Historical retrospectives on classic offset presses, rare models, and the evolution of printing technology across decades.
Recently, one of our readers wrote to me with a simple question:“What do you actually know about the KBA Rapida 75? It is produced by a renowned company and sold at a reasonable price.” Indeed, on these pages we often discuss Heidelberg presses. What about the others? The market might seem dominated by one manufacturer,...
Have you ever been dissatisfied because your smartphone started to freeze exactly one year after you bought it? Or because your printer started displaying a message about replacing the cartridge, even though the cartridge was not yet empty? Or maybe something suddenly broke down right after the warranty expired? If so, you’ve encountered planned...
In the early 1990s, the printing industry faced a major transformation: print runs were becoming shorter, deadlines tighter, and quality standards higher. It became clear that the industry could no longer rely on the same workflows as in the 1980s — with analog plates and numerous manual steps in preparing intermediate images on film. Printers...
For decades, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG has been a trendsetter in printing technology. However, like any dynamic company, Heidelberg has had to adapt to changing market realities. In the early 1990s, the decision was made to discontinue production of the T-Offset sheetfed offset press and replace it with a more modern and versatile model, the Quickmaster...
Our story today is about a sheetfed offset printing machine that was not destined to live a long and happy life. It was produced for a very short period of time – from 1984 to 1994, but it is notable for the fact that it was an attempt by Heidelberg to gain a foothold in...
With the advent of relatively inexpensive plate exposure devices in the mid-2000s, the popularity of Computer-to-Print machines, where each print unit was equipped with a separate laser head, began to decline. It should be recalled that such machines had been developed by both Heidelberg and a number of other equipment manufacturers since the late 80s...
The vast majority of people involved with offset printing are well aware of how the image is formed. We have talked about it in our articles too. However, the main problem with offset printing has always been the difficult-to-control application of the dampening solution to the plate. That’s why manufacturers of printing machines have always...
In the world of printing, the 1980s was an era of transformation, when mechanics and manual labour began to give way to digital technology. One of the symbols of this revolution was the Heidelberg CPC (Central Printing Control) range of digital printing controls. These modules ushered in a new era of automation, offering solutions that...
Few people today remember who produced the first industrial printing machine that could do away with the long manual process of making printing plates. In the meantime, it was also the good old Heidelberger Druckmaschinen with its legendary model GTO. Today we will look back at this curious configuration, which became the forefather of today’s...
In some remote printing houses, you can still find silver-blue-coloured gatherers and folding machines with the logo of the manufacturing plant – LBW Polygraph. What kind of manufacturer is this? Many young printers no longer know what this company is. But only a third of a century ago, both large printing plants and small reprographic...
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© 2025 PressInspection™ All Rights Reserved.
