Am I the only one that cringes when the Heidelberg platen is referred to as a windmill. The best press operators that I met over the years never used the nickname.

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You are not alone

In the UK when I was at college in the late 80s and one of the last students to work on letterpress machines we referred to Heidelbergs as either Platens or Cylinders. Windmill was never used.

I never hear it referred to as “Windmill” until I started looking for used printing equipment a few years ago.

We also just called it, Heidelberg.

If a shop had a cylinder Heidelberg also, the owner just told people he has Heidelbergs in his shop.

Guilty as charged, I often refer to our Heidelberg Platen presses as Windm…..
I just did a search on Ebay for “platen” in the Printing and Graphic arts section for “Platen” and nothing came up. There are a lot of presses that are platen press on Ebay but none listed as such. This could be adding to the use of the “nickname” rather then the proper name.
I stand corrected and will make a concentrated effort to use the proper name in the future.

Honestly, to me the word “Windmill” is much more accurate in describing which press you are talking about. The only thing it lacks is the size of the “Windmill.”

I too have never heard the H Platen referred to as a windmill before having a beak around Briar , I can see why but really find it almost annoying , however everyone to their own . the use of the term rails grates with me too but i can see why that has come about too .

As early as:

Inland Printer, American Lithographer, Volume 175, page 79, (c)1975

“Like the famous Heidelberg ‘windmill’ that became the letterpress workhorse of the industry— the GTO is becoming the…”


Later, in ‘81:

“But the most radical feature of the Original Heidelberg press is its sweeping windmill feeder. This double blade, with grippers on both ends, moves in quarter turns from feeding, to print, to delivery positions.”

Any earlier references?

It’s a question of Language, I grew up hearing them called Tiegel, during my Journeyman years I would run into guys who are “Heidelberg Guys”, you looked at them and you knew, that is the press they printed on.

When I came to the US, first time I heard the Term Windmill.

I’m not sure what the fuss is all about. I’ve heard the term windmill back in the 60s, and we’ve been through a number of iterations of printers since then, using the term printers with wide latitude. What surprises me though is that there are a goodly number of press people who pay no attention to the equipment they do use, so when they are able to identify a piece of equipment they use, maybe on a daily basis, even down to the model number or description, they are the exception. Those of us who inhabit Briar Press almost by definition like what we are doing, the equipment we use, and in the railfan terminology, are “rivet counters.” Much of the rank and file people in the industry often don’t care—they don’t take their work home with them and certainly don’t seek out printing museums on their vacations.


Ok so we are geeks , with attitude of course!!
If the question were asked” Why”? In my own case its the mechanical attitude of the machines and the variety of challenges that come out of the use of them , I have run all forms of heidelberg press progressing(?) from crusty platens to the MOE offset , i stopped printing and reverted to finishing as i hated the push button attitude of modern printers . It is not snobbery, but i see no skill in laying ten plates up on a litho machine of todays print world its soul less and almost moronic to me .
The print world needs the machinery it has developed to keep in time with the speedy world ,it has no room or time for craftsmanship .

But to coin a phrase,often used in the U.K.we have to be seen *To be keeping up with the Jonseses!!*
With even half a brain and a modicom of knowledge, or perhaps even conduct a Seance and speak with DON QUIXOTE?? and establish that there has , AS YET, APPARENTLY Not been a WINDMILL devised where the, SAILS, SWEEPS, BLADES, etc have ever worked in more than ONE PLANE.
O.K. *Hanna Reitsch,s* helicopter was effectively a *Windmill* with the blades/sweeps operating in 2 different “planes” simultaneously, but the chances of getting a HEIDLEBERG PLATEN Airborne, would seem to be remote!!!
Perhaps, one, or many, should start calling *MISSISSIPPI STERNWHEELERS* “”“Turbines,”“” because they APPEAR to have large rotating >THINGS< with lots of Blades/Flutes etc, just as daft, or do we have to be seen *keeping up with the (aforementioned) Joneses*
The case for the defense rests.!!!

“The entire world must speak as I do.”

”_I_ never heard the word used. So it must be wrong.”

OK, I’m not sure it matters much to me as I understand what is meant whether the press is referred to as “Windmill” or “Platen” or “Tiegel”. However (and Mr. Klinke will appreciate this) I had a boss one time who referred to the press as “Fritz”. He was no doubt considering the moniker in light of the country of its origin.

John Henry

“Windmill” is an excellent nickname. It effortlessly captures in a single word, the most distinctive feature of the presses, such that there is no question what type of press is being referred to.


But what about the size?
Following my visit to a coffee shop just now to be met with a choice of three sizes, I suggest they are referred to as petite windmill and grande windmill. :)

And Rob Barnes in his Denver shop names his Heidelbergs Helga, Heidi, and a couple of other Germanic female names but rejected my suggestion of Brunhilde.

Fritz, but not “on the Fritz”

generated some discussion, great. I don’t use the term windmill myself but like most in the trade I know what it means. I call mine a Heidelberg platen. Some of my clients call theirs “The Platen” or “The Letterpress” or “The Heidelberg”
A machine so versatile, sturdy and dependable is a joy and an asset to own or use.

I’ve always called them Windmills or Heidies, some times I call them other words but I can’t use them on this site.