Trend for highly finished printed materials boosts demand for customized presses from Heidelberg

In a trend that has been emerging for a long time now, a growing number of print shop customers are demanding printed products with sophisticated coatings and special effects. This development is particularly striking in folding carton and label printing, with branded goods manufacturers aiming to generate a steady stream of new purchasing incentives through the use of particularly effective, stand-out packaging designs. However, print shop customers in the commercial segment also want to run their marketing campaigns with custom-designed print products that stand out from the crowd thanks to striking and sophisticated coatings and special effects.

At Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg), these market requirements are being met by presses with increasingly long custom configurations and a wide variety of equipment. As many as 20 printing and coating units with interdeck and end-of-press dryers as well as multiple cold foil modules can be installed in one press.

“The general market recovery is also being clearly reflected in the demand for customized machines,” comments Heidelberg CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer. “The trend toward print products with increasingly sophisticated surface finishing is still growing and is boosting the profitability of branded goods manufacturers and print shops in equal measure.”