelberg Suprasetter A106 thermal CtP with Prinect workflow. The company is a Heidelberg loyalist when it comes to prepress and the pressroom equipment. “In our nearly three-decade printing experience, Heidelberg is the name we trust in terms of technology and world-class innovation with a leading edge in all segments,” asserts Krishna Kant Kedia, the founder of National Printers. While Kedia founded the company in 1991, the print firm expanded by partnering with Ashok Agarwal in Ranchi.
Today, the print facility has a footprint of 2,00,000 square feet across three plants. Its pressrooms are equipped with Heidelberg offset presses, including a Speedmaster CD 102, a Speedmaster SM 74, and a Speedmaster SM 102.
“Heidelberg provides CIP4 connectivity with the press, offering a digitized workflow that improves the quality of productivity and reduces make-ready significantly. Together with the use of Saphira plates, the Heidelberg Suprasetter and Prinect workflow synchronize in-line press connectivity to boost our efficiency and performance,” says Kedia.
Built with Heidelberg’s proprietary laser technology using an Intelligent Diode System (IDS), the Heidelberg Suprasetter A106 is a thermal computer to plate output device designed to deliver excellent imaging quality and uninterrupted production. The IDS is developed and patented by Heidelberg and eliminates production losses, even if one or more diodes fail.
The internal plate punching system of the CtP enables reliable production with maximum register accuracy, reducing make-ready time and wastage – particularly for repeat jobs. The CtPs extensive cooling system makes sure that the plate imaging process is not affected by the ambient room temperature.
Automation and packaging on the agenda
National Printers founder Kedia and its head of operation Ashok Agarwal produce various commercial printing work, including book printing and government work. The company also produces paperboard-based packaging. “The latest investment fits into our expansion plans and perfectly complements the recent shift into our 10,000 square foot premises. The upgrades support our move into digitization and automation of print production. As we scale up into new heights of growth into packaging, we are ready to explore the potential of our infrastructure and investments fully,” concludes Kedia.
Indukalpa Saikia, sales manager – Eastern Region at Heidelberg India, states, “Heidelberg and National Printers share an amazing relationship – the print firm is one of our old and loyal customers. Apart from the Suprasetter equipment, the deal covers the Prinect Production manager workflow and Saphira consumables supply for three years, which rounds up our offerings from prepress to press.”
Subscription-based Prinect Production Manager
The Prinect Production manager is Heidelberg’s proprietary prepress workflow software, enhancing productivity and navigating the prepress automation challenge. Its Advanced Preflight tools and PDF Toolbox check the artwork for errors, while the Signa station imposition tool prints the layout of the book to be printed and positions the artwork on press sheets to speed up printing and reduces paper waste. After the layout, the Prinect Pro-man also transfers ink presetting data from the CtP plate-setter to the press. The Prinect workflow can do the RGB to CMYK color conversion using appropriate color profiles, while trapping can also be applied if required.
“The software minimizes human intervention and cuts the make-ready time by accelerating prepress and ink-setting operations. Heidelberg offers Production manager software on a subscription-based model, departing radically from tradition. The pay-as-you-go model makes it easy on the budget,” said Indukalpa Saikia.
