Paper Buys Landmark Press

FREDERICKSBURG, VA—The Free Lance-Star has garnered the distinction of being the first newspaper in the United States to install a Flexible Printing System (FPS) press from Goss International.

The paper opted for a configuration with four towers and a 72˝ web width for triple-width production. Goss will also provide Ferag press gripper and storage components. A dual-delivery Goss Magnapak packaging system with 34 stations will also be part of the installation, which is slated to begin in 2008.

The FPS press will have the capacity to produce 48-page broadsheet products running straight, 96-page broadsheet products running collect, and semi-commercial products with ribbon widths up to 36˝, in full color. The press will also include two 2:5:5 jaw folders, five formers and four Contiweb FD pasters.

John Jenkins, operations director at The Free Lance-Star, said that the shaftless design of the Goss press and packaging components played a vital role in the purchasing decision.

The Goss FPS press prints at up to 90,000 cph. Unique features include independent inker units that slide apart on rails from the plate and blanket cylinder section, simplifying current or future cutoff change possibilities.