Press
The DIfference
Jun 01, 2005In 1985, Tony Ngo purchased Oakmead Printing, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) and began the process of transforming it for the digital age. Ngo integrated DI technology as he outgrew two-color presses due to the longer, two-pass cycle times they required to produce four-color printing.
Faster drying inks
May 01, 2005A proprietary ink additive from SpeedyDry Inc. accelerates the cross-linking reactions that normally occur in ink during drying.
May Cover Story: Offset & digital convergence
May 01, 2005Printers with offset and digital equipment can offer a diversity of services that enables them to form stronger bonds and mutually beneficial partnerships with their clients. But for commercial shops with a large offset base, becoming a streamlined, all-in-one print provider is a challenging prospect.
Supersize it!
Mar 01, 2005KBA North America (Williston, VT) can claim several pressroom bragging rights. Founded 188 years ago, the world's oldest press vendor now offers the world's biggest sheetfed press: the 81-inch Rapida 205.
Twice as nice
Feb 01, 2005When printers and vendors discuss perfecting, adjectives such as efficiency and flexibility begin to fly. Unlike a straight press, a perfecting press requires only one makeready for both sides while virtually eliminating manual paper handling and drying time. And new press improvements have drastically reduced marking problems while enabling printers to pursue new applications.
Twice as nice, Part 2
Feb 01, 2005As one printer told us, "You can’t add a perfecting press and expect it to generate business just because it’s an efficient press. It has to be part of a solution to a customer’s business problem."
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).
The evolution of the press check
Jan 01, 2005Press checks have been a mainstay of print buyers' job requirements since the advent of commercial printing. Now that the portable document format (PDF) and the Internet enable printers to quickly transmit increasingly accurate proofs anywhere in the world, the onsite press check is no longer the only game in town. However, some print buyers--particularly those with challenging print jobs--still expect press-side proofs.
It's a "DI"fferent world, part 1
Nov 01, 2004It's been almost 13 years since Heidelberg launched the first direct imaging (DI) press, but some pundits say recent imaging technology, plates and press introductions could puch DI to new levels of popularity.
It's a "DI"fferent world, part 2
Nov 01, 2004It's been almost 13 years since Heidelberg launched the first direct imaging (DI) press, but some pundits say recent imaging technology, plates and press introductions could puch DI to new levels of popularity.
Sheetfed presses are faster, LARGER and longer
Aug 01, 2004It might have been dubbed the JDF Drupa, but there was no denying the explosion of sheetfed press innovations. Consultant Clint Bolte (Chambersburg, PA) noted that increased efficiencies in inline finishing and value-enhanced production could be seen across all formats. Bolte also cited three trends: Small-format presses with automated plate loading and specialty packaging options, such as UV drying,
Web Offset Survey 2004
May 27, 2004Drupa developments 3
May 01, 2004JDF-enabled workflow, press innovations Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) (Heidelberg, Germany) will offer more than 50 innovations at Drupa. Its modular, JDF-enabled Prinect workflow components reportedly integrate business-management and technical functions into one comprehensive data and workflow. Said to be adaptable to each printing company's individual requirements, the Prinect family
PROCESS AUTOMATION Part 2: JDF & the supply chain
Apr 23, 2004PROCESS AUTOMATION Part 2: JDF & the supply chain
The time is right
Apr 01, 2004Alternative screening made its debut in the early 1990s, with stochastic introductions that received a lot of media coverage but made few printer converts. The film-based workflow of the time made it difficult to successfully reproduce the small dots on plate and on press, and most who tried soon went back to conventional halftone. CTP has since eliminated many of the problems printers experienced
PROCESS AUTOMATION Part 1: JDF and process automation
Mar 18, 2004PROCESS AUTOMATION Part 1: JDF and process automation
Wide-format marches on
Mar 15, 2004How some print companies are putting wide-format inkjet devices to use
March cover story: Sheetfed UV
Mar 01, 2004Sheetfed UV differentiation can pay dividends
Finishing solutions for digital print
Feb 23, 2004Finishing solutions for digital print
January cover story: Safety first
Jan 01, 2004Implementing a safety program in your pressroom can lessen health risks, increase OSHA compliance and boost employee morale
The best of 2003
Dec 01, 2003In 2003, we met many interesting printers. I particularly enjoyed The green printer (April), which profiled EcoPrint (Silver Spring, MD). The $1.6 million printer was originally housed in an old school bus: Owner Roger Telschow bolted a Multilith to the vehicle's floor and ran an extension cord from the to the executive suite, which also doubled as his apartment. On the following pages we've recapped
What's next for digital printing?
Dec 01, 2003While 2004 is a Drupa year, this article is intended as an outlook for digital printing in 2004, not a pre-Drupa review per se. Industry vendors keep a fairly tight wrap on product announcements leading up to the international show, which is my way of disclaiming prior knowledge. Anything I get right is by virtue of observation and/or luck. Software and workflow Since there will be few significant
Graph Expo 2003
Nov 01, 2003A review of the best of Graph Expo 2003.
Halfsize presses
Sep 01, 2003Facing the reality of shorter print runs and faster turnaround times, many printers are using halfsize presses to remain competitive while controlling costs. Bruce Tietz, a technical consultant with GATF (Sewickley, PA), cites lower labor costs, reduced overhead and smaller capital outlays as potential halfsize-press benefits. According to the consultant, printers typically
The Copies Overnight/Copresco Story
Sep 01, 2003A digital-printing pioneer reflects on 16 years of changing technology
