The company claimed InPress Control, its on press spectrophotometer and register control system, coupled with its simultaneous plate change options, provided the fastest makeready available.

"We can complete a job change in five minutes," said Heidelberg's Jürgen Rautert. "That's not hanging plates, that's from the last sheet of one job to the first good sheet of the next job; it's the only real measure."

He also promised that the minders on a pair of XL machines would be battling each other during Drupa to show they could get that down even further "maybe to four minutes".

Press makeready speed was given as an example of what he termed "innovation beyond features".

"If you compare products on features, they're all the same," said Rautert. "The comparison today is not features, it's performance and price. A decent ROI in a decent time frame."

Heidelberg is also promoting the benefits of its latest press console the Prinect Press Center, which is available across the XL and Speedmaster ranges. The new console is based on feedback on the CP 2000 which was introduced a decade ago at Ipex.

Rautert said the new console allowed "almost man-less operation".

All makeready tasks are now presented as a list on the touch-screen display for approval or, if necessary, manual intervention.

"If the minder is happy, it's one-touch makeready," said Rautert.