SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- July 22, 2026 -- Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) has introduced the ChromaStar series, a modular ink dispensing platform built to automate spot color production directly inside print shops. The system targets a persistent operational problem in packaging printing: manual, unstandardized spot color mixing that slows turnaround and ties up skilled staff. Four models — X, S, M, and P — scale from entry-level manual batch preparation to fully automated, high-volume industrial dispensing. HEIDELBERG frames the launch as an expansion of its Lifecycle consumables business and its role as a system integrator for packaging printers.
Manual Mixing Has Become a Production Bottleneck
Spot color preparation has turned into a chokepoint for many packaging print shops. Limited availability of premixed colors, a lack of standardized processes, and heavy reliance on manual labor combine to slow order fulfillment. That dependence on individual operators also creates supply chain risk when staff are unavailable or turnover disrupts institutional knowledge.
ChromaStar addresses this by moving spot color production onto the shop floor. Dosing technology and short mixing times are designed to cut waiting time on outside suppliers. Inventory holding drops as a result, since shops can mix only what they need, when they need it.
Four Models Cover Entry-Level to Industrial Volumes
The ChromaStar lineup is built around production scale rather than a single fixed configuration. ChromaStar X serves manual batch preparation for smaller operations. ChromaStar S, M, and P step up through increasing levels of automation for higher-volume, industrial packaging environments.
All models process conventional, UV, and low-migration Saphira inks. That range matters for packaging converters serving food-contact applications, where ink migration limits are a compliance requirement rather than a preference.
ChromaStar S Now Running Live Demonstrations
HEIDELBERG has moved the ChromaStar S from announcement to hands-on evaluation. The system is installed at the company's Home of Print facility in Wiesloch-Walldorf, where customers can see it running. It first appeared publicly at the company's Packaging Day event in June.
ChromaStar S is sized for print shops using one to ten metric tons of spot color annually — a volume band that covers many mid-sized packaging converters rather than only the largest industrial operators.
"With the new ChromaStar series, we are offering our customers, particularly in packaging printing, a highly integrated solution that improves productivity, quality, and sustainability in equal measure."
Dr. David Schmedding, CSO at HEIDELBERG, tied the launch directly to the company's consumables strategy.
"At the same time, as a system integrator, we are further expanding our position in the market for consumables and tapping into additional growth potential in the packaging segment."
Software Layer Links Formulation to Finished Color
Hardware alone does not solve traceability. HEIDELBERG paired ChromaStar with its existing Saphira Cloud, Saphira Check, and Saphira Control tools to close that gap. Together, they connect color formulation, dosing, and inline color control into one workflow.
A separate proof output supports color-accurate communication across the production chain. That step is what allows a color definition approved early in the process to match what actually comes off press later — a repeatability requirement that matters most in brand-compliance-sensitive packaging work.
Launch Fits a Broader Consumables Growth Push
ChromaStar is not a standalone hardware release. HEIDELBERG positions it inside its Lifecycle business, the division built around service and consumables revenue rather than new press sales. The company already supplies process and spot colors as a single-source vendor and describes itself as one of the largest consumables suppliers in the printing industry.
Packaging printing is one of the segments HEIDELBERG has singled out for growth, alongside expansion in Asia and Latin America. ChromaStar gives the company a hardware anchor for that consumables push, tying ink sales to the equipment that dispenses them.