Agfa Graphics

Four MAN Presses Star at Newspaper INDIANAPOLIS—The Indianapolis Star has begun putting its new $72 million production facility to work, producing advertising sections on the first of four MAN Roland Geoman presses that are scheduled to print both daily and Sunday editions of the paper by mid-July. The new press hall encompasses more than 30,672 square feet on two levels. It is at the heart of a 260,000-square-foot complex, called the Pulliam Production Center (PPC) after the publishing family who led the Star over the past five decades. Stitcher Added to Handle Sales Boom QUINCY, IL—JK Creative Printers has purchased an Osako saddlestitcher from

BY MARK SMITH Digital files have become the norm in print production, but the processes involved in generating them continue to evolve. Image capture—chiefly, photo-graphs into color separations—was one of the first areas to feel the impact of electronics with the introduction of scanners. Decades later, the scanning process and market continues to be reshaped by technological advances and dropping prices. For the past 10 years or so, the production step has also faced possible obsolescence due to the rise of digital photography. This context gave added weight to Heidelberg's recent announcement that it was discontinuing "all scanner development and production operations." The company

GAERF Launches Education Push RESTON, VA—The Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation has begun distributing educational information about the printing industry to 65,000 high school teachers and guidance counselors across the country as part of the Make Your Mark in Graphic Communications program. The program, which has the potential to reach six million U.S. high school students, consists of a kit that includes teachers' curriculum and counselors' guides, posters, student brochures and follow-up surveys. The program is aimed at introducing and enticing young people into careers in the graphic arts fields. Mail-Well Names Group Head ENGLEWOOD, CO—Mail-Well Inc. announced Gordon Griffiths has been named president and

BY MARK SMITH A consensus of opinion seems to have been reached about why to adopt a computer-to-plate workflow. At least in some quarters, though, the same cannot be said for the question of how to implement one. Or more precisely, which combination of plate and platesetter is the best solution. New product introductions continue to fuel the thermal versus violet imaging debate. The recent IPEX international printing expo also brought a new player (Esko-Graphics, the newly named combination of Purup-Eskofot and Barco Graphics) to the arena of digitally imaging conventional ultraviolet plates. Processless technology continues be developed along ablative, phase-change and other tracks.

Maynard Wins Slogan Contest ALEXANDRIA, VA—Michael Maynard, a head pressman for Glen Burnie, MD-based French Bray, was selected the winner of the Web Offset Association (WOA) Pride in Printing slogan contest, which was co-sponsored by Printing Impressions. His entry, "WOA: Making a Great Impression for 50 Years," was selected from more than 300 entries. He received, among other things, airfare and hotel accommodations for two people, as well as complimentary registration, at the WOA conference in Las Vegas from May 5-8. Lake Erie Acquires CTP System CLEVELAND—Lake Erie Graphics has installed an Agfa Galileo VS digital plate manufacturing system. The Galileo VS system, along with the addition

Williamson Institute Proves Its Value Once Again DALLAS—Williamson Printing hosted the third Williamson Institute in February. The educational seminar provided printing knowledge to college students to help enhance their education within the graphic communications industry. Fifty students representing Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, the University of North Texas and Baylor University attended the seminar. CALIFORNIA ANAHEIM—Pacific West Litho has installed a new six-color, 40˝ Komori Lithrone press equipped with a ColorCommand temperature control/cooling system from TriService. AZUSA—A Steinemann Topspot 102 blanket coater has replaced two silk screen UV coaters at Classic Coating & Laminating. COMMERCE—The transition to a computer-to-plate workflow is complete

BY CAROLINE MILLER The decision to implement a color management system was a no-brainer for Multi-Visual Products (MVP) owner Craig Graves. The Murrieta, CA-based company, which prints high-quality trading cards for youth sports leagues around the nation—as well as a line of magazine covers, calendars, enhanced team prints, magnets, stickers and mouse pads—had a color problem. When the company began eight years ago, MVP had a code blue calibration process, including a scanner and an output device. The company had to tweak the output devices as best it could, but there were many colors that didn't match the original. "Our reject rates were very high,"

Akiyama Back in Business TOKYO—Shanghai Electric Group (SEC) and Morningside Group (MS) jointly announced the companies have purchased the business rights of Akiyama Printing Machinery Manufacturing through each subsidiary companies in both groups.The new company will be called Akiyama International (AIC) and will succeed all business of Akiyama Printing Machinery. SEC manufactures heavy equipment while MS is a global investment company. The acquisition includes properties, buildings, facilities and patents. AIC commenced operation on January 28 after hiring back a large portion of the employees from the former company. AIC will promote and market the J Print perfector presses and the Bestech model presses. Presses Highlight

Heidelberg Program for Digital Users KENNESAW, GA—Heidelberg announced a new business development program on profitability from digital color, offered as a value-added feature for its digital customers. Regional Heidelberg business development specialists will conduct classes with several module sections that are targeted towards marketing executives, sales managers, salespeople, customer service staff, and owners of service bureaus and graphic arts establishments. The main focus of the classes is "How to Profit from Nexprint Digital Color." The classes are divided into several modules including the opportunities of digital color, consultative selling, new types of revenue, opportunities for variable data and sample sales calls. Richard Sand,

BY MARK MICHELSON With its emphasis on attracting graphic arts professionals from both North and Latin America, the 27th annual Graphics of the Americas (GOA) exhibition, held in early February at the Miami Beach Convention Center, bucked current industry trends of weak buying activity and light trade show traffic. All told, 22,101 people attended the event, which featured over 500 exhibitors representing approximately 1,500 different companies and occupying nearly 1,400 booths. The Printing Association of Florida (PAF), the exhibition organizer, points to several key factors to explain the strong showing in light of recent economic turmoil. "As the first major printing, converting and graphic arts show