Printready is the first JDF component of Heidelberg’s overarching Prinect workflow, which connects management to all areas of production.
"We don’t want two parallel universes. We don’t want the business workflow operating on its own with little bits of connectivity [to production]," said Heidelberg UK managing director George Clarke.
Clarke added that the JDF common standard had created "a new era in printing". "No printer small or large can turn his back on this issue," he said.
Heidelberg has 75 users of Prinergy, the workflow it co-developed with Creo, in the UK and "it would expect to be able to migrate 100% of users", said sales director Jim Todd.
Any installation of Prinergy since January 2002 will be upgraded for free and there will be a scaled discount scheme for installations prior to that date. Pricing will be "very competitive" said Todd. A lower-end system for a B2 printer would be 30% cheaper than Prinergy, he said.
Commercial shipments begin next April but UK printers can preview the system at the next Heidelberg open houses (Tamworth 1-3 October, Leeds 8-10 October, Brentford 22-24 October).
Story by Lauretta Roberts
