Quad/Graphics

Stitcher Installation a First in the States HARTFORD, WI—This month, Quad/Graphics will become the first printer in the United States to install a high-performance Muller Martini Supra saddlestitching system. The Supra will be located at the Quad/Graphics printing center located here. Featuring a newly developed and highly advanced pocket wheel feeder, the new Supra stitcher, shown to the public for the first time at Drupa 2004, offers production speeds of up to 30,000 cycles per hour. Quad's Supra is rated at 25,000 cycles with the new 416 feeder. "Our finishing operations are characterized not just by speed, but by flexibility and efficiency," explains Thomas Quadracci, Quad/Graphics

Heidelberg Outlines PRINT 05 Plans KENNESAW, GA—Heidelberg announced plans for its 76,000-square-foot booth at next month's PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 exhibition in Chicago during a pre-show press conference held here recently. One of the main attractions will be the XL 105 Theater—a large-screen theater for live presentations that will house Heidelberg's new Speedmaster XL 105. The first product introduced in the company's new series of high-end offset presses known as the "Maximum Performance Class," it boasts speeds to 18,000 sph. There will be a total of 10 sheetfed presses, in various sizes and configurations, within the Heidelberg exhibit. Outside the XL 105

PITTSBURGH—In celebration of the final stage of the consolidation of Printing Industries of America and the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation into one organization, a dedication of the newly renovated world headquarters was held recently. Chairman of the Board James Mayes Jr. and Michael Makin, president and CEO, cut the ribbon marking the entrance to the newly refurbished building. Another highlight of the event was the naming of the Ray Roper boardroom, in honor of the late PIA president. CHICAGO—Jesse Williamson has been named the 2005 Sheetfed Executive of the Year by NAPL and PIA/GATF. Williamson, president of Williamson Printing in Dallas, received the award

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA—RR Donnelley (RRD) representatives presented a $50,000 check to Cal Poly State University in support of the Graphic Communication Institute's new RR Donnelley Learning Center. As part of its ongoing commitment to furthering education in the graphic communications industry, MAN Roland awarded the following scholarships to the recently held NAPL and PIA/GATF Management & Leadership Institute: Garland Lipscomb, production supervisor, Stafford Printing, Stafford, VA, was awarded the MAN Roland Larry B. Perkins Scholarship and participated in the program's Graphic Communications Management course; and Scott Vaughan, prepress manager of Kase Printing, Hudson, NH, received the MAN Roland Harry V. Quadracci Scholarship to

SUSSEX, WI—China is the traditional wedding anniversary gift for 20 years, with platinum being the modern choice. As for Quad/Graphics, Newsweek feted its longtime partner by bestowing the printer with its 20th consecutive "Printer of the Year" award. Six plants were in the running for the coveted award, with the Hartford, WI, division nudging out Saratoga Springs, NY, for top honors. Each year, Newsweek judges printers on the following seven categories: quality, paper waste on covers, turnaround time from the last file to the first book, time needed to produce the first 100,000 books, bindery books per hour, and service and support. Quad's relationship with Newsweek dates

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor Since the earliest days of the digital revolution in prepress, choosing a data format has brought trade-offs in file flexibility, portability and processing consistency. For almost as long, the unique requirements of the print advertising workflow have driven a quest to achieve a universal workflow. Now, more than 10 years after its introduction, Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) is finally providing a foundation for realizing that goal in advertising applications and beyond. The effort to establish an open, yet predictable, workflow started with DDES (Digital Data Exchange Standard). It took a sustained effort by the DDAP (Digital Distribution

Bruno, 94, Lithographic Pioneer CHICAGO—Mike Bruno, 94, whose research, knowledge and innovations proved to be a catalyst for the viability of lithographic printing, passed away in January. Mr. Bruno was involved with the Lithographic Technical Foundation (later the GATF) and joined International Paper in a senior capacity, where he edited the "Pocket Pal" printing educational resource. He also published a newsletter, "What New(s) in Graphic Communications," for 25 years. His autobiography, "Mike Bruno's History of Printing in the 20th Century," will be published in 2006. Quad Bolstering Hartford Plant HARTFORD, WI—Quad/Graphics is constructing a 161,416-square-foot addition to its plant here, a move that will provide 1.5 million

Fala Direct Marketing, Farmingdale, NY, announced that James Stumpf has joined the company as vice president of sales. Marc Hacker has been named director of data processing. Also, Perry Fernandes has been promoted to the position of vice president and general manager of mailing operations. Richard Hastings has joined Service Web Offset, based in Chicago, as director of new business development. For the past 13 years, Hastings was vice president of sales and marketing for CJK, Print Possibilities. Rapid Solutions Group (RSG), a New York-based digital communications company, announced that it has combined its offset and digital sales teams. This change is part of the company's overall

SUSSEX, WI—Joel Quadracci, the son of Quad/Graphics founder Harry V. Quadracci, has been elevated to the roles of president and COO at the nation's largest privately held commercial printer. Thomas Quadracci, formerly president and CEO, has been appointed chairman and CEO. The moves became effective January 1. Joel Quadracci, formerly vice president of sales and administration, joined Quad/Graphics in 1991. He has been a member of the company's board of directors since 2003. The younger Quadracci will have full responsibility for day-to-day operations and will be involved in the long-term strategic development of the company, particularly from a print operations perspective. "I'm pleased

(Editor's Note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2004. Therefore, companies that revised their 2003 revenues may have changed their 2003 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 400. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided.) 1 ('03: 2) RR Donnelley, Chicago, IL Total Sales (Millions): $8,204.50 Previous Year's Sales (Millions): $4,754.94 Change (%): +73 Principal Officer: Mark A. Angelson Employees: 44,000 Primary Specialties: SPEC 26%; CAT/PUB 23%; BF 10%; COM 9%; BKS 8% Web Offset Press Units: N/A Sheetfed Press