The eyelash reference comes about because the HS model has been given the Spinal Tap treatment, in that it’s been ‘turned up to 11’ to offer a production speed of 18,000sph – that’s one sheet every fifth of a second. "Be careful. You could be led astray," purrs Manroland, temptingly.

While installation details are unavailable, Manroland claims the first HSs are "already printing at high speed on a daily basis, to the great satisfaction of customers".

Meanwhile, rival suppliers have blinked and raised their eyebrows at the impressions-per-hour hike, which takes the 700 into the same speed league as KBA’s Rapida 106 and Heidelberg’s Speedmaster XL 105. These are both newer models that have been designed from the ground up to take account of the technical challenges involved in moving sheets at that speed, as well as the inherent mechanical stresses and strains in doing so. By comparison the original Roland 700 was launched at Drupa 1990.

"You have to look at all the aspects to compensate for mechanical shocks and vibration – there’s more to it than just putting on a new motor," observes Heidelberg product manager for B1 Gernot Keller, while KBA UK managing director Christian Knapp adds: "There is a reason why the previous generation of B1 presses don’t go faster than they do. Both Heidelberg and KBA spent serious money developing their new machines."

Unsurprisingly, Manroland has little truck with talk that the HiPrint HS print speed is pushing the old warhorse too far. And, of course, it’s perfectly reasonable for any manufacturer to want to maximise its R&D investment in a machine type through as many product variants as possible. The manufacturer describes the 700 HS as being "based on" its newest Direct Drive technology, and although the HS doesn’t have independently driven printing units, it does use some of that model’s know-how in terms of speed of operation. "It’s based on the Direct Drive frame and uses the same delivery, so it’s happy to be operating at 18,000sph," affirms Manroland UK commercial sales manager Adam Robotham.

"We’ve actually upgraded the feeder and the delivery for speed and longevity," he adds. "The feeder pile goes up in smaller, smoother increments and the delivery pile comes down twice as fast."

Much ado about makereadies
Although ever-faster makereadies has been the hot topic of late, in the case of the 700 HiPrint HS, Manroland is taking something of a different tack. It has identified a demand among some customers for a machine that will eat up longer runs, and where speed of makeready is perhaps less of a priority. "There is still a market out there, particularly in packaging, for long runs," explains Robotham. "I visited a customer recently where the average run length was 60,000-70,000 and running speed is very important to them."

That said the HS is no makeready slouch and various QuickChange options, such as air, wash-up, and ink change are available for tightening up on makeready speeds for those that require it. Robotham also highlights features such as the motorised suction wheels in the delivery that can be adjusted from the press console, rather than manually.

He puts a typical makeready time for a six-colour 700 HiPrint HS with APL automatic plate loading as a "reasonable" 10-to-15 minutes. "And features like our QuickChange Clamps mean you can change a blanket or plate in a couple of minutes, too, rather than 10 or 15," he adds.

QuickStart press control is also standard on the press. This reduces waste after printing has been stopped and then restarted, by accelerating the press to production speed to achieve near-normal inking before engaging the feeder.

However, Manroland’s real focus is on selling the value-added aspects of the press, and the features singled out by Robotham as meriting special attention include QuickChange Colour whereby the ink flow can be redirected from the back rollers in the ink train to the front if a particular job requires it. "You can control the flow of ink depending on what you’re printing," explains Robotham. "I’ve seen customers using rival presses that don’t control the ink very well, and they have to spend a lot of time arranging things on the sheet in a certain way in order to compensate."

InlineColorPilot, Manroland’s colour control and measurement system, has also been integrated with the model.

Versatility in substrate handling is one of the key features Manroland is pushing for the HiPrint HS, and it can handle lightweight paper from 0.04mm through to PVC foils and board of 1mm thickness. Manroland claims that whether the press is printing the thinnest or thickest stock in its range it will still print at 18,000sph, and no doubt this is something that any printer considering the new model will be keen to put to the test. When in perfecting mode this maximum thickness falls to 0.6mm, and the speed drops to 13,200sph.

The sheet size is also larger than the standard 700 range, at 740x1,050mm, which allows printers producing work such as packaging and labels a few precious extra millimetres to increase the number of items that can be batched up. And for those requiring UV, Robotham says there is "plenty of room" between the printing units for interdeck driers.

Tough competition
There’s no doubt that in this market Manroland is taking on some formidable competitors, and in that respect Robotham highlights a couple of unique selling points beyond the bells and whistles of the press itself. He describes the TelePresence remote diagnostic tool as "fantastic", offering 24-hour support and the ability for Manroland’s engineers to dial into any particular press and see what’s happening. The accompanying Maintenance Manager software provides a schedule of required maintenance and guides the operator through what has to be done, and when, for each particular task, and the tools needed to carry it out. "You can set authorisations in it, too, for management so it’s very useful from a press room manager’s point-of-view," he notes.

Another feature for added-value printing, Manroland’s on-press foiling system the Roland InlineFoiler Prindor, is not available on the high-speed model just yet but is expected to be added as an option in the future. 

With so many variations on a theme in the B1 market, the 700 HiPrint HS has provided those (few, at present) companies that are in the market for some fresh press firepower with a few more options to consider. Time will tell whether those high-speed eyelashes prove as alluring as Manroland intends them to be.

SPECIFICATIONS
Max sheet size 740x1,050mm
Min sheet size 340x480mm
Number of units up to 12
Min/max substrate thickness 0.04-1mm
Max speed 18,000sph (13,200sph when perfecting)
Price HiPrint HS 706 LV six-colour with coating and extended delivery: circa £1.5m
Contact Manroland GB 020 8648 7090/www.manroland.co.uk

ALTERNATIVES
Heidelberg Speedmaster CX 102 or CD 102
Heidelberg pits these two models against the 700 HS rather than the XL 105. Neither model offers perfecting. A comparable XL 105 machine would start at around £1.6m.
Min/max sheet size 340x480mm/720x1,040mm
Max speed 15,000sph (CD 102) or 16,500sph (CX 102)
Min/max substrate thickness 0.03-1mm
Number of units up to 12
Perfecting? no
Price six-colour with coater CD 102: circa £1.25m, CX 102: £1.4m
Contact Heidelberg UK 020 8490 3500/www.uk.heidelberg.com

KBA Rapida 105
KBA positions the Rapida 105 with HS high-speed package as its alternative to the 700 HiPrint HS. A comparable 106 would start at £1.8m.
Min/max sheet size 350x500mm/740x1,050mm
Min/max substrate thickness 0.06-1.2mm 
Number of units up to seven
Max speed 16,500sph
Perfecting? no
Price six-colour with coater: circa £1.5m
Contact KBA UK 01923 819922/www.kba-print.de

Komori Lithrone SX40
Launched at Drupa 2008, this 18,000sph press includes a host of features for speeding makereadies along with Komori’s KHS-AI self-learning system for faster start-ups.
Min/max sheet size 360x520mm/750x1,050mm
Min/max substrate thickness 0.06-1mm
Number of units up to eight
Max speed 18,000sph
Perfecting? no
Price six-colour with coater: circa £1.5m
Contact Komori UK 0113 279 9900/www.komori.com

Mitsubishi Diamond V3000LX
Mitsubishi can claim a unique feature in this line-up because the V3000 prints at 16,000sph whichever mode it’s in, with no speed reduction when perfecting.
Min/max sheet size 360x540mm/750x1,050mm
Min/max substrate thickness 0.04-1mm 
Number of units up to 14
Max speed 16,000sph
Perfecting? yes
Price six-colour plus coater: circa £1.5m
Contact M Partners 020 8647 5379/www.mpartners.co.uk