Epson America

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor Among the more notable, prepress-related developments at Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2004 were several things that didn't happen. It was a simple matter of timing that kept Presstek Inc. from having anything new to report regarding its bid to acquire the business and assets of the A.B.Dick Co., according to Ed Marino, president and CEO. A.B.Dick's future continued to be in the hands of the Bankruptcy Court since it had filed for Chapter 11 protection. Marino still expected a favorable decision to be rendered by the end of October, since no other formal bids had been entered as

“It’s not rocket science.” That same reply was given by two players in the market when asked about the challenges facing a printer looking to diversify into digital wide-format printing services. Adding this service seems like a natural extension of the printing industry’s digital evolution. Large-format ink-jet print engines have all but become the norm for some level of proofing, ranging from digital bluelines up to contract color. Putting aside the finishing requirements, digital color printing presents much the same proposition whether the output be an 8.5x11˝ sheet or large banner. Why, then, have so relatively few commercial printers gotten into the business? “Less

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor In America's heartland, where people traditionally possess conservative values, a solid work ethic is everything in business, particularly in the manufacturing sector. This is especially true at Kingery Printing, the pride of Effingham, IL, where ethics, strong values and pride in craftsmanship reign supreme. "I was talking to another printer who's located in Chicago one time," begins John Kingery, president and founder of the southern Illinois-based sheetfed and web printing company. "I was complaining that about three out of four people hired turn out to be good employees. His response was, 'You're lucky; here in Chicago, there's only one

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor Proofing has been one of the most contentious aspects of the printing process, especially in the digital era. The expectations of print buyers, of course, have been a big contributing factor. Debates have raged within the industry as well, typically with the issue boiling down to whether a given proofing solution is "good enough." Ironically, the question beginning to be asked now is whether a proof is needed at all. The current state of proofing was nicely laid out during two sessions at the recent VUE/Point 2004 conference. One session was set up to focus just on remote

Pantone Extends Brand Into Ink-jet Consumables CARLSTADT, NJ—Pantone Inc. is making a bid to expand the application of its color expertise by launching the PANTONE ColorVantage family of premium ink-jet inks, papers and specially developed profiles. The company initially intends to focus on the wide-format printing segment, and piezo-electric engines specifically, informs Andrew Hatkoff, vice president, Electronic Color Systems. Working in partnership with a third-party supplier, Pantone has developed a pigmented ink set (specially formulated CMYK plus light cyan and magenta) with a significantly larger color gamut than that offered by standard OEM inks, Hatkoff claims. Anticipating a potential concern, he adds that the

california CERRITOS—National Card, Label and Affixing Inc. (NCLA) has purchased a Duplo DC-545HC slitter/cutter/creaser. The company is printing personalized marketing materials on an HP Indigo digital press, and then finishing on the DC-545HC. CITY OF INDUSTRY—K-1 Packaging Group, a privately held package printer located here, has installed a six-color, 41˝ KBA Rapida 105 sheetfed press featuring KBA's Logotronic system and a 12 ft. extended delivery. SANTA ANA—Q2 Inc. has purchased a new six-color Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 press, marking the company's expansion into a full-service, seamless provider of digital photography, prepress and printing services. colorado GRAND JUNCTION—Colorado Printing is now using EFI's Printcafe

Bridging the Digital Divide BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor Trade shows are supposed to be a forum for presenting solutions to meet the needs of attendees. What many people took away from workflow displays at GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO, however, was a bag full of questions . . . and maybe the odd poster or two, a foam sword, canisters of M&Ms, etc. That doesn't mean attendees weren't looking to buy. Exhibitors were more ardent than usual about the quality of the leads they were getting, and they claimed to also be pleased with the quantity. "Turned the corner" was a popular

alabama TUSCALOOSA—Printing Services at the University of Alabama has purchased a Presto saddle stitching system from Muller Martini to expand its full-service finishing capabilities. florida HIALEAH—Franklin/Trade Graphics recently held an open house to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the merger of Franklin Graphics, Trade Litho and Little River Press. About 200 guests got a look at the company's two new six-color, 40˝ sheetfed presses—a Mitsubishi 3F-13 and Mitsubishi Diamond 3000LS. Among the special guests at the open house were Stanley C. Panther, mascot of the Florida Panthers hockey team, and Billy the Marlin, mascot of the Florida Marlins baseball team. MIAMI—Solo Printing has

VERNON HILLS, IL—Scheduling flexibility is what sets Aim Business Printers apart from other printers, asserts Richard Sussman, vice president and general manager. To support production of run lengths that vary from 500 to 1 million sheets, the shop installed a PlateRite 4000II thermal plate recorder and Trueflow PDF workflow from Screen (USA). It also implemented Screen's Spekta hybrid AM/FM screening technology. (www.screenusa.com) NORFOLK, VA—The Virginian-Pilot (daily circulation of 200,000 copies) has purchased two Polaris X violet-laser computer-to-plate platesetters from Autologic, an Agfa Co. (www.pilotonline.com/www.agfa.com) HOUSTON—Champagne Fine Printing is adding an HP Indigo digital printing press to assist clients in

PITTSBURGH—The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) has announced the 13 recipients of the 2003 GATF InterTech Technology Awards. "This year's awards showcase the industry's growing attention to flexographic printing, ink-jet and soft proofing on a contract basis, and digital in-line finishing," says GATF Research Director John Lind. He also observed that automation combined with productivity and ROI continues to be a strong trend among the InterTech nominations. GATF has sponsored the InterTech Technology Awards as a service to the graphic communications industry since 1978. The 2003 award recipients are: Plate Cell Patterning, part of Artwork Systems' Nexus product family, is a software