Riddle Press, a family-owned wholesale company in Beaverton, Oregon, is entering the short-run packaging market thanks to the Versafire EP from Heidelberg.
Right Time, Right Cost, No Challenges
As a primarily litho shop, Riddle Press was struggling with the capabilities of producing high-quality short-run packaging work for customers. According to Nick Adolphson, Manager of Riddle Press, “Like all other commercial printers, we’re eager to expand our capabilities into packaging – specifically low quantity packaging jobs. The Versafire EP came to us at just the right time and at an extremely competitive cost. We’re now able to offer our customers short run packaging jobs thanks to the Versafire’s ability to support 24-point stock.”
Installed in March of 2019, the Verafire EP can print on a variety of synthetics while also printing up to 13” x 27.5” sheets. Printing at 4,800 x 2,400 dpi and 135 letter pages per minute, the Versafire EP continues to amaze the employees at Riddle Press due to the lack of challenges they’ve experienced since installation. “It just runs,” said Adolphson. “Our operator can put any size substrate or job on the press, he starts the machine, and it just keeps running with no jams. It’s incredible.”
The digital press includes a variety of advanced technologies that help Riddle Press stand out — including the automatic high-precision inline registration, which actively controls every sheet so that it is steered and adjusted automatically. Additionally, the inline sensor on the Versafire EP color calibrates the engine by measuring the registration target, feeding it back in the machine, and setting it up — making this press simple to use for all printers.
Prinect DFE Integrates Completely into Versafire
In order to boost the Versafire EP’s efficiency and productivity, Riddle Press uses the Prinect Digital Front End (DFE). Using Heidelberg’s color management and renderers (both tried and tested in offset printing), the Prinect DFE enables print production to be automated and standardized for excellent efficiency, greater transparency, and faster job flow.
According to Adolphson, “We’ve used Prinect before, but the DFE has really taken a huge workload off our prepress department by integrating completely with our Versafire EP. It also has given our operator the opportunity to impose or make changes on the fly right from the cockpit.”
Alongside the Versafire EP and Prinect, Riddle Press also has a Heidelberg Suprasetter and uses Heidelberg Saphira Consumables. The company also trusts Heidelberg’s service team completely for any needs or training. According to Adolphson, “The service team has always been incredible with equipping us with everything we need to know for Prinect or the Versafire. As we continue to grow, we trust Heidelberg will be there in all of our future endeavors.”
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