Akshara Offset invests in Heidelberg’s Speedmaster SX74

Thiruvananthapuram’s Akshara Offset installed a brand new Heidelberg Speedmaster SX74 four-color press, reinforcing its relentless commitment to printing excellence and quality. With a full-fledged printing infrastructure built around best-in-class technology, Akshara Offset specializes in printing books, magazines, leaflets, booklets, brochures, catalogues, diaries, calendars, and invitation cards. They are also into packaging of duplex cartons.

The new machine will supplement a 6-colour CD 102 and a two colour SM 102 to bolster quality and printing speeds of Akshara Offset, known for its quality and commitment to customers. “With the Heidelberg SX 74, we expect to set exceptional benchmarks in print quality and explore new growth platforms. The SX 74 will empower our business to deliver unprecedented levels of performance, and prioritize our customer experience,” comments Rajalakshmy, the proprietor of Akshara Offset and one of Kerala’s prominent women entrepreneur, on her latest buy.

She adds, “The SX-74 combines the best of both worlds – the path-breaking technology of the XL class with the tried-and-tested stability of the SM platform. The press is a true hybrid. The SX-74 is 30% more productive than SM equipment, at price points lesser than XL machines.”

Perfectly suited for mid-size format and short-run jobs, the SX-74 accommodates a wide array of substrates from thin sheets to boards, ranging in thickness between 0.03 mm and 0.6 mm. Shorter make-ready and throughput times, and production speeds of 15,000 sheets per hour highlight the SX-74 advantages of agility, speed, and efficiency.

Designed to be eco-friendly, the Speedmaster SX-74 is equipped with special rollers in the Alcolor dampening system to dramatically reduce alcohol usage from 10% to 3%, saving172 liters of alcohol for every ten million printed sheets.

The SX74 is supported by surface technology to boost service life and extend wash-up intervals. The color Assistant Pro feature speeds up the response of the inking unit by 50% to 70%, via fully-automated monitoring of the ink fountain liner and self-calibration of ink zones.

Heidelberg’s unique and proprietary Intellistart component, which is integrated with the SX74 – aids intelligent and dynamic job changes, by facilitating 70% fewer operations for every job change. “Setup times can be scheduled, saving a lot of time between job changes,” quips Rajalakshmy, who turned a debut venture into a roaring success story.
From humble beginnings as a DtP center (first of its kind in Kerala) established in 1985, Akshara Offset has exploded into prominence with its quest for quality. Today, the print facility is an ISO 2008 certified organization, and recognized as a star printer in SAARC countries.

“We believe in responsible and sustainable growth. Consistent upgrades are a must to meet the changes and challenges in a print environment that is continuously and globally evolving. Partnership with a trusted brand like Heidelberg is a significant step in our chosen path and priorities. Nowadays customers are highly demanding and quality conscious.

The SX-74 inspires us to build on our customer-centric culture, while driving operational excellence,” Rajalakshmy concludes with a smile.