manroland Inc.

Schmidt Acquires Rapid ReprintBYRON, MN—Publishing industry solutions provider Schmidt announced that it has acquired Rapid Reprint, a quick turnaround article reprint production company based in White Bear Lake, MN. Schmidt, a web offset printer, specializes in the production of direct response vehicles such as magazine and direct mail inserts, as well as the production and distribution of card packs for the publishing industry. Valassis Installs QTI Systems DURHAM, NC—Valassis Communications has purchased a Ribbon Control System 4000 (RCS 4000) and a Register Guidance System V (RGS V) with ink guiding and phaser control for the second of its MAN Roland Lithoman presses. Both systems were

BY MARK SMITH Cut, knife, blade, guillotine—the terminology alone explains why safety is a must when it comes to paper cutters. Two-handed cut activation, non-repeat knife cycles and auto-stop infrared light curtains are just some of the safety features that have been mandated by law or become standard due to market demand. Neither the equipment manufacturers nor buyers are willing to compromise much in this area. While safety still is an important factor in the decision to buy a new cutter, it is an advantage more or less shared by all state-of-the-art models compared to older machines. It is in the area of productivity

CALIFORNIABUENA PARK—Ernest A. Lindner, printer, collector and founder of the International Printing Museum, passed away on October 2. BURBANK—Richard Rice, president of Candlelight Press, announced that two long-term employees, Richard Alonzo and James Magdaleno, are the USA National Print Olympics champions. The competition was held during PRINT 01 in Chicago, where the contestants were evaluated on their offset press skills. Alonzo and Magdaleno qualified for the national event after winning the western regional competition. They will contend for an international championship at IPEX, held in Birmingham, England, in April 2002. SAN RAMON—K/P Corp. recently announced a collaboration with Ariba Inc., a business-to-business e-commerce

MAN Roland Technicians Get Golden ToolsOFFENBACH, GERMANY—Two American technicians were honored recently for completing the 1,000th MAN Roland mechanical systems course at the company's training center here. As a result of the hands-on coursework, the technicians, Warren Collins and Greg Voigt, received their gold wrenches and are certified to install and get U.S. customers up-and-running on Roland 700 presses. Heidelberg USA has realigned its operations into four business segments: Digital, Postpress, Sheetfed and Web. Niels M. Winther, a 34-year veteran with the organization, has assumed responsibility as head of Heidelberg's Market Center North America (U.S. and Canada). Appointed to head the four U.S. groups

BY CAROLINE MILLER Automation has surely found its way into the large-format sheetfed offset press arena. Over the past six years, there has been a virtual explosion in what can now be found in the 40˝ and larger size format—including automated plate changers and washup systems, as well as sophisticated press control stations with touchscreen controls. Printers no longer have to contend with slow and labor-intensive machines, explains Mike Grego, marketing manager for Sakurai USA, which offers the 40˝ Sakurai 2102EPII press. "Automation is a must. With labor costs being one of the largest contributors to the hourly operating cost of a

The show must go on. The spirit behind that old saying resonated through the halls of McCormick Place during the later days of PRINT 01. The show remained open for its entire scheduled run, even though the level of activity did drop significantly after Tuesday morning. The mood and topics of conversation though, understandably, turned away from graphic arts industry issues to the horror of the terrorist attacks. "Prior to September 11th, in spite of the weak economy, PRINT 01 was attracting good attendance, and exhibitors reported steady and serious buying activity across all product types and sizes," reported Regis J. Delmontagne, president of

PITTSBURGH—The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) has announced its InterTech Technology award recipients for 2001. Nine innovative technologies were chosen from 38 submissions. The award winners, alphabetically by company, include: MediaBridge Solutions, Digimarc Corp.MediaBridge Solutions is a suite of software tools that allows printers and publishers to embed a unique and imperceptible digital watermark into virtually any printed material. Digitally watermarked print materials instantly link readers to online information when held in front of a web camera or other image-capture device enabled with MediaBridge software. The software launches a browser that instantly connects the user to relevant information, applications, offers or opportunities to purchase on the

Line & Tone, Target MergeNEW YORK—A little more than a year since it acquired Finley Digital Photographics, Line & Tone, based here, announced that it is merging with Target Graphics, of Boonton, NJ. Target Graphics and its art creation subsidiary, MediaLogix, are now wholly owned subsidiaries of Line & Tone. The transaction will see Line & Tone move its Parsippany and Mahwah, NJ, operations into Target's Boonton facility. Quad/Graphics Expanding PlantsPEWAUKEE, WI—Gammerler, a manufacturer of in-line finishing systems, announced it has been chosen by Quad/Graphics, headquartered here, to supply overhead conveying systems for Quad plant expansions in Martinsburg, WV, Saratoga Springs, NY, as well

TOKYO—Following 17 years of research and development, Elcorsy announced it has sold the first production model of its ELCO 400 press, based on Elcography technology. This "electrocoagulation" process is said to turn liquid ink into gel with electric fields generated by small wires located across from the imaging cylinder. The press was installed by Toyo Ink, a technology partner of Elcorsy, and reportedly will be used to print instant newspapers at popular music shows and international sporting events, as well as personalized color schoolbooks. (www.elcorsy.com) RESTON, VA—The Committee for Graphic Arts Technologies Standards (CGATS) has defined an open, variable-data exchange standard, called

BY MARK SMITH At first glance, Image Corporation, of San Jose, CA, might seem to offer an usual mix of services. The company currently has triangulated in on its market by offering prepress, trade show/exhibit and printing (digital and conventional offset) services. This range of services grew organically out its core competencies, reveals owner Don Watson. "I've found that color scanning, color management, prepress and file/project management skills—the core competencies of our organization—naturally extend to a variety of different output devices and products lines," Watson explains. As the company has expanded, it has continued to focus primarily on serving the corporate market in