Muller Martini

Layoffs, Closings for Domtar MONTREAL—Paper manufacturer Domtar is reducing its workforce by 1,800 and will sell or close several facilities in an effort to return the company to profitability. The company will close down its Cornwall, ON, mill and shut down two paper machines at its Ottawa mill. Domtar also announced that two sawmills in Quebec will be closed and its Vancouver mill will be sold. At Cornwall, where 390 positions were eliminated last December, there are 910 workers tending to three paper machines. F.C.L. Nets Graphics Group HARWOOD HEIGHTS, IL—Direct marketing printing specialist F.C.L. Graphics has acquired certain assets of The Graphics Group, a regional sheetfed

Landmark Stacker Installed at Vertis BALTIMORE—Vertis Inc., owner of more than 50 stackers from RIMA-SYSTEM, has ordered an RS 36 compensating stacker—the 8,000th such machine installed worldwide. Shown here celebrating the landmark purchase are, from the left, Pat Frey and Linda McClure from Vertis Inc. with Horst Steinhart, president of RIMA-SYSTEM. Mailing System Is a Match at Jersey Firm SWEDESBORO, NJ—Direct Group, a provider in the high-volume, time-sensitive segment of the direct mail industry, has added Lake Image Systems' IntegraVision and IntegraJet systems for document matching and in-line envelope personalization on its new high-speed mail inserting equipment for its new Direct Match mail matching capability. IntegraVision ensures

Award Winners Honored in China SHANGHAI, CHINA—Jonathan Leslie, CEO of Sappi Limited, and Ronee Hagen, CEO of Sappi Fine Paper North America, presented Bob Coppinger of Kirkwood Printing, Wilmington, MA, with an International Printer of the Year award. Sappi Limited presented awards to nine printers out of 6,000 entries at a gala event held here recently to recognize excellence in print craftsmanship. The only winner from the U.S., Kirkwood Printing took top honors in the annual reports category. Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses (MLP U.S.A.) has joined The Print Council, an industry coalition dedicated to building the market for print. Jeff Pieper has been promoted to senior vice president

Pair of Machines Head Down South Marietta, GA—Color Spectrum Network (CSN) has added two new multi-function machines—a Bobst SPanthera 106-LER embossing diecutter with blanking and a Bobst Mistral 110 A-2 CS folder/gluer equipped with the latest source tagging and CD insertion devices. This marks the first time both of these new generation machines have been installed together in a single U.S. plant. After Fire, Bindery Is Thriving Again Lancaster, PA—It was among the largest and most intense fires that the local fire department could ever remember, and it caused more than $4 million in damage to Bindery Associates last year. "One-third of our facility was completely destroyed,"

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor "Workflow" used to be an easy, concise way to reference the digital equivalent of conventional prepress. It spanned the processes from when a file came in the door until the plate went out to the pressroom. Over time, usage of the term has been extended to encompass so much of the print production process that it now is in danger of applying to everything and effectively defining nothing. Workflow already has been—or is in the process of being—extended: * back to the customer, initially in the form of preflighting and remote proofing solutions, but increasingly including production portals

Milestone Printing Unit Celebrated Radebeul, Germany—KBA North America reports that the 100th Rapida printing unit of the super large-format series was put through its final print testing at the KBA plant here recently. The unit is part of the five-color Rapida 205 purchased by Integra-Color in Mesquite, TX. The 80˝ sheetfed press has been configured with a special board-handling package and is also to be equipped with UV facilities for printing on plastics. It also incorporates an ICS slitter system and non-stop pile changing for the feeder and delivery. Reseller Agreement Inked at Trade Show CHICAGO—During PRINT 05, Muller Martini and Kodak signed a reseller

By Mark Michelson Editor-in-Chief Growing interest in digital press offerings notwithstanding, the estimated 62,000 attendees at PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 surely didn't go home with the impression that the traditional sheetfed offset market has lost its luster, especially given all of the big iron dominating the show floor during the seven-day-long exhibition last month. Sealing the deal for nine new Komori six-color, 40˝ Lithrone presses at various Consolidated Graphics facilities are, front row from the left: Robert Birmingham, Consolidated Graphics; John Marotta, Komori America; back row: Yoshiharu Komori, Komori Corp.; George Abboud, Consolidated Graphics; Stephan Carter, Komori America; and Satoshi Mochida, Komori

Daly, Frontenac Seek Specialties CHICAGO—Private equity investment firm Frontenac and Ronald Daly, former president of RR Donnelley Print Solutions, have created a business partnership to acquire and grow specialty printers and other print solutions companies. Daly worked with Donnelley for 38 years. EPI Cos., Display Printers Merge MARIETTA, GA—The EPI Companies, based here, has acquired Display Printers, a manufacturer of printed merchandising displays. EPI specializes in marketing support for corporate clients, including creative services, traditional and digital print, logistics, premiums and online solutions. Unions Pressure Schawk CHICAGO—With its Union Network International (UNI) Congress taking place here, about 100 labor delegates, union leaders and activists decided to pay an

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor Getting customers to stop by their booth was the No. 1 challenge facing manufacturers, suppliers and distributors during PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 in Chicago. Be it food, beverages, magicians or professional pool players, those exhibiting knew that getting one's attention was as critical as spreading their company's gospel. This is particularly true for those purveyors of binding and finishing equipment, which offer such a vast array of products and services that it's easy for attentions to get divided. The key was in seeing those attentions get conquered. For example, Standard Finishing Systems and Horizon International made a

For Mike Welsch, strength and flexibility are the keys to building a successful postpress business. The Muscle Bound Bindery president credits the durability of his products for building the reputation his Minneapolis-based bindery enjoys. Strength and flexibility also characterize Muscle Bound's growth from an extension of a publishing house to one of the leading case binding and Otabind producers in the country. From left, Muscle Bounders Jeff Deutsch, plant supervisor; Mike Ertle, plant manager; Jerry Hanson, former president; and Mike Welsch, president.Muscle Bound Bindery was founded by Jerry Hanson in 1967 as the hardcover book binding arm of Lerner Publishing. The company quickly outgrew