DIGITAL bytes
ROCHESTER, NY—Following the conclusion of an extensive testing process, NexPress Solutions and Pantone Inc. jointly announced that the NexPress 2100 digital production color press has become the first digital press in its class to be Pantone licensed. The licensing process involved mapping out the correct values for colors, measuring printed targets and testing to create the best representations of PANTONE colors. (www.nexpress.com/www.pantone.com)
BOSTON—Copy Cop, a printing and imaging services company, has purchased a Xerox DocuColor iGen3 digital production press. It expects the new press to help increase overall revenues by at least 15 percent. (www.copycop.com/www.xerox.com)
IRVINE, CA—Orange County Printing (OCP), a member of the Kelmscott Communications network, has rolled out the Veritas Imaging Solution, a suite of integrated digital imaging technologies intended to improve front-end processing, proofing and plating of customer files. The open-architecture workflow system is comprised of five technology components—Insite soft proofing, Spectrum digital proofing, SQUAREspot imaging, thermal plates and Staccato screening—primarily from Creo Inc. (www.kelmscottconnected.com)
CLEVELAND—Ross Printing has become the first installation site for the new Kodak Polychrome Graphics DirectPress 5034 DI system. Charles Kim, vice president of finance and new business development, led an eight-month search that ended in the purchase of the direct imaging press. (www.kpgraphics.com)
ROCHESTER, NY—Heidelberg and Formscan Inc. announced they are collaborating to integrate Formscan's verification control products into Heidelberg's Digimaster print systems. The camera-based systems are said to collect job data in real-time and deliver workflow status reports, giving users greater control over document integrity. In a related move, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is expanding its technology portfolio to include direct marketing solutions from the Schober Information Group AG (Schober). Providing "intelligent address" data reportedly will be one of the main areas of focus, with Schober assessing addresses in terms of business potential and risks. Other services to be offered include direct market training, analysis of potentially important customers and evaluation of the competition in a given region. (www.heidelberg.com)
OKLAHOMA CITY—Presses at Quad/Graphics' new printing facility will be fed with thermal plates imaged by two Screen PlateRite Ultima large-format computer-to-plate systems. "One of the greatest advantages for us is the Ultima's ability to image two offset printing plates simultaneously," notes Tom Frankowski, vice president of imaging. (www.qg.com/www.screensusa.com)
DAYTON, OH—LithoPrint, a mid-sized commercial printer, has made the move to CTP by acquiring an Esko-Graphics PlateDriver 8 violet, eight-up platesetter from the xpedx prepress division. The shop previously had been imaging imposed film flats. (www.esko-graphics.com)
KENNESAW, GA—Heidelberg has announced the schedule for the remaining dates in its 2003 Digital Roadshow series. The locations for road shows slated to be held in November include New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago and Miami. A stop in Minneapolis is scheduled for December. For details on a specific event or attendee registration, visit www.us.heidelberg.com/nexpress-roadshow.
RICHMOND, VA—Worth Digital, the digital printing division of Worth Higgins & Associates, has installed a seven-color HP Indigo 3000 digital color press. The shop also has in-house ElectroInk ink mixing capabilities to produce special spot colors for use on the press. (www.whaprint.com/ www.indigonet.com)
SAINT LOUIS—Kopytek Inc., a full-service digital and high-speed reprographic printer, has installed a four-color Heidelberg Quickmaster DI 46-4+ digital printing press. "Approximately 60 percent of our clients utilize the Internet for ordering, and we expect this number to grow to 80 percent or more over the next 24 months," reports John Peterson, company president. "Clients continue to reduce inventories and control costs, and the QM-DI+, together with our delivery mechanism, allows us to do both successfully." (www.kopytek.com/ www.heidelberg.com)
ENGLEWOOD, CO—Mail-Well Inc. has purchased three HP Indigo 3000 digital color presses. The machines are slated to be installed at Mail-Well Graphics in Philadelphia, Champagne Fine Printing in Houston and IPC Mail-Well in Toledo, OH. (www.mail-well.com/www.indigonet.com)
SAN JOSE, CA—AGT Seven, a business unit of Applied Graphics Technologies and provider of graphics services to the advertising community, has expanded its support for Adobe InDesign software. In addition to accepting InDesign files at locations worldwide, the company has moved its internal publishing projects to InDesign and is integrating the program into its TeamBase publishing system. (www.agtseven.com/www.adobe.com)
BALTIMORE—Victor Graphics, a book manufacturing services company, recently installed a basysPrint UV-Setter 1116-f computer-to-conventional-plate (CTcP) platesetter driven by Artwork Systems' Nexus front-end. "We installed the basysPrint CTP system to reduce production time on text printing applications," notes David Gischel, vice president of manufacturing. (www.victorgraphics.com/ www.basysprint.com)
HUDSON, NH—Presstek Inc. announced it has entered into OEM agreements with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and Heidelberg USA under which Presstek will manufacture and supply Heidelberg branded consumable plate products for the Quickmaster DI 46-4 press line. Heidelberg reportedly intends to market the consumables under the brand name Saphira Quickplate 46. (www.presstek.com/ www.heidelberg.com)
