Heidelberg

When do you think about your server? Probably not until something goes wrong. When the network is running smoothly, jobs are being routed seamlessly from prepress station to prepress station and performance is consistent— despite the large volume of digital data. The server may be the central player in a prepress environment, but, for all intents and purposes, it's an invisible man—until a network crash demands immediate attention. "Getting the best service from your server inevitably leads to a discussion about performance, because the primary objective in a production environment is to keep the [prep] work moving and the presses running," asserts

The third installment of Printing Impressions' year-long examination of CIP3 puts the spotlight on Screen (USA) and the relationship between Taiga SPACE and CIP3's PPF, and examines the CIP3 perspective of one very satisfied Screen technology user. Ask George Fiel what is so significant about CIP3, and, after arching his eyebrows slightly and looking you squarely in the eye—as if to pose the question: "What planet have you been living on?"—he will give you an answer that is insightful, if not virtually celebratory in nature. So, George, what do you think of CIP3? Go ahead, let us have it. "CIP3 will be universally adopted—it is, without question,

There are certain rules in the commercial printing industry commonly referred to as sacred—meaning, DO NOT TOUCH, DO NOT REINVENT, DO NOT DEGRADE, DO NOT MANGLE. In other words... If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Once upon a time, that was the popular view of sheetfed printing. Today, sheetfed offset presses allow users to print high-quality work more easily than ever before. But with ease, with productivity, comes a high and mighty cost. Competition. Without question, the sheetfed marketplace is demanding greater productivity through the application of technological enhancements, which result in improved print quality, increased equipment flexibility, improved integration of prepress, press

In 1996, millions of textbooks were printed in North America. High-quality, high-circulation news magazines, such as Business Week, Time and Newsweek, reported circulations topping 15 million. In the United States alone, 60 million Bibles were produced that year for distribution throughout the world. With this explosion in commercial web printing and the reduction of profit margins, press operators are exploring new ways to save time and money. For two commercial printers—Quebecor-Hawkins, in Kingsport, TN, and St. Ives, in Hollywood, FL—the solution was a new no-pack printing blanket. A Blanket Solution"We realized that a no-pack printing blanket was just what today's commercial web printers needed,"

"I feel the need...the need for speed." So quipped Tom Cruise's cocky fighter pilot character Maverick in the action flick, Top Gun. Those same sentiments can be echoed by any commercial printer with medium- to large-sized (for purposes of this article, 26˝ and larger) presses. Except, Cruise's Maverick had it easy—just a few competitors to deal with and only one battle necessary to test his meddle. Increasing customer demands, pricing pressures and shorter turnaround times all combine to put sheetfed owners' metal to the test—on a daily basis. "Large-format sheetfed press manufacturers feel the same price pressures as their customers. Continually shorter run

PHOENIX—The people who created "Dryography" are at it again. Imperial Litho & Dryography, based here, says it is the first printer in the United States to offer commercially available 300-line heatset web printing. They've dubbed the process WebElite. "The debut of WebElite is in keeping with our commitment to constantly introduce innovative products to the marketplace, something we've continued to do over the past 39 years," declares Malcolm Marr, CEO. Marr says Imperial developed WebElite by taking the prepress techniques it has advanced over the past five years of manufacturing 300- and 600-line Dryography and combining them with specialized ink, chemistry, blanket and roller configurations. Dryography, a sheetfed

The second installment of Printing Impressions' year-long CIP3 report profiles the activities of Scitex, most notably its InkPRO, and shares the prepress technology provider's take on full digital workflow integration. At Scitex America, Leigh Kimmelman believes that CIP3, in theory, is conceptually sound in its mission to automate production processes from prepress to postpress. As product marketing manager for output imaging systems, Kimmelman must track CIP3 activities and increase market awareness of the latest Scitex CIP3 technologies. Kimmelman has been one busy guy, as has his CIP3 European counterpart, Les Bovenlander, marketing manager/commercial printers, for Scitex. Bovenlander is instrumental in overseeing the implementation of Scitex's CIP3

Be it expanding the performance of a conventional CTP site or capitalizing on thermal CTP, this sampling of digital prepress pioneers runs the gamut. As technologies for improving computer-to-plate performance continue to test the mettle of the most ingenious of today's commercial printers, the question raised seems more a statement of logic than a much-pondered, genuine inquiry. How good is CTP? Whether the direction is a conventional CTP route, with investments in a team of platesetting devices and digital proofers, or a thermal CTP focus capitalizing on the proliferation of thermal plates and growing volume of thermal platesetting devices, one factor seems clear: CTP

Across the graphic arts landscape, companies are making on-demand digital printing their vehicle of choice as they hit the road in search of a competitive edge and long-term success. Here, four diverse businesses share their travelers' tales. Digital Ink is the brainchild of former architect Jamie Wollens and Josh Weiss, co-founder of the Spectra chain of photo/digital processing labs, who anticipated the growing demand by New Yorkers for high-end prepress and rapid-turnaround printing services—and recognized the potential of digital technologies to fulfill those needs. In a few years, the operation—which started out with a single color copier for final output—has evolved into a

AT&T's decision to hire John R. Walter away from R.R. Donnelley & Sons left Wall Street analysts puzzled. Walter seasoned himself in the commercial printing industry, they noted, not the field of telecommunications. For that reason, the experts deemed AT&T's president unqualified. William L. Davis, Walter's successor at R.R. Donnelley, has faced similar scrutiny. When R.R. Donnelley appointed Davis chairman and CEO, industry insiders scratched their heads. Davis had no prior experience in the graphic arts. What could Emerson Electric's former senior executive vice president possibly do for North America's largest printer? The same thing he has done for other companies: pinpoint untapped potential