Heidelberg

by chris bauer It can be easy for a commercial printer to get pigeon-holed into being thought of as only a niche-market company. So while Braintree, MA-based George H. Dean Co. Printing has been known as primarily a legal and financial printer (it was the second company to file a registration statement with the SEC in 1933, missing by minutes of being the first), current President Ken Michaud is quick to point out that his company is quite diverse and serves a variety of markets. "Although our background was in financial printing, we're much more diversified now," Michaud explains. "We produce a wide range

BY MARK SMITH The only constant may be change, but things have gotten pretty quiet on most fronts of the digital revolution in printing. Even computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM), arguably, is more about a workflow evolution than revolution. One area that remains unsettled is proofing. Decades after the first digital systems were introduced, the industry is still debating what's the "right" solution. It's probably not reasonable to think one solution could meet the needs of every print shop and application. Nonetheless, the proliferation of systems is leading print execs to ask, "Why do I have so many proofers in my shop?" A related question is

WESTAMPTON, NJ—Muller Martini and MBO America recently held a joint bindery customer expo at MBO's headquarters. The event attracted more than 250 participants. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has issued the first international safety standard for printing press systems: ISO 12648:2003 Graphic technology—Safety requirements for printing press systems. The standard was developed by ISO Technical Committee 130 (TC 130) Working Group 5 (Safety and Ergonomics). The committee is administered by NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies with NPES Vice President William K. "Kip" Smythe and Director of Standards Programs Mary Abbott serving as convener and secretary, respectively. Dauphin Graphic Machines

Windy City Printer Upgrades Bindery CHICAGO—Schiele Graphics, a member of the Schiele Group, has purchased a Duplo System 4000 collator bookletmaker from Best Graphics. John Schiele, president, says that what got him excited about the machine was its ability to perform "intelligent collating," an add-on computer and software system that enables complex collating functions involving multiple components. alabama MONTGOMERY—Davis Printing has reportedly become the first printer in the state to employ FM screening. Creo's Prinergy workflow, two Intigris 800 proofers and a Trendsetter 800 Quantam are being used to produce 20 micron Staccato screening. The company plans to produce 90 percent of its

SALISBURY MD—With the summer tourist season fast approaching, Atlantic & Hastings, an 83-year-old print shop located about 30 minutes outside of Ocean City, is eagerly looking to make use of its newly installed, six-color Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 74 press and Stahl USA B 26 folder. Atlantic & Hastings will use its new Heidelberg equipment to produce the wide range of work it does for the local travel and leisure industry. Whether it's 500 menus for local restaurants or 100,000 brochures for nearby hotels, the commercial printer is now equipped to handle it all. Owner and CEO Brian Twilley says that with the new folder

BY MARK SMITH Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) may still be a new concept in print production, but it's a long established practice in other business sectors. The term itself actually is starting to get a little dated. The notion of a computer, per se, being at the heart of it all seems limiting. What's really being integrated is the information generated and acted upon by various systems involved in the print production process. Embedded controllers, touchscreen displays and Web browsers are as likely to produce and consume job data as is a traditional computer. The beginning point—as well as middle and end points—for all this

Safeguard Acquired by NEBS DALLAS—New England Business Service (NEBS) plans to acquire Safeguard Business Systems in a $72.5 million all-cash transaction. The cash proceeds will be used to acquire all company stock, as well as to retire revolving loans and term loans with Safeguard's financial institutions. Safeguard will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary. This is a strategic move for both companies, allowing each to create competitive advantages in the marketplace. The company employs approximately 850 people, primarily in Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Milwaukee Paper Gets KBA Press MILWAUKEE—The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has installed three new Commander presses by KBA North America. The presses

System Enables Printers to be Self-Calibrating WEBSTER, NY—Printed colors have been one of the toughest things to get consistently right because there are so many variables in the production process, whether it is digital or traditional offset. Scientists at Xerox Corp.'s Webster research center now claim to have invented and patented an ultra-fast, low-cost spectrophotometer that they expect to streamline and simplify color printing. The spectrophotometer is said to cost less than one-sixth the price of current models. It can be embedded inside a digital printer to take color measurements on each passing page in a few milliseconds. As the paper moves at

By Erik Cagle Chevy Cavalier? That's it? No Dodge Intrepid? How about a Chrysler Sebring? "The Cavalier has a CD player," noted Sarah, the Enterprise rental rep, as I finalized travel plans for the trip to RIT for the Heidelberg Web Press Lab dedication. That was all she needed to say. Seven hours in a car, at the mercy of radio stations adorning northeastern Pennsylvania and upstate New York, would be wholly intolerable. When the only discernable tune is "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias, road rage kicks into high gear and you end up sitting in a fetal position in a field somewhere around Homer,

Arizona PHOENIX—In celebration of its recent 30th anniversary, Cereus Graphics held an open house in March. Drawing a crowd of more than 250 designers and marketing communications professionals, the event provided the company with the opportunity to demonstrate its new six-color Komori Lithrone S40 sheetfed press and its new seven-color HP Indigo digital press. Upon arriving, guests were asked to sign an electronic "guest book." This data was fed directly into the HP Indigo press. Five minutes later, guests were presented a set of four personalized poster calendars, each with different imagery and colors. california AUBURN—A new five-color Komori Lithrone 28 has been