Schawk Gains FSC Certification, Installing a Landmark MAN Roland Press

LOS ANGELES—12/07/06—Schawk Los Angeles has received certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in recognition of its environmentally sound production practices, as it prepares for the January installation of the world’s first 8-color-plus-coater version of the Roland 900 XXL press.

“FSC certification represents Schawk’s commitment to the proper management of our natural resources,” says Carl Taylor, Managing Director of Schawk’s LA printing facility. “It will allow us to use the FSC logo to let our clients know that we are playing our part as responsible global citizens.”

According to the council, in order to display the FSC logo as an “environmental claim,” a printed product must go through the FSC “chain-of-custody” from a council-certified forest, to a paper manufacturer, merchant, and finally to the printer who has FSC chain-of-custody certification.

The certification process involves an independent audit of the printer’s paper inventory procedures and production processes. “Once the paper chain-of-custody was formally documented and the audit was completed, we submitted our certification request,” Taylor says. “Of course, we passed with flying colors.”

The FSC certification logo can be a new business magnet for the printers who use it, and the ecological integrity behind the logo can work to keep existing customers satisfied. “The FSC certification is important to some of our best clients, which include film studios and major clothing retailers,” Taylor explains. “It represents our ability to work with them to help meet their corporate goals as global citizens and stewards of the environment.”

Schawk’s clients are also going to be pleased with the New Year’s installation of the company’s landmark Roland 900 XXL. The press’ 73-inch format makes it ideal for the billboard and bus shelter work for which Schawk is well known.

Taylor sees the outdoor market heating up in terms of increased media buys. He also envisions the print quality and production speed of the ROLAND 900 XXL as helping him serve the growing segment.

“With bus shelters, the work is physically closer to the viewer,” he says. “That requires the highest print quality. And movie industry campaigns are very time sensitive. The consolidated workflow we’ll realize with the Roland 900 XXL reduces manufacturing, which translates to an increase in speed-to-market.”

About Schawk
Schawk is the world’s largest and most experienced brand imaging solutions provider. The company creates, develops, implements, and measures comprehensive knowledge-based imaging solutions that enable brand-driven organizations to drive maximum value through each of their brands globally. Many of the world’s biggest consumer products companies, advertising agencies and printers rely on Schawk for innovative brand imaging solutions that help them achieve strategic business goals. The company’s packaging and advertising workflow solutions are global, integrated and one-of-a-kind. Schawk’s services and products available through its three core competency groups: Graphic Services & Prepress, Brand Consulting & Design and Enterprise Products.

About the FSC
The Forest Stewardship Council is an international organization promoting responsible forest management. FSC has developed principles for forest management, which may be used for certifying the management of forest holdings, and a system of tracing, verifying and labeling timber and wood products which originate from FSC certified forests. www.fscus.org/about_us/ " target="_blank">http://www.fscus.org/about_us/>

About MAN Roland
MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG is the world’s second largest printing systems manufacturer and the world’s market leader in web offset. MAN Roland operates out of Offenbach, Augsburg and Plauen in Germany. It employs 9,000 staff and generates annual sales of $2.14 billion (EUR 1.7 billion), with an export share of 83%. Web and sheetfed offset are its major product lines for publishing, general commercial and packaging printing. MAN Roland is the only printing press manufacturer to be a partner of the WAN (World Association of Newspapers). In North America, MAN Roland Inc. operates a network of five regional sales and service facilities, staffed by over 250 employees.