Heidelberg

Chicago-area Printer Focuses on High-tech Solutions to Meet Customer Demands KENNESAW, GA—March 15, 2007 – After more than 100 years in business, Rider Dickerson is carving out a high-tech future with the installation of a Heidelberg 6-color Speedmaster XL 105 with coater, the most technologically advanced and productive 40-inch press on the market. The added capacity and speed of the new press comes at a critical time for the company, which recently expanded into a new 85,000-square foot facility in Bellwood, Ill. “The XL 105 is a great addition to our larger shop and enables us to expand our capabilities as we expand our

SEWICKLEY, PA—March 13, 2007—PIA/GATF’s Presidents Conference welcomed its largest number of newcomers last week. In addition to our overwhelming number of newcomers, we had over 300 registrants and guests who gathered to discuss Printing Industry at the Crossroads. Solid 2007 economic forecasts from Dr. Ronnie Davis coupled with results of the postal reform legislative victories kicked-off the association highlights. The Presidents Conference was the venue for the prestigious recognition of the Lewis Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award; this year’s recipient was Thomas A. Quadracci in recognition of his service to the industry. PrintPAC inaugurated the first silent auction entitled Road Rally to raise funds for the

For those companies that are best prepared, significant growth opportunities remain; those unprepared will be left behind, Paparozzi cautioned. SANTA BARBARA, CA—MARCH 8, 2007—At a special “State of the Industry” presentation that opened the program portion of NAPL’s Top Management Conference 2007 on Thursday morning, March 8, NAPL Vice President and Chief Economist Andrew Paparozzi told the record crowd of more than 250 attendees that the printing industry “is in expansion. Our sales grew at their fastest rate in eight years in 2006 and will continue to grow, although at a noticeably slower pace. Volume has finally regained pre-recession levels. And we’ve even regained some

KANSAS CITY—Mpress has installed a six-color Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 74 press with Prinect Inpress Control, reportedly the industry’s first in-line device for sheetfed presses that uses spectrophotometry to measure color and control registration on the fly, even when the press is running at its full operating speeds of up to 18,000 sph. Founded in 2001, Mpress specializes in the print production of point of purchase materials and fine art prints. “It’s much more than we expected,” said Ralph Myers, owner of Mpress, in describing the combination of the CD 74 and Prinect Inpress Control. “Printers always go into new features with mixed emotion, but Prinect Inpress

Neenah to Obtain Fox River ALPHARETTA, GA—Neenah Paper has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Fox Valley, which owns Fox River Paper. Terms of the deal, which had been expected to close in the first quarter, were not revealed. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and is pending approval by Fox River shareholders. Neenah Paper will bolster its fine papers offering with Fox River brands that include Starwhite, Sundance, Esse and Oxford. Cadmus Nabs LN Printing RICHMOND, VA—On the heels of its acquisition by Cenveo Inc., Cadmus Communications has entered into an agreement to obtain LexisNexis’ conventional printing operations in Charlottesville, VA, and its digital

West Coast Bindery Folds Faster LOS ANGELES—Hart Bindery, a trade shop serving color houses, ad agencies, and web and sheetfed printers, recently installed a Vijuk–G&K V-14 commercial/miniature folder. Replacing three existing folders, the V-14 is being used to fold small leaflets to accommodate Hart’s pharmaceutical customers. Iowa Printer Seeks Perfection LOGAN, IA—Specializing in school textbooks and workbooks, Perfection Press has upgraded its printing capabilities with the purchase of a four-color Heidelberg Printmaster PM 74 perfector. ARIZONA PHOENIX—A new four-color Heidelberg Printmaster PM 52 is now in operation at direct mail operation United Printing & Mailing. Steve Woods Printing Co., also based in

FROM THE workflow and business standpoints, there’s becoming less of a need to make a distinction between digital and offset printing. New tools are bringing together the formally divided file processing paths, and digital devices are becoming standard equipment for more offset shops. With concerns about quality largely assuaged, it’s all becoming just printing under one service umbrella. The one exception is variable data printing, which remains somewhat of a special case from a production standpoint due to the processing required to integrate content from databases. The market that Western Graphics, St. Paul, MN, is targeting with all of its services (digital or offset)

THE DESIRE to order all new furniture is almost a reflex reaction for anyone who moves into a new home. After all, who wants to drag a drab, worn-down old sectional into a beautiful new living room? For Primary Color, the addition of new “furniture” when it relocates from the California towns of Culver City and Irvine to El Segundo and Costa Mesa is not intended as a cosmetic enhancement. The company has opted to pick up stakes due to a growing problem, which is not a problem as much as it is an opportunity. Primary Color saw its growth skyrocket by 20 percent

IT’S NOT that ‘digital’ is an unsavory term around the pressroom at Perfect Printing of Moorestown, NJ. But when their salespeople call upon potential customers, some more choice words are used. “We don’t sell the digital,” notes Joe Olivo, president of Perfect Printing. “We tell customers we can offer improved turnaround times, improved finishing capabilities and even an improved array of products.” Olivo might not be selling digital, but his family owned company recently bought the digital. Perfect Printing acquired Blaze Digital Printing of nearby Lumberton, NJ—a fledgling provider of on-demand booklets that boasted a staff of veteran digital experts. The deal closed the

THERE IS a popular adage among printing industry companies that seek to become all things to all print buyers. Their standard rally cry promises, “We never say no to our customers.” In other words, at the risk of offending your intelligence, these printers offer virtually every product and service imaginable. And no matter how bad the print buyer screws up or unreasonable the request, the “don’t say no” printer is there to make the impossible become reality. For the “don’t say no, can’t say no and wouldn’t know how to say no if I wanted to say no,” printer, this philosophy is a distinguishing