Offset Printing - Web

MONTREAL—February 21, 2007—Today, on the same day as its annual meeting, Transcontinental announced that it has set up a division that will be responsible for developing its model for outsourced newspaper printing in North America and managing its U.S. plants in this niche. The first plant will be built in the San Francisco Bay area in order to print the San Francisco Chronicle starting in the spring of 2009. Ted Markle, who until now has been vice president of development in the Newspaper Group, has been appointed senior vice president of the new division. His core team of about ten people will be expanded

WILLISTON, VT—01/16/0—As a result of integrating the North American web and sheetfed business units into one combined entity, KBA North America has announced the following sales staff changes, effective immediately: Heinz Schmid assumes the position of senior vice president, web press sales. Gary Owen has been appointed vice president, sales and communications newspapers – regional. Bruce Richardson and Steve Brown have become sales managers, East and West, respectively. Ralf Sammeck, president and CEO of KBA North America, commented that, “The combined experience of over 100 years of our dedicated newspaper sales staff demonstrates to our customers the serious commitment that we have made to

FACING INCREASED competition from electronic alternatives and another possible jump in postal rates, players in the catalog and publication markets may have to fight for a successful future. Industry consolidation should also make tracking these segments interesting for industry watchdogs. According to “A Study and Analysis of the Future of Catalogs, 2006-2011” by PRIMIR (Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization), the North American catalog industry is in a state of disruptive change. This can be attributed to the Internet becoming more of a vital selling tool for companies that traditionally used printed catalogs to drive sales. The shift to online shopping by

THERE MAY have been fewer large sheetfed presses or standalone web press units on the show floor at last month’s Graph Expo and Converting Expo exhibition—especially in comparison to the PRINT show held last year—but don’t infer that this resulted in disappointing sales activity and lead generation for conventional offset press exhibitors. Quite the contrary. Even with less heavy iron dotting the landscape at Chicago’s McCormick Place South Hall, the general consensus among press manufacturers indicated it was the most productive Graph Expo event they’ve experienced since the late ’90s. Visitor traffic was brisk and serious buying activity persisted. Chalk it up to

DO YOU want to know what kind of business is done at Louisville, KY-based Gateway Press? In almost any given month, turn to the “Business of Print” page in this magazine and look in the Government Printing Office (GPO) section. Gateway Press is more than likely to be listed among the one-time jobs. In May, for example, Gateway landed a $2 million job to produce 6.8 million saddlestitched products—56 pages, two colors, four-color cover, aqueous coating, 81⁄2x11˝. Even sans a Printing Impressions listing of GPO Awards, it’s all a matter of public record, anyway. But for Gateway Press, it’s just another day at the

In a world of short run lengths, personalization, and fast turnaround, can the industry’s traditional behemoths, commercial and newspaper web presses, continue to compete? Absolutely, according to industry leaders. Companies like Goss International, MAN Roland, and other web press makers are pursuing innovations that can enable web printers not merely to stay viable but to compete vigorously for more kinds of business than ever before. While most web press print production is advertising-driven, changing trends in the marketplace are reshaping the business model. Traditionally, web presses offer significant advantages. They’re extremely fast and productive, and paper cost for a web run can

TO STAND out from the rest of the herd, offset press manufacturers, both web and sheetfed, have ramped up their service offerings. This trend toward extended service plans, preventive maintenance programs and beefed up parts and labor options is allowing press manufacturers to expand what is offered to their customers while also becoming more of a partner with the printer. Here is a look at some service plans that are available, in no particular order. At PRINT 05, Heidelberg unveiled an extended service package to the U.S. market called systemservice 36plus. Heidelberg’s systemservice 36plus service package extends service coverage for a period of 36

THE NEWSPAPER industry has seen better days. Facing greater competition from Internet resources, all-news cable TV channels and free tabloid dailies, the once-venerable broadsheet business is now, itself, making headlines. Many reports on the newspaper industry involve consolidation, fire sales or massive layoffs. Still, newspaper printers have found ways to remain profitable. One option is to produce commercial work during press downtime. Some coldset printers have added UV drying systems to their presses to enable the printing of advertising inserts and related materials. Take Eagle Web Press of Salem, OR, for example. The company, which traces its roots to 1970, boasts a staff of more than

THE WORLD of closed-loop color control (CLC) somewhat resembles a PGA-caliber golf course. In both cases, the rewards for mastering it are high, but hazards along the way can certainly leave you in a tough spot. What some web offset printers agree upon is this: closed-loop color control is a tool, not a turnkey panacea that will solve all color reproduction issues. Perfect, it is not. Generally speaking, CLC is a process where the control system analyzes printed color bars at full web press speeds and makes on-the-fly adjustments to maintain accurate color control. “The biggest challenge is getting our internal

WORLD AND industry viewpoints alike are set to come together at the upcoming 2006 Web Offset Association (WOA) Management and Technical Conference. But what sets this meeting apart in our conference-heavy industry? According to the WOA’s executive director, the combination of heavy-hitter speakers and relevant industry information will keep those attending the event wanting more. “We want attendees to be able to customize the experience for their individual needs,” reports Mary Garnett, PIA/GATF vice president and WOA executive director. Titled “Decision Points 2006,” the 54th annual conference will take place at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, FL, on May 21-24. Designed for executives