Heidelberg

Technological strides in areas of digital prepress, plus new moves in digital color printing, will push for strong attention this year. Are commercial printers ready for the next wave of techno-hype? Time will tell. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO Tired of hearing about thermal CTP? Bored with PDF discussions? Less than enthralled with the latest digital color proofing claims? Too bad—the next wave of PDF functionality, digital front-end output flexibility, thermal CTP strides and competitive advancements in digital color proofing devices are poised to make 1999 another hot year for digital developments. Still, hearing the tech talk isn't always easy, as many a prepress director

CHICAGO—What were the odds that GRAPH EXPO 98 would be a Show of Shows—when the international spectacles that are IPEX and PRINT 97 captured the printing industry's collective practically within the same 12 month span, with IPEX in September and PRINT 97 the previous September? How about $108 million to one? If you're talking GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO, that's not bad—that's the figure Heidelberg registered during GRAPH EXPO's four-day stay at McCormick Place here. Heidelberg's sales success was not singular. Scores of the show's more than 550 exhibitors reported GRAPH EXPO was a money maker. MAN Roland, for example, reported a

OK, so not everyone can be a Consolidated Graphics—exploding in sales more than 60 percent during 1998 through acquisitions. Then again, could the commercial printing industry really thrive in a sea of Consolidated clones? In an industry that is changing and consolidating, here are some leading printers from the Printing Impressions 500 on the road to riches. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO In an industry of giants, an industry that can boast top sales in the billions for the upper echelon and an industry that can compensate top CEOs in the millions of dollars, a commercial printing operation doubling sales from $10 million to $20

BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO As 1998 moves to a close, CIP3 moves closer to its mission: full digital integration of prepress to postpress production. Will it really fly? It's already soaring. AS 1998 posts its final days, the major technology players motivating the adoption of CIP3's Print Production Format (PPF) are forecasting that the international effort to digitize the print process from prepress to postpress stages is in store for a happy new year. The workflow vision of technology providers the likes of PDF's parent, Adobe, and imposition software developer Ultimate Technographics; prepress providers including Agfa, BARCO Graphics, Creo, Fujifilm, Scitex and Screen; hard

BY ERIK CAGLE Even as they seem to be up to their M-3000s with jobs, catalog printers can't seem to get enough work. They're as busy as ever, yet a hunger for new applications can't be satiated. Take R.R. Donnelley & Sons, of Chicago, North America's largest commercial printer. Donnelley amassed more than $1.3 billion in catalog printing sales, yet it is developing new market niches with Select Source, which integrates catalog merchandise into specialized Internet sites. Catalogers are matched with subject-specific editorial on high-traffic Web sites. Top 10 Catalog Printers CompanySegmentSales(millions)Total Sales(millions) 1R.R. Donnelley & SonsChicago$1,309.50$4,850.00 2Quad/GraphicsPewaukee, WI$561.20$1,220.00 3Quebecor PrintingMontreal $487.20$3,480.00 4World Color PressGreenwich,

GRAPH EXPO 98 and CONVERTING EXPO 98 was a hot ticket—sales were robust, booth traffic was brisk, technology advancements fierce and cooperative announcements healthy. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO Question pondered: Could GRAPH EXPO 98 be a "Show of Shows," when the international spectacles that were IPEX 98 and PRINT 97 captured the printing industry's collective practically within the same 12-month span, with IPEX in September and PRINT 97 the previous September? Does $108 million answer that? That's the figure Heidelberg reported it registered during the show's four-day tour of Chicago's McCormick Place recently. Heidelberg's success was not singular. Scores of the show's more than

Existing in a market that's changing almost as rapidly as is the market of its competitive counterpart, today's imagesetter is showing that delivering PDF performance and end-to-end productivity isn't purely the direction of the digital platesetter. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO With all the talk about the digital platesetter, the imagesetter is often overlooked. Should an investment even be made in an imagesetter when so much enthusiasm and technology are being placed in the conventional and thermal CTP direction? Does the imagesetter still remain a staple, smart investment for prepress environments poised for eventual full-tilt digital workflows? Make no mistake. The answer is YES. Imagesetting

ITHACA, NY—Nationally recognized Wilcox Press recently disclosed its plans to remain privately owned, ending months of speculation about potential buyers. In addition to the announcement, the 73-year-old publications printer has restructured its management team, made up of individuals with diverse areas of expertise and backgrounds to foster the future of the company. Despite losing some key personnel, including its former president and a vice president, Wilcox Press has remained strong by reorganizing its management team, placing four individuals in leading vice president roles—and not filling the position of president. As Brian Bostrom, director of purchasing, puts it, "This move has opened up the

Louisville, KY's Gateway Press invests in equipment and workers. BY ERIK CAGLE THE SEVEN Dwarfs may not be working in the bindery department, but it's a safe bet that there are Gateway Press employees who whistle on their way to work. Save the Hi-Ho jokes; this Louisville, KY-based commercial printer is a real workers' paradise. Even as the company grows bigger—an $8 million expansion added, among other things, 20 new jobs and brought the total number to nearly 300 employees—the personal touch can still be felt. How much do the employees love their work? The average tenure is 14 years. Although the company was

BY JERRY JANDA As the leader of a publicly held company with a strong global influence and more than $50 million in sales, Michael Cunningham has positioned himself as a power broker in the graphic arts industry. But not too long ago, he was just a broker—worried about going broke. Throughout most of the '80s, Cunningham earned his living selling printing for two companies. One of these companies handled Cunningham's primary business: research reports. It was a good arrangement, until the late '80s. That's when the company decided printing this type of work wasn't profitable enough. At first, Cunningham looked for a new company