HEIDELBERG , GERMANY—  Heidelberger has increase the printing speed of the Speedmaster XL 106 to 21,000 sheets per hour makes this the world’s fastest sheetfed offset press and means an annual output of over 100 million prints is now also possible in folding carton production. This press is a particularly good option for companies producing packaging in the 70 x 100 format, who are calling for ever higher machine outputs and end-to-end automation. The increase in printing speed from 18,000 to 21,000 sheets per hour on the Speedmaster XL 106. The economic benefit is an eight to ten percent higher net output and – provided the full potential productivity is utilized – amortization in around two years. In order to achieve this, HEIDELBERG has optimized some 200 components throughout the entire system, from feeder to delivery. For example, two servo motors now drive the feeder directly and, in the delivery, the weight of the gripper bars has been reduced and they have been adapted to the new printing speed to ensure stable and reliable operation.