Heidelberg

NILES, IL—In an effort to better meet its direct mail customer demands, Specialty Printing has installed a new Goss Sunday M-2000 web press. The press, which features a 231⁄4˝ Vits sheeter, is the centerpiece of a $10 million-plus capital investment initiative. Specialty Printing also debuted a new digital division, with its first piece—a Kodak NexPress 2100 color digital press—heading the effort. Also on tap to start up this month is a six-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102 sheetfed perfector with an aqueous coating tower. Three 26˝ MBO Perfection folders and a Heidelberg Polar cutter are also among the ancillary equipment that have been acquired recently. Specialty Printing,

Anniversary Open House Draws Crowd MAULBURG, GERMANY—Approximately 250 people recently attended the anniversary open house event, "40 years of Muller Martini Presses," in this town in southern Germany. Group Chairman Rudolf Müller, Group Divisional Manager Dr. Peter Merkli and Managing Director Dr. Jürgen Dillmann took the opportunity to thank all the guests for their long-standing relationship. Muller Martini then demonstrated two new variable-size web presses, the Alprinta and the Concepta. Introduced at Drupa, Muller Martini's new variable-size printing insert maximizes the format flexibility of a standard Alprinta by simply exchanging the plate and blanket cylinders, while the cartridge is still installed in the

EU Services of Rockville, MD, has expanded its inside sales division by hiring Chris Duron and Barrett Watson. Hi-Liter Graphics, Burlington, WI, has added Mark Toole to its sales team in the capacity of account executive. Holding 18 patents and with more than a quarter century of experience in the technology industry, Mike Wash joins the Government Printing Office (GPO) as Chief Technical Officer and co-director of the Office of Innovation and New Technology. After spending a decade with Congressman Robert Ney, former Joint Committee on Printing Staff Director Maria Robinson makes the move from the House Administration Committee to the GPO as the agency's deputy

Future of Print Extends Beyond PI 400 Printers Although this special issue features our annual ranking of the 400 largest printing companies in the United States and Canada based on annual sales, the future of print itself is a topic that's just as important to the quick printer located in Anytown USA as it is to the establishments that made the Printing Impressions 400 list. Printers of all sizes must unite to support various initiatives that help promote our industry. One still-emerging effort is The Print Council, a business development initiative dedicated to promoting the greater use of print media through education, awareness, market

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor Scientists have challenged its veracity, but the "boiling frog" legend endures. Here's a short version: Drop a frog into a pot of boiling water and it will immediately jump up. Place a frog into a pot of temperate water, then slowly turn up the heat, and it will stay in the pot until it is overcome. Admittedly, the dire consequences of this cautionary tale are overblown when it's applied to the current status of digital printing. Nonetheless, it does give one a visceral sense for how the slow pace of a change can mask its magnitude over time

by chris bauer Managing Editor If you still think of the bindery as a labor-intensive segment of the print shop where manual operations are the norm, then you obviously were not paying close enough attention at Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2004. Exhibitors touting the next generation of finishing equipment proved that bindery gear is now just as automated and digitized as equipment in prepress departments and pressrooms. Muller Martini, for example, showed printers and finishing professionals how to make the most of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) in their binderies and pressrooms. Under the theme "Integration—Solutions from A to Z," the company introduced a

CAPE TOWN, SA—Anderson Lithograph President Mark Tennant traveled from Los Angeles to the southern tip of the African continent to compete as a finalist in the Sappi International Printer of the Year awards and to tack on a little vacation time. But he didn't need to go on a safari to still come close to an elephant. That's because Cenveo Anderson Lithograph captured the elephant trophy as Sappi 2004 International Printer of the Year for its Cadillac XLR 2004 brochure entry. The award was announced Oct. 22 during an elegant awards gala hosted by South Africa-based Sappi Ltd. at the Vergelegen wine estate located near

by chris Bauer Managing Editor Many printers report seeing the demand for UV offset printing continue to rise—a bright light in a sometimes gloomy commercial printing landscape. One reason given by printers for this trend is the growing desire of print buyers and designers to create high-end consumer packaging, displays and marketing materials. This change in marketing approach by print buyers has had an effect on printed materials, causing a need to provide high-quality results. UV printing is opening up new doors for commercial printers. When it comes to intangibles such as gloss, feel, protective qualities and scuff resistance, UV-printed products are often

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor Sure, the calendar says November, but there's little doubt that spring is in the air for the commercial printing industry. One of the sure signs of an economic thawing in the United States is the spending confidence being showcased by some of the industry's biggest players. Williamson Printing, of Dallas, is one such company leading the charge out of the post 9/11 funk. Jerry and Jesse Williamson are two of the most well-known figures in printing—virtual celebrities in their profession. Both have more than 35 years of experience. The brain trust at Williamson Printing: Jerry Williamson (standing), chairman

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor Not to get philosophical, but if a word comes to mean everything, there's a danger of it ending up to mean nothing. The digital revolution was already on its way to making "workflow" a catch-all term in prepress, when the rise of CIM (computer-integrated manufacturing) extended its use to the entire print production process. As a result, an ever wider array of products now can be called digital workflow solutions. For the purposes of this article, the definition is being limited to the evolution of what used to be called prepress systems. Vendors have responded to this trend with