Van Son Holland Ink

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor When it comes to auditioning ink, Shawn Welch is no Simon Cowell. Welch, vice president of operations for Madison, WI-based American Printing, doesn't have the same itchy trigger finger displayed by the now-infamous "American Idol" judge. In fact, Welch loves to take a long, hard look at the results on-press, anywhere from two to six weeks. It behooved Welch to be methodical in choosing his primary ink supplier. Aside from some UV printing, the ink that emerged victorious from Welch's screening would pretty much cover all of American Printing's big press printing jobs. American Printing is a sheetfed-only printer with 75 employees

Colter & Peterson announced that Bill Dwyer has been appointed as its new manager in charge of dealer sales for Saber, Prism, Schneider Engineering and Maxima Plus paper cutters, as well as Knorr, Rachner and Schneider paper handling equipment. Van Son has appointed Robert Speijer as president of Van Son Holland Ink of America. Van Son's most recent president, Joe Bendowski, has decided to change his responsibilities and begin his transition toward retirement after 40 years with the company. Speijer comes to Van Son with more than 20 years of experience in management and marketing at the international level. In addition, John Sammis, as general

Quad Opens Regional Center SAN FRANCISCO—Quad/Graphics plans to open its newest regional imaging service center here next month. The new center, located in the China Basin area on the east side of the San Francisco peninsula, will become the 16th site in Quad/Graphics' imaging network of regional service centers, customer service centers, processing centers and print centers. The San Francisco site will offer clients face-to-face customer service and on-site color management and output services. Banta Boosts Fulfillment Centers MENASHA, WI—Banta Corp. will open a fourth packaging and fulfillment operation in the Fox Cities. The 210,000-square-foot facility, now under construction, is being developed by Warehouse Specialists and leased

Looking for alternatives to the inks you're currently using on-press? Then check out what other commercial printing inks are now on the market. BASF Printing Systems offers a diverse range of K+E printing inks for sheetfed offset printing and narrow web offset printing, including a new line of Ultraking UV-curable and Novabryte hybrid inks. Novabryte inks are fast curing to allow for in-line UV coatings and high-gloss finishing in sheetfed offset with only one coating unit. Specially formulated to run on high-speed and perfecting presses, K+E printing inks provide outstanding rub resistance and high gloss for publication, commercial and specialty printing applications. K+E printing inks

Richard Mascola has been appointed regional sales manager for MAN Roland's commercial web division, overseeing a territory that includes the Midwest and Manitoba, Canada. Mascola will be based in the Chicago area. For the past four years, Mascola served as regional sales manager of American Roller Co. Also, Michael Lake, a 20-year veteran of the graphic arts industry, has joined MAN Roland as a district sales manager in Minnesota and North and South Dakota. Previously, Lake served for 16 years with the Gannett Co. in a variety of executive positions. American Binding Co., based in Miami Beach, recently announced that it has merged with Italian-based

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 When a printer opens up a can of ink, he sees more than just cyan, magenta, yellow, black or a PMS color. He also sees things like trust, quality and technical support, which all help ensure that each batch is as good as the last. It's this combination of product and customer service that is essential for any printer. And the way to develop this winning combination is through a working partnership with an ink supplier. Whether you're a commercial, quick or label printer, a good relationship with an ink supplier helps ensure quality printed products. One true-life example of

BY CAROLINE MILLER In the past two years, Steve Amoroso and his partners at Prestone Press have often taken the road less traveled. It's a philosophy that started when their road led them out of Manhattan and over the Brooklyn Bridge to start Prestone Press in Brooklyn Heights, NY. Today, this attitude continues to exemplify this $6 million company's commitment to new technology and customer service. It's a commitment that has had a great deal to do with their success, notes Amoroso, Prestone's executive vice president. Prestone Press was founded two years ago by Robert Adler, a Manhattan-based broker and owner of Prestone

There's more to this critical printing ingredient than what comes in the can—tons of trust, good communication, lots of technical support, a competitive price and, of course, quality. BY CHERYL A. ADAMS Ink isn't just ink. One size doesn't fit all. Otherwise, there wouldn't be thousands of formulations—each with its own set of requirements, which may vary depending on the type of press, printing process, product and substrate used, as well as the product's end use and the environment in which it will be used. With so many applications and different ink formulations, how does a printer know which ink to buy? Which is

Environmentally speaking, what's hot in inks? The EPA—hot on the trail of compliance offenders. But commercial printers cited for noncompliance need not join the much-dreaded "Environmental 4-H Club"—hazardous (as in waste), havoc (as in scrambling for compliance), helpless (the feeling of ineffective scrambling) and hell-to-pay (the cost of noncompliance). With hundreds of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) listed by the EPA—and even more listed at the state level—it's easy to see why printers are feeling suffocated by the growing compliance haze. This controversial issue, like the color of polluted air, is gray, on the best of days. "The first line