Heidelberg

NO DOUBT about it, the printing profession is far down the list of career options being considered by high school and college-age students. Chalk it up to a misconception among the general public and media outlets that print is dead. To the belief that television and, now especially, the Internet, have supplanted the printed word as the communication vehicle of choice for young Millenials and Generation X. To college guidance counselors who still think of printing as a “down and dirty” industry, not realizing the computer, electronics and information technology skill sets now mandated to perform many graphic arts industry job functions. Admittedly,

After printing, applying drying powder to the delivered sheets creates an air gap between them that prevents offsetting—the transfer of ink from the freshly printed sheet to the reverse side of the sheet above it. Blocking (sheets sticking together) also is eliminated. But using too much powder reduces gloss and scuff resistance, impairs finishing processes, and may lead to an unwanted buildup in the press. Tips for correct use: apply minimal amounts of powder with a grain diameter of at least 0.015 mm and a low proportion of fine dust. In jobs involving multiple passes, use only powder containing starch—mineral-based powder can wear away the

SOUTHBOROUGH, MA—Oct. 4, 2007—Printing Industries of New England, the region’s largest trade association for printing and graphic communications companies, will host its annual Industry Awards Gala Thursday, Nov. 1 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel in Framingham, Mass. The Industry Awards Gala has grown to become the preeminent evening for leaders in New England’s $12 billion print marketplace to gather to recognize achievements over the past year. PINE’s Influencer Award, given to an individual who has positively affected the graphic communications industry, will be presented to Randy Davidson, president and founder of WhatTheyThink.com. The popular web site has emerged as a leading source of unbiased information for

As the image on the right demonstrates, unwanted white knockouts will appear in PDF documents with drop shadows if spots are converted to process. With Prinect Color Editor, it’s possible to pinpoint the problem by checking the colors and the overprinting properties of the objects in the PDF. In this example, an overprinting image with a CMYK value of 0% has been placed over a knockout spot color image in the “problem zone.” Why does a background knockout occur if the overprinting object has no color and is therefore transparent? The answer lies in understanding what actually happens when a transparent object overprints.

A “WHATEVER it takes attitude” in the business world may sound cliché, but Philadelphia-based Innovation Printing & Communications has walked the walk—responding to customer needs by adding new equipment, consolidating into a single facility to optimize workflows and increasing its headcount with 20 new employees. From its outset in 1973, Innovation was a boutique shop, specializing in annual reports and other high-end projects. Owners Jeff Jones, president, and Dave Carpenter, vice president of sales and operations, wanted to transform the business away from the seasonal nature of annual report printing into a commercial sheetfed offset and digital printing operation. Jones and Carpenter bought

THE ROLLER coaster twisted from one side of the Muller Martini booth to the other, an improbably long snake piercing the air in an exhibition hall mostly filled with floor-dwelling equipment. This machine was certainly no bottom feeder—more specifically, it was a top feeder, the Topveyor 365 overhead conveyor. At times an overhead conveyor was needed to circumvent the crowds choking the aisles during Graph Expo 2007 in Chicago. But the patron flow was volatile, and there were periods where one could walk down some of the back aisles of the McCormick Place South Hall without bumping into a poster-toting gawker. . .of which

ONE OF the promotional pieces sent out by the sponsors of Graph Expo made the claim that this year’s event would be the largest digital printing show in the United States by a factor of two. That’s including solutions for page printing, wide-format printing, software and related equipment. Tuesday was designated “Customer & Marketing Communications Day,” which was supposed to put a special focus on transpromotional printing applications that combine direct marketing with statements/transactional mail. Several digital press vendors did highlight this developing market during their press briefings, and GMC Software had a good-sized booth, but this application was still easy to miss around

4Over Opening New Facility GLENDALE, CA—Trade printer 4Over will open a new production facility in Dayton, OH. The announcement came during Graph Expo in Chicago. It will be fully operational by year’s end and is expected to cut turnaround times by about 50 percent. Another expected benefit is reduced shipping costs. Motheral Vies for Sprint Press FORT WORTH, TX—Motheral Printing has signed a letter of intent to purchase Sprint Press. The deal is expected to be finalized in the next 60 days. Sprint majority owner Bob Williams is retiring. The acquisition of Sprint Press bolsters Motheral’s sheetfed capacity while also adding diecutting capabilities. All 100 Sprint

Citiprint Press Addition Makes Big Impact ALLENTOWN, PA—Citiprint purchased a four-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 74 with coater to complement a two-color Heidelberg Printmaster QM 46 installed in 2004, when the company first opened. Shabir Sumar, co-owner, says the added capability has been instrumental in attracting new customers and producing larger format work for its existing clients. Fong Brothers’ Packaging Niche Expands BRISBANE, CA—Catering to major corporate clients and advertising agencies, Fong Brothers Printing has expanded its packaging and folding carton printing capabilities. The company installed a new six-color, 40˝ Mitsubishi Diamond 3000LX sheetfed press, which handles stocks ranging from 0.002˝ to

AT LAST month’s Graph Expo in Chicago, thousands of printers walked the show floor to learn what was new in technology and how it could impact their businesses moving forward. If you didn’t attend, hopefully you will read the post-show coverage in this issue. Graph Expo attendees heard about the “Must See ’Ems” awards, which identify innovative products in various categories that are worth looking at. These are judged by a 16-member panel of experts who also identify key commercial printing survival technologies—the most critical and fundamental technologies a commercial printer must have to survive profitably. Not too surprisingly, MIS was identified as the