In partnership with Ricoh, and based on the Japanese manufacturer’s four-colour Pro C7200 and five-colour Pro C7200X, Heidelberg’s Versafire EV is designed for use at entry-level as well as for experienced digital printers. Any four-colour version purchased can be subsequently upgraded to five-colour on request. The machine is expected to start shipping in April.
Replacing the Versafire CV in Heidelberg's digital portfolio, the five-colour version of the machine boasts a 'floating' fifth colour capability that allows white ink to be printed onto a substrate before the standard CMYK in a single pass.
“The machine is a response to requirements we detected in the market from our five-colour customers,” said Heidelberg UK digital printing equipment business manager Chris Matthews. “About 95% of our orders are for five-colour machines as our bulk market is commercial printers.
“One of the biggest things customers wanted was the capability to print white onto the substrate before the colour inks, which we have now provided on the EV. We have had a couple of orders made already.
“It is ideal for commercial printers currently running B1, B2 or B3 and its new features, as well as its enhancements on top of the CV, give it much greater application flexibility.”
The EV’s fifth unit can accommodate white inks, as well as clear toner and neon in either pink or yellow. It can also make use of a new “invisible red” toner which has a glossy effect under daylight and shines bright red under UV, providing protection against copying. It was developed with security applications in mind.
Advances from the CV include an increase of speed from 80-90ppm to 85-95ppm at A4 size, an upgraded resolution from 4,800x1,200dpi to 4,800x2,400dpi and the capability to run at full rated speed on all stock weighing up to 360gsm. The EV also makes use of automatic inline calibration and inline register to increase stability, precision and quality.
It is compatible with Heidelberg’s Prinect Digital Front End (DFE), allowing for easy integration into existing workflows. It also allows for Heidelberg to access the machine remotely and diagnose faults or provide upgrades to software.
