No limits
Sep 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Katherine O'Brien
A few years ago, digital printing literally had an image problem. Sure, it was faster than offset printing, suitable for ultrashort runs and available with sophisticated personalization possibilities. But when it came to quality and substrate options, offset presses had it all over the new digital machines. That's no longer true, and Keiger Printing Co. (Winston-Salem, NC) can prove it.
Keiger is a 65-year-old printing company. Fifteen years ago, it branched out from its traditional offset roots. A Xerox DocuTech gave way to a DocuColor machine, and, a few years ago, the company installed an iGen3, Xerox's top-of-the line digital production press.
“Conventional wisdom holds that digital printing is restricted to smooth stocks and white paper,” says Louis Crockett, Keiger president. “We wanted to show the variety of paper stocks, finishes and colors we can print.”
Inspired by actual jobs, Deborah Wentworth, Keiger's creative director, created a “Digital Imaging Sample Book.” She says, “We demonstrated excellent digital printing on stocks from ultrasmooth to heavily textured and even synthetics, such as transparencies and magnets. Some sections are die cut to reveal the page beneath for a comparison of different finishes and the effect that has on the ink color and coverage.”
Keiger won “Best of Show” in the annual Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging (PIXI) awards. The Xerox-sponsored competition attracted 500 entries from around the world. The judges, a panel of independent experts, singled out Keiger's sample book for “Best in Show” honors.
“We are receiving requests from paper companies, vendors and other printers to buy or license our book,” Crockett reports.
He says that digital showpiece also is winning informal competitions. “We showed it to a visiting sales rep for an offset press vendor. The quality is so good he couldn't believe we printed this book on a digital press. We told him, and he said, ‘But, of course, you printed the cover offset.’ And we said, ‘No, it's 100 percent digital printing.’”
Contact O'Brien at
KOB@americanprinter.com.
Keiger PRINTING COMPANY
Founded in 1943, Keiger Printing is a fourth-generation family business. The 27-employee, $3 million operation is proud of its state-of-the-art offset and digital capabilities as well as its extensive mailing and fulfillment services, but Crockett explains that these are just a few of the company's tools. “We are much more than just a printer — through our experience and expertise, we have become creative problem solvers for a wide variety of marketing and business concerns. It's all about what the customer needs.”
See www.keiger.com.
