Designers' Press Installs New Digital, Offset Presses

ORLANDO, FL—Privately-owned Designers' Press has added two new printing presses at its 36,000-square-foot facility here. The multimillion-dollar purchases are projected to substantially increase efficiency and product turnaround time while maintaining quality.

The first addition is a Ricoh-Heidelberg Linoprint (C901 Graphic Arts +) for the digital printing department. According to co-owner Dave Simons, his company is "doubling (its) digital print capacity and providing customers with the opportunity to get near offset results on short digital runs. It is an area of the printing industry that is growing and growing, and we felt the time was right to act upon it."

The second addition is a Komori LS 540 press, which complements a Komori LS 640 that is already in production at Designers' Press. The LS 540—which was expected to be running this month—will dramatically increase efficiency, production time and quality as the new piece of equipment allows both presses to use the same press plates and has a very quick makeready.

Co-owner Dan Wolfe related that bringing in a second Komori was the right decision for the firm, which he co-founded in 1990. "We already fully understand the ins and outs of the press, as well as the quality it produces," he said. "Therefore, purchasing a new Komori to add to our repertoire will increase our ability to turn around a product without hindering the quality. This will be something that will benefit our customers greatly."