Consumables
Paper & ink roundup, Part 1
May 01, 2005New paper and ink products from: Xerox, Neenah Paper, Innova, Intl. Paper, Appleton Coated, SMART Papers, Unisource, Brushfoil, CTI Paper USA, Cloth Envelope Co., Stora Enso, Mohawk, Domtar, Weyerhaeuser, MeadWestvaco, Bowater, and Grade Finders.
Paper & ink roundup, Part 2
May 01, 2005New paper and ink products from: Van Son Holland Ink Corp., Sappi, Kustom Group, Petzold Concept GmbH, Sun Chemical, Pitman, Flint Ink, INX Intl., QTech Business Products, Roland DGA, Vutek, and Lyson.
Mixing small batches of ink in-house
Jan 01, 2005Mercury Print Productions (Rochester, NY) has grown from one $400 printing press in founder Valerie Mannix's basement to a custom-designed 70,000-sq. -ft. facility. Mercury’s latest innovations include the recent installation of an Offset Paste Litho (OPL) series paste ink dispenser from INX International Ink Co. (Elk Grove Village, IL).
Paper 101 the basics
Oct 01, 2004It was a foggy morning in Sydney, Australia, when I heard the news. The marketing department of a well-known, worldwide software company had chosen me to design all the materials for its first user conference in the Southern Hemisphere the type of challenge we designers dream about! The company was committed to making a great first impression, so no expenses were to be spared: teaser postcards, invitations,
Buying paper
Aug 01, 2004Cliches come in threes, and so does paper-buying advice. What's the most important real estate criteria? Location, location, location. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. What's the best way to buy paper? Plan, plan, plan. It may seem like common sense, but it's also sound advice. Whether you need standard papers or commodity grades where no current excess capacity exists,
Paper & ink FAQs
Jun 01, 2004Good news, printers: Creatives love print. In three studies conducted in the past year, the majority of respondents the median percentage was 77 said they design specifically for print. Designers reportedly love the quality and the control they have over the final piece. More designers are also doing their own print buying, which means they rely heavily on their printers to guide them on their choices.
Paper & ink roundup
May 01, 2004Upgraded paper lines Sappi (Boston) has made significant improvements to its No. 2 products, Aero, Opus and Northwest. Aero, launched with what is said to be enhanced smoothness and print uniformity, boasts a 90 brightness and clean blue-white shades in weights from 90-lb. text to 10-pt. cover. Manufactured with a finishing process that provides a higher bulk-to-weight ratio than conventionally calendered
An introduction to lamination systems and materials
Jan 23, 2004An introduction to lamination systems and materials
Tracking RFID progress
Jan 01, 2004Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is, some say, set to become the new universally used method for tracking products through the global supply chain. Pundits believe that RFID's automatic identification and data-collection systems could make bar codes a thing of the past, especially if Wal-Mart doesn't back down from its mandate that all vendor shipments must have RFID tagging by 2005.
Picky, picky, picky
Dec 01, 20036 areas to consider when choosing paper for a print job
Graph Expo 2003
Nov 01, 2003A review of the best of Graph Expo 2003.
Inkjet proofing update
Oct 01, 2003Inkjet proofing update, new products
Security blankets
Oct 01, 2003New printing blankets for the pressroom
Nine ideas for saving paper money
Aug 01, 2003NAPL's Cynthia Valentino offers nine strategies for cost-effective paper buying strategies
Avoiding on-demand paper pitfalls
Mar 01, 2003Tips to minimize or solve paper problems related to digital printing
The basics of paper buying
Nov 01, 2002For the newcomer, many aspects of paper ordering can be confusing. Once you know the basics, however, the process isn't quite so intimidating. One quick caveat: Each particular mill has its own requirements, so the following information should be used only as a guide. For specific mill requirements, contact your merchant's order department. Here's an example of a paper order: Quantity and unit of
Paper-market outlook
Oct 01, 2002The past few years have been grim for the paper industry. Already suffering from overcapacity and soft demand, the paper market took another hit last year with the slow economy. But it seems the troubled market is at last showing signs of recovery: According to the Pulp and Paper Products Council (Montreal), an international alliance of product associations, North American demand for printing and
Paper Sampler
Aug 01, 2002DIGITAL/OFFSET PAPERS Georgia-Pacific's Discover the difference brochure describes three product lines for high-volume digital and commercial offset printing. A pocket inside the four-color folder contains detailed product brochures for Spectrum and Eclipse multipurpose paper brands, as well as the recycled Eureka! brand. These pull-out brochures provide specifiers with an overview of important features,
Sheetfed-ink update
Jul 01, 2002The past few years have seen a flurry of development in sheetfed-ink technologies, all aiming to meet the challenge of changing pressroom trends. We're seeing shorter runs requiring quicker turnaround. Printers are influenced on how soon they have to get a job printed and out the door. They need a product that will dry quicker and not give them issues in finishing, says John Vogel, vice president,
Blanket update
Jun 01, 2002To paraphrase a popular tire manufacturer's slogan, so much is riding on your offset printing blanket. With today's tiny margins, the pressure is on to provide optimum print quality while avoiding blanket smashes and other productivity killers. Fortunately, sheetfed- and web-press blanket options abound. Although some blankets are specifically designed for certain applications, such as coating or
avoiding paper pitfalls
Jun 01, 2002Who knew that baseball pitchers and binderies face the same challenges? The Colorado Rockies recently announced a new scheme to cut down on home runs: The team is storing its baseballs in a temperature-controlled chamber to prevent them from drying out. According to one sportswriter, the idea is to make the balls easier for pitchers to grip and harder for batters to hit out of the ballpark. Similarly,
Managing paper costs
May 01, 2002In today's economy, competition is fierce for a sustainable piece of a fragile customer base. Printers must offer notable and consistent quality, commendable service and a fair price. While the last factor is not always the most critical, it is usually the first to get noticed and often the hardest to maintain. The need to control operating costs is indisputable, particularly when it comes to paper.
Inline coating on 40-inch sheetfed presses
May 01, 2002Printers today rarely purchase 40-inch sheetfed presses without coaters. They've learned the extra investment can yield big payoffs in terms of production efficiency, output quality and customer satisfaction. To get a close-up look at the role of coating systems in printers' workflows and sales strategies, AMERICAN PRINTER spoke with four printers about their fullsize presses, coating systems and
STRATEGIES FOR SMART PAPER BUYING
Feb 01, 2002If there's a trick to smart paper buying, it's getting to know your supplier. Admittedly, this tip is common sense. But a good relationship with your paper supplier can ensure your order goes through when supply is tight, help you lock in competitive paper prices and keep you tuned in to market development. Currently, the market is doing poorly. Supply and demand have been out of balance for quite
Paper Sampler
Aug 01, 2001STERLING ULTRA ADDITIONS Westvaco's Fine Paper Division has added Cover Dull and Litho Dull, in 80- and 100-lb. weights, to the Sterling Ultra paper line. The papers feature a smooth, dull-coated surface that reportedly ensures finely detailed images, rich textures and excellent readability. Westvaco has released two demonstration kits, to enable users to evaluate different press techniques on the
