Heidelberg

If the uppermost sheets in a stack to be cut are domed and not level, they will shift when the material is placed against the backgauge. The top sheets move upwards against the backgauge, leading to differences in cuts. The operator often tries to bend or roll up the corners of the uppermost sheets, but if it is not done in the right way, the upper sheets will be damaged and no longer useable. A hold-down clamp at the backgauge ensures that the upper sheets are retained on the loaded material, all of which can then be positioned against the backgauge. Even with

The Preset Link option for Prinect CP2000 Center and Print Center press consoles not only makes it possible to transfer CIP4-PPF ink key presets from Prinect Prepress Interface to a press over the plant’s Ethernet production network—it also enables all so-equipped presses to communicate with each other. For example, assume that a job is set to run on a Speedmaster press that is down for scheduled maintenance or is busy printing another job. With Preset Link, all of the presets for the job can be sent over the network to a second Speedmaster for production. All preset values can be transferred from press to press,

One on One With John Hamm A 35-year veteran in the graphic communications industry, John Hamm has exten-sive applied experience on both sides of the fence. Following nine years in sales and management at Xerox, he enjoyed a fruitful 20-year career in commercial print-ing, growing and presiding over an industry-leading firm in the DC area (Balmar Inc.). In 1999, Hamm rejoined Xerox to lead its Worldwide marketing efforts and create market demand for a new breed of innovative commercial printing technology. Most recently, he launched his own business and market develop-ment consulting firm, John M. Hamm & Associates, LLC, based in Annapolis, Maryland. Our

New Press Heats Up Southern Market ATLANTA—A five-color Sakurai 575SDC sheetfed press with in-line coater is now running jobs at Canterbury Press. The machine, which is the first of its kind in the Atlanta market, was installed by dealer Paper Handling Solutions. ARIZONA TEMPE—Business Cards Tomorrow (BCT) has added a Presstek direct imaging (DI) press to its facility here and in Denver to support increased demand for short run, fast-turnaround printing. CALIFORNIA HAWTHORNE—Lithographix Inc. has installed a Sentinel ink management system from Accel Graphic Systems on its eight-color Mitsubishi D3000 press. ROCKLIN—J&M Printing, a general commercial printer, has installed a four-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52 sheetfed press with in-line aqueous

Stitcher Makes Debut at Steffy BROWNSTOWN, PA—Steffy Printing, a full-service commercial printer, recently installed a Vijuk 321-T saddlestitcher to keep up with its customers’ quicker turnaround needs. Bindery Upgrade Made in Northwest KENT, WA—ESP Printing updated its bindery equipment with the addition of a Bravo-T saddlestitcher from Muller Martini. Bobst Group USA Plans Open House ROSELAND, NJ—Bobst Group USA has set September 21-26 for its Direction ’06 folding carton open house, conference, seminars and trade fair. “This will be our biggest Direction event yet,” promises Chris Raney, Bobst vice president for folding carton. “We’ve added a number of new features including some very topical breakout session seminars. We

Quark Out to Make Seven a Lucky Number NEW YORK CITY—Competition is said to be a good thing. To the extent that’s true, these are great days for users of page layout software. Quark Inc. clearly has been tested by Adobe Systems’ challenge to its once near monopolistic position in the graphic arts market. It is responding technologically with the release of QuarkXPress 7 and offering inducements for users to upgrade, thereby keeping them in the fold. Most of the enhancements are targeted to the design community, naturally, but the company insists it kept an eye toward print service providers (PSPs) during development

Prism Award Event Promotes NYU Program NEW YORK CITY—More than 400 people turned out recently for the 21st annual Prism Award luncheon, held to raise money and awareness for New York University’s graphic communications program. This year’s Prism honor went to Richard Smith, editor-in-chief and CEO of Newsweek. The Distinguished Service Award was given to Manny de Torres, chairman and CEO of Metro Packaging and Imaging. Bramkamp Printing Holds ‘Wild’ Open House Event CINCINNATI—To help celebrate its 85th anniversary and the addition of a six-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 74 press, Bramkamp Printing put on a “Wild” open house. Held in conjunction with The Cincinnati Zoo and

LOCATED IN Acworth, GA, just outside the bustling metropolis of Atlanta, Seiz Printing resides in a renovated thread mill that was originally constructed in 1905. Steeped in Southern tradition and hospitality, the highly successful, family owned business has been serving corporate clients, advertising firms and graphic design houses in the Atlanta area for more than 34 years. Recently, the company set its sights on becoming one of the top high-end commercial print shops in the nation and increasing its revenues from approximately $15 million per year to the $20 million to $25 million range. The shop’s latest installation of equipment represents the first step

PARAMUS, NJ—7/25/2006—A prospective slowing in printing industry business activity is reflected in the June 2006 NAPL Printing Business Index (PBI), the trade association’s broadest measure of print activity, which fell to 52.8 in June from 55.6 in May and 59.9 in March, its lowest level in three years. (A PBI reading above 50.0 means more printers report activity is picking up than report activity is slowing down; a reading below 50.0 means the opposite.) Despite brisk growth in current sales, the PBI performance underscores the likelihood of major challenges ahead for graphic communications companies. “Sales performance may suggest that business is good and there’s little

Suprasetter is the only CtP device that can center and punch plates for sheetfed printing and center or side register for web work. It’s easy to program the choice with the Speedway Engine Manager feature of Prinect MetaShooter, the interface between Suprasetter and the plant’s prepress system. Launch Speedway Engine Manager and select the “Punch Setting” tab. Then select a “Template Name.” For center and punch, select “Centered” and activate the appropriate punches. If you want side register, deselect “Centered.” You can also adjust plate offsets here. This information can be programmed on the MetaShooter with a virtual printer for each plate size, then