The world’s biggest offset press manufacturer Heidelberg will launch a B1 inkjet sheetfed press Primefire 106 at drupa, aimed at the folding carton sector.

The Primefire 106 will be available as a single-sided seven-colour sheetfed press. It will be available for sale at the show.

The new Primefire 106 wil be joined by an inkjet web Gallus label press the Labelfire. Both Primefire and Labelfire have been developed with Fujifilm Samba printhead technology.

Heidelberg will also rebrand its Ricoh-manufactured Linoprint cutsheet toner digital presses as Versafire.

At its pre-drupa press conference Heidelberg did not announce any new offset presses, which would be the first time that has ever happened. It did annouce upgraded digital workflow integration for its offset range.

[Related: Heidelberg at drupa]

The focus on digital highlights Heidelberg’s strategic re-orientation as it seeks to maintain its pre-eminent position in the digital age. In common with all offset press manufacturers sales of its offset presses have plummeted in the post FGC era.

Heidelberg today makes as much money from service and consumables as it does from press sales, and that situation will continue.

The launch of the Primewire as a ready for sale inkjet B1 sheetfed press throws down the gauntlet to other would be players n this nascent market, particularly Benny Landa’s nano press technology, which has been long on  promise but so far short on reality since it was shown at drupa four years ago.

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