ACROSS the nation

New England Printer Makes First Move

FITCHBURG, MA—Boutwell, Owens & Co., a 116-year-old manufacturer of custom-printed paperboard packaging, has ordered the first Mitsubishi Diamond 3000TP Tandem Perfector in the United States. The company expects to take delivery of the 10-color, 40˝ machine in March 2004 and have it operational by the following month. It features a unique streamlined Translink unit that neither turns the sheet over nor changes the gripper edge from the front of the sheet to the tail. The front side of the sheet is printed after the reverse side, with accurate registration maintained on both sides.

california

SAN LUIS OBISPO—Concluding more than a year-and-a-half of preparation, including a site visit by a team of industry and education experts, Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department received national accreditation, becoming one of only three graphic arts programs nationwide to receive this distinction. The Accreditation Council for Collegiate Graphic Communications (ACCGC) made the recommendation.

TEMECULA—Mike Robinson, owner of Maurice Printers, has announced the company is changing its name to Robinson Printing. The company's new name speaks to the nearly 80 years that the Robinson family has been in the printing industry.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE—Copy-rite Printing has changed its name to CR Print to reflect the company's move into Internet-based ordering, color printing and digital workflow.

colorado

DENVER—A five-color Komori Lithrone 28 press is now in operation at Ross Printing & Marketing.

illinois

FOREST PARK—Forest Printing has installed a two-color Komori Sprint GS 28 perfector.

HARWOOD HEIGHTS—FCL Graphics, a web and sheetfed facility, has ordered another six-color Roland 700 press. The system will replace an older MAN Roland model that achieved almost 300 million impressions.

ROCKFORD—The Register Star (73,000 daily, 86,000 Sunday) has selected KBA's Colora variable-width technology with five towers and 40 printing couples. Included in the purchase are six Pastostar reelstands, one folder superstructure with five formers and one double-jaw folder (system 2:3:3). The Register Star will add to its existing facility to make room for the new equipment.

louisiana

BAKER—Baker Printing has been honored by the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) with the organization's 2003 International Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. Baker Printing placed first in the category encompassing 11 to 99 employees.

maryland

LANDOVER—Mount Vernon Printing has installed a six-color Komori Lithrone S 40 with coater.

ROCKVILLE—EU Services kicked off a year-long celebration of its 35th anniversary with a cookout in October. Other activities include a Family Day for employees; the publication of a Memory Book featuring the history of the company and photos of all employees; and a customer appreciation event that will include a drawing for a framed original artwork by Joann Rae, a local artist commissioned by the company.

michigan

ST. JOSEPH—IPC Communications Services has expanded the capacity of its postpress operations with the installation of a BravoPlus saddle stitching system from Muller Martini. IPC defines itself as an employee-owned manufacturing and distribution company. It specializes in print manufacturing, electronic publishing, data management, assembly, distribution and fulfillment. With a staff of more than 550 employees and annual sales of more than $125 million, IPC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Journal Communications.

minnesota

ST. CLOUD—Merrill Communications has purchased a six-color, 41˝ KBA Rapida 105 perfecting press for its facility here. The press was displayed at GRAPH EXPO, and shipped to Merrill immediately after the show.

missouri

ST. LOUIS—A Grafix Hybrid UV system has been installed on a new large-format KBA Rapida 142 press at St. Louis Lithographing.

new york

BINGHAMTON—At the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin (58,619 daily, 73,765 Sunday), two KBA presses will be the focal point of a new production facility that will consolidate into one centralized location the production operations currently taking place in Elmira, Ithaca and Binghamton. The Press & Sun Bulletin has purchased Colora presses with a total of eight towers and 60 printing couples. The presses feature variable-width technology and will include 10 Pastostar RC reelstands and two folder super structures, each with five formers. Two KBA KF3 jaw folders (system 2:3:3) will also be supplied.

north carolina

LEXINGTON—Green Printing & Packaging recently installed a Grafix LLC UV system, aimed at enhancing its broad range of specialty packaging solutions, including for the pharmaceutical/healthcare and technology markets.

LUMBERTON—Graphic Packaging Corp. has ordered the 500th large-format sheetfed press from KBA North America—an eight-color, 64˝ KBA Rapida 162 perfector with coater and extended delivery.

ohio

BELLEFONTAINE—The Printing Industries Association Serving Northern Kentucky and Ohio (PIANKO), in conjunction with Heidelberg USA and the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, celebrated a national award and the donation of a Heidelberg press to the career center. Ryan Turnmire, a recent graduate of Urbana High School and Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, spent a week in Kansas City, MO, recently competing in the 39th annual SkillsUSA/VICA National Leadership and Skills Conference, where he took first place. Heidelberg is donating a two-color press to the Hi-Point program to use for one year.

CINCINNATI—The C.J. Krehbiel Co. recently completed transition to the new ISO 9001:2000 quality management certification standard.

SOLON—Card Pak reports it has installed an eight-color Komori Lithrone 40 reverse printer.

oregon

PORTLAND—Rapid Bind Inc. has installed a Scott Ten Thousand index tabbing machine. The company offers custom tab cutting services.

virginia

BEDFORD—A five-color Komori Lithrone 28 press with coater has been installed at Bison Printing.

RICHMOND—Worth Higgins & Associates has purchased a Sanwa 1060SE diecutter from Independent Machinery.

ROANOKE—With a dynamic light show and soundtrack conveying the excitement of a $31.6 million upgrade project, The Roanoke Times introduced customers, community leaders and invited guests to view the first Heidelberg Mainstream press in the United States in October. More than 200 people attended the grand opening at the newspaper's new 47,000-square-foot production facility.

wisconsin

FREDERIC—Periodical publisher and full-service printer Intercounty Coop Publishing has purchased a four-color, 14x20˝ Hamada B452A press from Best Graphics.

MILWAUKEE—C.P. Gauger (CPG) celebrated its 50th anniversary in November. Founder Charles Gauger died earlier in the year, but his legacy continues, says James Becker, president.

SPARTA—LaserMonks, an online provider of printing and imaging supplies, has unveiled www.Laser-Monks.com. Its unique founders—a group of Cistercian monks—are leveraging e-business to generate proceeds for charitable causes throughout the world.

Industry News

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