Heidelberg

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

TOKYO—September 21, 2007—The International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) organization announced at IGAS 2007 the first and second place winners in all three categories for the annual The Jürgen Schönhut Memorial CIP4 International Print Production Innovation (CIPPI) Awards. The CIPPI awards are given annually to the applicant with the most compelling case study in one of three categories, which are: • Most innovative use of process automation technology in an implementation • Best cost/benefit realization as a result of process automation implementation • Biggest improvement in efficiency and customer responsiveness as a result of

Stitch in Time Saves Nine NORWELL, MA—Smith Print, a full-service commercial printer in the greater Boston area, recently installed a Vijuk 321-T saddlestitcher equipped with six pockets plus cover feeder. The new stitcher was sold and will be serviced locally by Pasquariello Graphics. Frank Stanley, bindery foreman, and Tom Plourde, lead bindery operator, were involved in the final decision-making process and worked closely with Vijuk technicians during the installation and operational training. Open House Showcases UV Special Effects Options SAN RAFAEL, CA—A first-of-its-kind UV Special Effects open house, sponsored by KBA North America, was recently held at Paragraphics Inc., a

Curtis Picks Up Landmark Diecutter SANDY HOOK, CT—Curtis Packaging has installed the first Heidelberg Dymatrix 142 CSB diecutter in the Western Hemisphere. It replaces a 30-year-old machine. The massive, 60-ton diecutter was shipped from Heidelberg Postpress production in Manchengladbach, Germany. From there, the machine was dismantled, then shipped via freighter to the United States. Upon its arrival in New York Harbor, the Dymatrix 142 was sent to Curtis Packaging, becoming the first piece of Heidelberg equipment the company has ever owned. Now in full production mode at Curtis, the Dymatrix 142 CSB (cutting, stripping and blanking model) with automatic pallet feeder has met or exceeded all expectations,

SEWICKLEY, PA—The PIA/GATF has revealed the winners of its 2007 InterTech technology awards. Eleven of the 31 nominations were chosen to receive the prestigious awards. They include:Energy Elite dual layer “no bake” plate, Agfa Graphics; UV printing blanket refurbishment, Enviro Image Solutions; C-Fit image intelligence software, Fujifilm; Kodak Traceless system, Eastman Kodak; font emulation in…

IT WASN’T all that long ago that it was considered taboo for a man and a woman to cohabit prior to marriage. But times have changed and, despite disapproving nods from conservative circles, the alarmingly high U.S. divorce rate lends some credibility to the notion of a “test run” before taking a stab at holy matrimony. What in tarnation does that have to do with commercial printing? you ask. Well, there’s a situation in the Chicago suburbs where two printing companies are enjoying the fruits of consolidation without taking the M&A plunge. It actually turned into a marriage of convenience, and the relationship, if

WHAT WOULD you give up for a life in the music business? Brent Barnhart unwittingly sacrificed his childhood. Barnhart, chairman of The Barnhart Group in Canton, OH, wasn’t always in the sheetfed printing business, though the firm has been in his family for more than 80 years. At the age of 8, the now 37-year-old Barnhart—even as a child, an accomplished trumpet player—began touring the world with a sundry of evangelists. For the next 20 years, it was an annual diet of 30 weeks on the road and 100-plus cities. He quickly spread his wings by cutting an album every other year beginning at

NEVER BEFORE has the face of the commercial printing industry changed so drastically, so quickly or so permanently. After one of the worst hurricanes in U.S. history hit New Orleans in August 2005, two-thirds of The Big Easy’s printers were gone. Pre-Katrina, there were 120 printers in the New Orleans area. After Katrina, there were (are) only 36. The math is almost unbelievable, but the numbers do not lie. These grim statistics come from the Printing Industry Association of the South (PIAS). Ed Chalifoux, president, provides the surreal details. “After Katrina, most printers just shut their doors. Seventy-five percent of shops with 10 employees

Sometimes it’s necessary to make a simple alteration to a plate size either because a specification for the press has changed or because the size of the plate material is slightly different from what’s normally used. To edit plate size settings in Prosetter CtP units, do the following: • Launch the Prosetter GUI if it is not already running. Select the Device button (the first icon in the top toolbar). • From the options column, select Input. • Highlight the name of the material to be adjusted and select the Editing... button at the bottom of the window. • After making sure that the