Heidelberg

I look at my 2000 Toyota Rav 4 with admiration. And, yes, I now drive and have owned the exotic cars that make men behave like little boys. But when you cut to the chase, an automobile's job is to efficiently take you where you want to go without you having to take it where it needs to go. More than five years after I drove my Rav 4 out of the dealer's showroom, other than the usual oil changes, it has never needed a single repair. So my Boxter may be more fun and far more appealing, but it's my dependable Rav 4

Trade Binder Adds New Equipment LONG ISLAND CITY, NY—J&M Finishing recently installed a four-pocket Heidelberg Stitchmaster ST 270 saddlestitcher with cover feeder to increase production and versatility in this all-Heidelberg shop. In order to update J&M Finishing's equipment, owner Mike Perreca temporarily replaced an existing six-pocket Stitchmaster ST 90 saddlestitcher with the new ST 270. Perreca plans to reinstall the ST 90 when additional space becomes available. In addition, J&M Finishing added additional pockets to two machines, making the new ST 270 a five-pocket stitcher and an existing ST 270 a seven-pocket system. Founded in 1999, J&M also houses three B-30 Stahlfolders, a TD-56 Stahlfolder, a Stahl

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor It’s been more than a decade since the first high-volume, modern digital color printing systems were introduced. Heidelberg and Presstek teamed up to launch the digital offset (GTO DI, in this case) product category in 1991. A few years later, the Indigo EPrint and Agfa/Xeikon Chromapress ushered in the era of the all-digital production color printing systems. In the future, though, 2004 may be looked back upon as a key transition period in the maturation of digital printing as a business segment—both on the vendor and user side. No fundamentally new technologies were unveiled, but all the vendors

Kodak Takes Industry By Storm With Deals It wasn't a big surprise when Eastman Kodak bought out Heidelberg's 50 percent stake in their Rochester, NY-based NexPress Solutions joint venture in May of last year, or even when Kodak acquired Dayton, OH-based Scitex Digital four months earlier. But two back-to-back announcements last month that it has purchased Sun Chemical's half interest in its Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG) joint venture and plans to acquire Creo Inc. outright certainly have many industry pundits and Wall Street analysts taking notice. Combined, the KPG and Creo acquisitions by Eastman Kodak will total almost $1.8 billion. Kodak's Graphic Communications Group (GCG) has

By Kristen E. Monte Associate Editor Many children dream of growing up to become a doctor, movie star or even President of the United States. But how many kids imagine life as a printer? As one of the largest segments of American manufacturing, printing provides for a workforce of more than 1 million jobs and annual revenues in the area of $150 billion. There is not a day that goes by, on average, without some sort of contact with graphic communications. An explosion of opportunities is pushing the industry to new heights, and with it comes the need for a highly skilled labor force.

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor There were no mysterious bulges, but maybe the occasional exacerbated expression and a testy moment or two during "The Great Debate: JDF—Reality or Hype?" session at Executive Outlook 2004 in Chicago. This "debate" between Frank Romano, industry consultant and Professor Emeritus at Rochester Institute of Technology, and James Harvey, executive director of CIP4, actually started with an exchange of opinion pieces published by OnDemandJournal.com. As entertaining as these exchanges have been, Harvey says he's not interested in repeating the debate since the questions have been asked and answered. He sees more value in the industry moving on to discussing

Bruno, 94, Lithographic Pioneer CHICAGO—Mike Bruno, 94, whose research, knowledge and innovations proved to be a catalyst for the viability of lithographic printing, passed away in January. Mr. Bruno was involved with the Lithographic Technical Foundation (later the GATF) and joined International Paper in a senior capacity, where he edited the "Pocket Pal" printing educational resource. He also published a newsletter, "What New(s) in Graphic Communications," for 25 years. His autobiography, "Mike Bruno's History of Printing in the 20th Century," will be published in 2006. Quad Bolstering Hartford Plant HARTFORD, WI—Quad/Graphics is constructing a 161,416-square-foot addition to its plant here, a move that will provide 1.5 million

American Loose Leaf has appointed Cindy Stevenson as the new production manager for its St. Louis facility. Stevenson has more than 30 years of experience in the ring binder industry and has been with American Loose Leaf for 20 years. John MacKay has acquired all outstanding shares of Feuiltault Machinery from its founder, Martin Feuiltault. Mr. Feuiltault will remain with the company as a member of the company's technological orientation committee. MacKay will assume the position of president. International Paper's 2005 Best on Press Awards will feature $14,000 in prizes to 21 winners. Work printed on IP brands during the 2004 calendar year is eligible for

DETROIT—To increase the efficiency of its premedia operation, Brophy is implementing the Kodak Polychrome Graphics Matchprint Virtual Proofing System. The SWOP-certified monitor proofing solution uses customized CRT displays and proprietary color management technology. (www.brophy.com/www.kpgraphics.com) ENGLEWOOD, CO—Cenveo is launching eCENergy, a Web portal providing access to a suite of online solutions designed to automate and streamline transactions with customers. Users can securely log in to a custom branded site, then choose from a menu of applications that currently includes an online print ordering and fulfillment system (eCatalog), soft and remote proofing, and digital asset management. (www.cenveo.com) NORWALK, CT—A steady stream of

california RIVERSIDE—Daily newspaper The Press-Enterprise has installed a Goss Magnapak packaging system with 42 stations and dual delivery capability. The system also utilizes an integrated MultiDisc winder/unwinder storage system from Ferag and Packman stackers from Quipp. Omnizone supervisory and downstream software bundle controls were supplied with the Magnapak system. colorado GRAND JUNCTION—Colorado Printing has been using EFI PrinterSite Internal integrated with EFI Hagen OA to realize increased efficiency and reduced operating costs. PrinterSite Internal provides field sales personnel and customer service reps with secure, direct access to submit quote requests and obtain job status data. florida Panama City—Freedom Communications' Florida division has ordered