Brodnax 21C Printers, headquartered in Dallas, USA, was founded in 1957 by John Brodnax and has grown from a small commercial print shop into a marketing services company. With a revenue of approximately US$ 25 million, the company offers lithographic printing, small-format digital printing, large-format printing, and promotional materials.
In 2022, the current owner and general manager, Jim Singer, founded Brodnax 21C Packaging. The sister companies serve a diverse, nationwide customer base and produce everything from vehicle wraps and business stationery to folding cartons, while maintaining strong positions in the catalog and trading card markets.
To support especially the new packaging division and the thriving trading card business, the company commissioned a Speedmaster XL 106-8P+L from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) in late 2025. The press is equipped with Push to Stop, AutoPlate XL, Prinect Inpress Control 3, Prinect Inspection Control 4, and the Heidelberg UX operator system with AI-powered assistance systems.
The AI-controlled Intellistart 3 from Heidelberg defines all steps required for job changes for all active and queued processes without operator intervention. This enhanced automation, combined with automatic plate changing via AutoPlate XL, enables the Brodnax 21C to complete setup in less than 30 seconds. The press’s AI-powered assistance systems also help significantly speed up ink washing processes.
Since going live, the Peak Performance Generation press, which offers a printing speed of 21,000 sheets per hour, has increased efficiency and capacity, thereby driving the growth of Brodnax 21C and the company’s commitment to expanding its packaging business.
“Our investments in cutting-edge technology and automation help us stand out from many competitors in the market,” said Singers. “Our company is growing, and we’ve chosen to reinvest our profits back into the business for the benefit of our employees and customers.”
Brodnax strengthens market position
The high operating speeds of the new Speedmaster XL 106, combined with its UV and LED curing technologies, have further increased efficiency. The combination of curing options enables the company to print on virtually any substrate, including plastics, transparent polyester, foil-coated cardboard, and other laminated materials.
To ensure consistent color and quality at high speeds and on a wide range of substrates, Prinect Inpress Control measures, controls, and registers the color in real time at any production speed. This allows the sheets to be adjusted for color and register accuracy after just 60 sheets.
Prinect Inpress Control is complemented by Prinect Inspection Control, a camera-based quality control system that detects even the smallest printing defects, such as “hickeys,” and precisely identifies the sheets that need to be rejected. Together, these systems help Brodnax 21C reduce waste, save time and materials, and detect color shifts or printing errors before they cause more costly problems further down the production line.
“All these productivity and quality improvements ultimately lead to higher margins and greater efficiency for our company,” said Singer.
Brodnax 21C has been using printing presses from Heidelberg since the 1990s and today operates several Stahlfolder folders, as well as POLAR cutting systems and peripheral equipment, in addition to its four Speedmaster presses.
“We invest in presses from Heidelberg because they’re outstanding. If you take good care of them, they last forever,” said Singer. “Maintaining a uniform press platform also makes sense in terms of operators, consumables, and service. If a problem arises, we can resolve it immediately via remote access; if that’s not possible, a ticket is automatically created, and a technician is on site very quickly. The service from Heidelberg is first-class.”
“Brodnax’s customer feedback on the Peak Performance Speedmaster XL 106 underscores once again that the press delivers on what we promised when we unveiled it at drupa 2024, it significantly increases efficiency and reduces costs in print production, thereby boosting our customers’ competitiveness in advertising and packaging printing,” says Dr David Schmedding, CSO at Heidelberg.
