Matik North America

Printing Impressions' Bindery News for January 2009

Printing Impressions’ Across the Nation Commercial Printing News for December, 2008.

Printing Impressions' Across the Nation Commercial Printing News for November 2008

WITH THE massive Drupa exhibition in Germany just seven months away, Graph Expo 2007 held in Chicago last month won’t go down in graphic arts history as a watershed event from a jaw-dropping new product standpoint. But that didn’t stop more than 20,000 upbeat attendees from filling the aisles at what was the largest Graph Expo event since 2000, and the second largest ever. Despite the Drupa effect, from a traditional offset printing standpoint there were a few new presses introduced, several automation and makeready advancements on display and, of course, a sprinkling of press sale announcements. An emphasis on environmental sustainability and improved

Here’s an exclusive, PRE-SHOW PREVIEW showcasing new products submitted by many of the exhibitors that will be displaying their wares next month in Chicago. Colter & Peterson will showcase the BASA 3, which features an automatic jogging system that can automatically form layers of printed sheets, align them accurately and transport them to the subsequent cutting process. The BASA 3 is appropriate for paper from 16-lb. bond to 125-lb. tag, and is effective when combined with a modern, rear-table-feeding system. Existing gripper transport systems can be retrofitted. Visit www.piworld.com/infocenter: enter #377 MBO America will introduce the Super KTZ, featuring a knife-folding unit that

MAN Roland Hosts Printers for Press Premier OFFENBACH, GERMANY—The world premier of a “next generation” sheetfed printing platform isn’t an everyday occurrence, so MAN Roland extended its recent festivities to more than a week to allow for bringing in several groups of select printers, journalists and its own employees from around the globe. The stars of the show were HiPrint and DirectDrive versions of the new Roland 700 sheetfed printing platform. To make the most of the trip, the contingent from North America was additionally treated to tours of a local DirectDrive beta site, MAN Roland’s foundry and its manufacturing/assembly facilities for sheetfed presses.

New Stitcher Speeds Production PITTSBURGH—Since installing a Muller Martini BravoPlus-T saddlestitcher, Geyer Printing, a Consolidated Graphics company, reports it has gained noticeable improvements in setup times and overall production speed. “We’ve only had the new BravoPlus-T running for a short time, and the ease of makeready has already proven to be a big advantage,” notes Scott Barthelmes, president of Geyer Printing. “The faster run time and operator-friendly print finishing functions also offer great benefits.” Geyer Printing has been a user of Muller Martini finishing machinery for several decades, which lead to the decision to step up to the BravoPlus-T. “Our previous Muller stitcher operated efficiently for

G.F. Puhl Co. Building New Facility GALLATIN, TN—Construction is underway on a new 51,000-square-foot office and manufacturing complex for G.F. Puhl Co. Gregg Puhl, president, states that the new facility will improve manufacturing capacity and capability, and give additional storage space while providing a better work environment for office, technical service and manufacturing staffs. Puhl engineers and manufactures trim collection systems for the printing industry, folding carton corrugated box manufacturers and document destruction companies. The move is expected to be completed in the spring. 10-Color Perfector with Double Coaters Showcased ALLEN, TX—Sheetfed and web offset printer ColorDynamics and Komori America executives hosted

BY ERIK CAGLE Aretha Franklin herself would have a tough time drumming up a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T for the coldset web offset press. While its heatset counterpart struts on by, wearing UV Ray Bans and leading the way as the prime choice for high-end, multi-color commercial work, the dryer-less stepchild ekes out a living churning out newspapers, direct mailers, promotional graphics and other types of printed communications, primarily on uncoated stocks. Even manufacturers and distributors of open-web presses believe the market for this type of machine has been declining in recent years, but it remains a viable, strong option in several print communications segments. Like

The graphic arts world shifts its attention to Dusseldorf for the World Series of Printing. For some manufacturers, it's a coming-out party for new heatset web offset press hardware. BY ERIK CAGLE Don't worry, it's not too late to book a hotel within a half-hour commute of Dusseldorf for May's DRUPA 2000 exhibition. Should nothing be available, there's always nearby Brussels or Amsterdam. Yes, when it comes to attending the world's foremost ink-on-paper (et al) exhibition, early planning is absolutely necessary. The same can definitely be said for the many manufacturers, technology providers and assorted vendors that will be displaying their goods and