Heidelberg

What’s the difference between a successful quick printer vs. a small commercial printing establishment? In today’s graphic arts industry paradigm, little to nothing. Both types of businesses may have a storefront or retail location, albeit likely serving a shrinking base of walk-in retail traffic. Both segments, in turn, rely on senior management and/or outside sales reps to call on local corporate accounts, hoping to build ongoing business relationships. Both entities have adopted, or are at least investigating, Internet-based customer interfaces to drive sales. Each typically outputs a wide range of short-run, general commercial work on digital devices and/or small-format offset presses—and brokers out what

Same High-Tech Press, Same Super Success, Very Different Printers LOS ANGELES—The Komori Lithrone LS40SP Super Perfector with double coater technology—so new, there are only a few operating in the United States—inspired Komori to sponsor a media junket to California in April to see two of the presses in action. The Super Perfector, based on Komori’s successful Lith-rone S40 series, is a tangible example of the company’s commitment to create presses from the user’s perspective, employing their input in the development of its products. Zarik Megerdichian, president and CEO of Glendale-based 4Over Inc., who runs an all-Komori shop, claims he’s one of those end

Far from the bright lights of Las Vegas, just north of Nevada’s capital of Carson City, lies a testament to the power of four-color general commercial printing. . .and it’s a franchise establishment, no less. Allegra Print & Imaging has more heart than press firepower, but the Reno, NV-based facility remains undaunted in the face of heavy competition. Allegra Reno, as it is informally known, is a contradiction by nature. The franchise shops under the Allegra Network umbrella—Allegra Print & Imaging, American Speedy, Instant Copy, Insty-Prints, Signs Now, Speedy Printing and Zippy Print (in Canada)—are predominantly quick print shops offering one- and two-color offset

Toronto is home to many wondrous icons, from the CN Tower on down to hockey’s Maple Leafs. But, to the printing industry, the greater Toronto area is a fertile feeding ground for farming out excess volume or special needs jobs to the scores of printers to the trade that thrive here. It is a curiosity that so many printers to the trade are based in and around Toronto, but there are advantages to taking this route. Many of the trade businesses are relatively young, thus, much of the equipment in these shops is new. For many, an outside sales force is unnecessary. And, now,

The rear table on POLAR high-speed cutters can be equipped with an optional movable safety guard that locks cutting and backgauge movement when the guard is open. The guard can be tilted up, providing quick and easy access for cleaning the knife from the rear. This is helpful when adhesive labels are cut, for example,…

Sometimes the color of small text elements changes after trapping. If the text element is smaller than the trap itself, it will be covered by the trap. Prinect Trap Editor offers a solution at Settings/black & text, where a width scaling can be set for small text. If the text elements have, for example, a…

Every printer knows what happens when sheets of paper become electrostatically charged: they stick together as they're taken in from the stack, potentially stopping up the feeder. A static charge is especially likely to build up when paper that is too dry is printed in cold weather and other times of low atmospheric humidity. To control static, the moisture content of paper should range between 45% and 55%. Working spaces should be air-conditioned or humidified at a 50% to 55% level of relative humidity. Antistatic equipment such as discharge electrodes and ionic blowers reduce electrostatic charge by raising the surrounding air’s electronic conductivity,

KENNESAW, GA—May 31, 2007—Heidelberg USA announces the following new product installations: Great Atlantic Graphics Aims High and Scores with Speedmaster XL 105 Great Atlantic Graphics in Malvern, PA is doing higher math these days since the company installed a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 6-color press last month with coating unit, extended delivery and DryStar 3000 dryers, including advanced presetting and storing functionalities. Also installed were Prinect Image Control and the CP2000 Center Options Instant Gate and Prepress Interface. According to Pressroom Manager Cal Bou, the new press already has logged more than 2.5 million impressions after just six weeks in production, turning out commercial

HEIDELBERG IS preparing for what will surely be one big celebration in Germany this September. The planned festivities will honor both the 50th anniversary of its Wiesloch manufacturing complex, as well as the grand opening there of Hall 11, designating the press manufacturer’s initial foray into the very-large-format (VLF) sheetfed offset press market. In an exclusive one-on-one interview with Mark Michelson, editor-in-chief of Printing Impressions, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen CEO Bernhard Schreier reveals why the world’s largest press manufacturer has chosen Drupa 2008 as the official unveiling of two new VLF press sizes in tandem with compatible large-format prepress and postpress offerings. He also addresses

BITS AND PIECES JUST WHEN you think that Democrats aren’t good for anything but second-guessing Republican leadership in the White House, along comes a Washington Post report that could suggest the Dems are good business for printing. The Democratic-led Congress has a five-day work week, as opposed to the three days per week logged by its Republican-heavy predecessor. That translates into a greater need for printing by the Government Printing Office (GPO), especially areas such as the Congressional Record, the daily report that averages 250 pages. According to the Post, it helped push the GPO’s annual printing costs an additional $3 million. Robert Tapella,