Lithographix Inc.

THE TERM "wake-up call" generally refers to a heightening of one's awareness to a situation that needs to be rectified. Herb Zebrack is living proof that the term can carry dual meanings, including a literal application. This story traces back some 50 years, when Zebrack was a teenager attending L.A.

BEING LOCATED in Southern California isn’t exactly one of the more business-friendly regions for a $120+ million commercial printing establishment to call home. With a state facing huge budget deficits, printers here deal with escalating business taxes, high labor and healthcare costs, severe traffic congestion and very strict environmental regulations. One ray of good news, though, is the area’s year-round moderate climate that results in an abundance of sunshine.

IF YOU had an opportunity to attend SGIA or Graph Expo—or both—last month, I hope you took the time to see what is new in the world of wide-format ink-jet. There have been lots of exciting advances that commercial printing businesses should consider taking advantage of to diversify their businesses and drive revenue growth.

OK, WE aren’t going to pull any punches here. California is a state of thieves. Dirty, rotten, shameless thieves. It’s in your blood; can’t be denied. People flocked here in 1848 to take gold away from mother nature. San Francisco started as a shanty town housing these crooks, and now it’s one of the most expensive places in the world to live. What kind of swindle is that? Even the lighthouse was torn down on Alcatraz Island in favor of a prison. Fast forward 110 years, and we see Los Angeles and San Francisco pilfer baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, respectively. Hey,

ON THE heels of naming Wisconsin the “Printing Capital of the USA,” the publishers of this fine magazine decided it was high time to take a glimpse at another one of our nation’s great printing states. Given a choice from the remaining 49, there was no doubt that in order to visit America’s other great printing mecca, we would need to take the Ventura Highway...in the sunshine. The Golden State, California, is a study in extravagance. It is the third-largest state in square miles behind Alaska and Texas, and has the biggest population with 36 million folks. From a printer’s perspective, it is not

The 2012 Printing Impressions 400 list of the largest printing companies in the United States and Canada as ranked by annual sales.

New Press Heats Up Southern Market ATLANTA—A five-color Sakurai 575SDC sheetfed press with in-line coater is now running jobs at Canterbury Press. The machine, which is the first of its kind in the Atlanta market, was installed by dealer Paper Handling Solutions. ARIZONA TEMPE—Business Cards Tomorrow (BCT) has added a Presstek direct imaging (DI) press to its facility here and in Denver to support increased demand for short run, fast-turnaround printing. CALIFORNIA HAWTHORNE—Lithographix Inc. has installed a Sentinel ink management system from Accel Graphic Systems on its eight-color Mitsubishi D3000 press. ROCKLIN—J&M Printing, a general commercial printer, has installed a four-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52 sheetfed press with in-line aqueous

Agfa Talks Tech With Printers NORTH BERGEN, NJ—Agfa recently held a one-day "Technology Showcase" for area printers, featuring its chemistry-free CTP solutions and Sublima XM screening. Deborah Hutcheson, Agfa's senior marketing manager, Digital Solutions, gave attendees an overview in a formal presentation and then two of the company's customers shared their first-hand experiences. John Santangelo, executive vice president of H&S Graphics in Lodi, NJ, conducted demonstrations of Azura aluminum plates being imaged by an Acento thermal platesetter for chemistry-free CTP production. The family owned, 10-person general commercial shop made the move to that system after trying a competitive technology. According to Tom Santangelo, president,

By Mark Michelson Editor-in-Chief Don't chalk up the sprint-speed pace of buying activity reported by many Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2004 exhibitors to the Chicago Marathon that just happened to coincide with the opening day of the show. More likely, credit the desire for printers to make capital expenditures again to signs that the U.S. economy and graphic arts industry are finally rebounding, as well as the fact that Graph Expo provided U.S. printers with the first chance to see state-of-the-art Drupa introductions in action. Perhaps nowhere was this more apparent than within the booths of traditional sheetfed and web offset press

Paloian Rejoins Donnelley Group CHICAGO—John R. Paloian, who spent 11 years at RR Donnelley before moving on to Quebecor World, is rejoining the Windy City printer as group president, publishing and retail services. He is now responsible for the company's magazine, catalog, retail advertising insert and directory business. Paloian, who was co-COO at the time of his departure from Quebecor World, previously served as president of the magazine/catalog business. Banta Names Streeter Chairman MENASHA, WI—Banta Corp. announced that Stephanie Streeter, president and CEO, has also assumed the role of chairman of the board of directors. Streeter replaced Donald D. Belcher, who retired after holding the position for