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Rainbow Printing Steps Up to Speedmaster XL 75 To Give Customers What They Want

When customers clamor, Rainbow Printing listens—and then acts. In response to clients “begging us to get a larger press,” the erstwhile small-format trade printer purchased and installed a 29” Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75 5-color press with aqueous coater, Inpress color control and integrated Wallscreen in May. Roughly 2.5 million impressions later, said general manager Gary Sanders, the company views the improvement in its operations as a result of the installation in terms of waste reduction, improved quality, additional revenue and new clients.

“The step-up to half-size format represents a step up in quality for us, since we’re now able to print to 200-line screen,” Sanders said. “Jobs just look better.” In addition, “Prinect Inpress Control has enabled us to reduce our makeready from 300 sheets to 100, saving us hundreds of dollars a day in paper waste, which is just phenomenal.” In addition to dramatically lower makeready waste, the XL 75’s larger format size also permits Rainbow to print more up on a sheet and to gang work, to the point where “We’ve noticed our profitability on the same types of jobs we used to print on our small-format press has gone up by 8 or 9 percent,” he said. Finally, the company has been able to add new products such as pocket folders, as well as to print on heavier, board-grade stock.

Elsewhere in its 31,000-square foot shop, Rainbow Printing operates a Speedmaster SM 52 5-color press with inline coating, a pair of Heidelberg QM 46 2-color machines, a Heidelberg GTO 2-color press, and a POLAR 92 guillotine cutter. The company uses assorted Heidelberg pressroom consumables, including blankets and towels.

As far as Sanders is concerned, “The Heidelberg names carries weight. When we’re approaching new clients, the brand gives them confidence. Moreover, because our pressmen have been running Heidelbergs all their lives, training was a breeze. The operators were already very familiar with the mechanical aspects of the press and just needed some instruction on the electronics side.”

Established in 1974 and with annual revenue in the $4 million range, Rainbow Printing serves the needs of a customer base located in the region between Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.