Prepress, Press, Postpress Equipment Installed Around the
Country
KENNESAW, Ga. - Heidelberg USA announces the following sample
of new product installations:
New Speedmaster CD 74 Makes Impressive U.S. Debut at Colorado
Print Shop
Colorado Printing Company in Grand Junction, Colorado is
the first U.S. print shop to install a Speedmaster CD
74-4+LY-P-4+LX, which prints four over four and applies aqueous
coating on both sides of the sheet in a single pass. Owner Mike
Antonucci said the all-Heidelberg shop jumped on the opportunity to
buy the new Speedmaster CD 74 as soon as the technology was
available. The shop traded in two older presses (a four-color and a
five-color) for the new eight-color Speedmaster CD 74, which does
the job of both presses. Antonucci said the dedicated coating units
apply a sufficiently thick film of coating, enabling even some
gloss applications at higher production speeds. He added that the
shop was so excited about the new press and its potential for the
future that it made the purchase without even seeing it in-person.
Instead, the shop tested the press by sending a file to Heidelberg,
Germany, where it was printed on a Speedmaster CD 74 with similar
configuration and mailed back to Grand Junction. Based on the
impressive results and a long-standing relationship with
Heidelberg, Colorado Printing made the purchase. Antonucci said
Heidelberg has been with the company during every phase of its
growth. And grown it has. Colorado Printing recently moved into a
150,000-square-foot space, which accommodates two other recent
purchases: an eight-color Speedmaster SM 102 with perfector and a
ten-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfector. Founded in 1947, the
shop employs 120 people who serve various graphic art and
manufacturing firms in the Rocky Mountain region.
It's All About Service for United Printing & Mailing
Craig Hauer, CEO of United Printing & Mailing in
Phoenix, Ariz., likes to keep things moving quickly. As a direct
mail operation, his shop houses a United States post office right
in the building, ensuring that projects are in and out quickly.
With the recent installation of a new four-color Printmaster PM 52
from Heidelberg, United Printing & Mailing can keep up with all
the latest trends and customer demands. According to Hauer, United
Printing & Mailing can now accomplish in one day what used to
take more than two and a half. "We have at least 60 percent
more throughput," Hauer said, adding that the Printmaster PM
52 is run at full speed most of the time. "It has much quicker
make-ready times and production speeds than what we had
before," he said. While Hauer has not had to use Heidelberg's
systemservice yet, he said that he was sold on the service
offerings that Heidelberg packaged with systemservice
36plus, including Heidelberg's maintenance inspections.
Founded in 1965, United Printing & Mailing generally serves
national clients in the automotive industry. The family-owned and
operated shop has 37 full-time employees.
Steadfast Print and Mail Services Expands Same-Day Services with
Heidelberg POLAR 78 X
Steadfast Print and Mail Services in Sacramento, Calif.
has brought cutting in-house with the purchase of a new Heidelberg
POLAR 78 X. General Manager Jeffrey Buchman said what used to be a
one-day turnaround is now just one hour. He described the new
cutter as "superb" and reported that productivity is up
100 percent on finishing paper. With so many products on the
market, Buchman said his shop selected Heidelberg because of its
quality, durability, service and support. "We knew the
training was going to be good, and the cutter would be installed on
time," said Buchman. Founded in 2004, Steadfast Print and Mail
Services produces direct marketing materials for the automotive and
real estate industries, as well as medium to large corporations.
The shop's 14 employees churn out up to three million pieces of
direct mail a month. Buchman said as the shop evolves, it plans to
purchase more Heidelberg equipment.
Professional Printers Sees Double with New Stahlfolder TH 82
Professional Printers in West Columbia, S.C. has nearly
doubled productivity with its new Stahlfolder TH 82 from
Heidelberg, and is so pleased with the results, that it has ordered
another one. "These are the best folders in the
marketplace," Senior Vice President Tom Conley said. "We
have had nearly double the productivity with the machine, with
fewer personnel"" Professional Printers replaced two older
Stahlfolder models with the new one, which Conley compares to
driving a Mercedes. The Stahlfolder TH 82 is part of the newest
generation of Heidelberg folders: the Stahlfolder TH/KH family of
folders features more automation, optimized machine operation and
print image recognition scans for maximum productivity. Conley and
his partners want to become a complete Heidelberg shop, and are
well on their way. Professional Printers boasts eight-color,
four-color and two-color Heidelberg Speedmaster presses, a
two-color Printmaster QM 46 and a new POLAR cutting system with
jogger. "As we move forward and replace old equipment, we will
look to Heidelberg," Conley said. Professional Printers
produces books, brochures and maps for colleges and universities,
industrial clients and agencies.
Graphic Imagery Produces Quality with Prosetter 52 and POLAR 78
X from Heidelberg
Stuart Imison, president of Graphic Imagery in San
Francisco, loves the business of printing. After moving to the U.S.
from England more than a decade ago, he began working in the
pressroom at Gateway Graphics. After several years, Imison left the
company, only to return in 2003 to buy the shop, which he renamed
Graphic Imagery. Imison's vision for progress and growth is
evident with the recent installations of a POLAR 78 X and Prosetter
52 from Heidelberg. "I don't know how we ever got by without
our new cutter and the Prosetter 52," Imison said. "We
are busier than ever now, but the new equipment has improved
efficiencies to the point where we can do more work with the same
number of employees without compromising quality." Imison
said. The small general commercial printer primarily produces
business materials, brochures, posters and other corporate and
marketing pieces on its four-color and two-color Heidelberg GTO
presses. Graphic Imagery serves clients in many industries,
including financial services, retail, computing, professional
services and entertainment/hospitality - as well as trade clients.
Ad Agency Figment Designs Takes Printing In-house, Boosts
Profits
Most advertising agencies do not want anything to do with
printing, but Figment Designs in Miami is different. After
exceeding $400,000 a year in printing costs, co-owner Jeff Pankey
said the shop brought printing in-house to control costs and better
meet deadlines. Figment Designs purchased a new Heidelberg
five-color Printmaster PM 52 and a Prosetter 52 violet CtP device
two months ago. Pankey and his business partners, Mario Leon and
Manny Sardinas, have been in the printing industry for 15 years and
say they selected Heidelberg because of the company's reputation
for reliability. "You want your clients to rely on your
deadlines and promises; therefore, you have to have equipment you
can rely on," Pankey said. So far, the results have been
strong. Since installing the new PM 52 and Prosetter 52,
profitability has soared to 12-18 percent - and that is after
hiring three staff members to run the printing. In fact, Figment
has partnered with Vision Concepts Ink to take on other printers'
work to keep the press running steadily and boosted the expected
printing to exceed $900,000 in 2007. Pankey founded Figment Designs
in 1994. Its clients include the travel industry, Caribbean
resorts, a large bakery, healthcare providers and the real estate
industry. Figment Group is the parent company of Figment Designs,
Figment Distribution and Figment Transportation, and employs 17
people.
Evansville School Teaches the Nuts, Bolts and Dots of Printing
on a Printmaster PM 74 with Perfector
Printing instructor Dave Thomas wanted his students to learn
perfecting on "the best equipment out there." With this
goal in mind, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation in
Evansville, Indiana just installed a new two-color Printmaster PM
74 with perfector. Twenty students are enrolled in the
"Digital Media and Graphic Communication" course, which
teaches prepress and offset lithography. So far, the high school
seniors have printed school newspapers and curriculum guides.
Thomas said he has been pleasantly surprised at how well the
students have grasped the automation. Their next assignment: making
plates. Thomas said the school believes it is important to teach
students on equipment that they will find in professional shops. A
third of the program's students will go on to a two or four-year
school, while the majority will go straight into the workforce. The
printing class is taught at the Southern Indiana Career and
Technical Center, which houses several Heidelberg presses,
including two single-color Printmaster QM 46s, one two-color
Printmaster QM 46 and a KORD dating back to 1974.
Embassy Press Moves Ahead with Quickmaster DI 46-4
Embassy Press Inc. in Plano, Texas just installed a
four-color Quickmaster DI 46-4 Pro Spot with digital imaging. Owner
Frazier Monroe said his shop purchased the press to turn jobs
around more quickly and improve resolution. With the additional
color proofing and management program, Monroe said "Now we
have a very reliable proof of the press sheet." Currently, the
shop is running the new Quickmaster DI at 9,000 impressions per
hour and is already seeing a reduction in processing time.
"We're hoping to see a 25 percent reduction in pressroom time,
and I believe we're going to get it," Monroe said. Embassy
Press has built its business on printing sales literature for home
builders in the Dallas area. The company also is launching its own
art quarterly where customers can purchase frameable print art.
Embassy Press has four employees and is anticipating an impressive
sales year. Monroe adds that Heidelberg has been instrumental in
making that happen.
Golden Manet Press Sticks with Heidelberg for Newest Press
Installation
Golden Manet Press, a 90-year-old union print shop in
Quincy, Mass., will not mess with a good thing. When the company's
older Heidelberg two-color Printmaster QM 46 needed to be replaced,
Golden Manet turned to the latest version of the two-color
Printmaster QM 46, which includes new technology updates designed
to deliver even more features and benefits. "We were already
satisfied with the press," said Lance Peterson, president of
Golden Manet Press. "The new P-QM 46 had newer technology that
we wanted to try." Peterson said the company's previous model
had run over 20 million impressions since its installation more
than six years ago. The shop now owns two Heidelberg two-color
Printmaster QM 46 presses, a Quickmaster DI 46-4 and a POLAR 78
cutter. Golden Manet Press is a commercial printer that produces
business materials including letterheads, envelopes, brochures and
posters for unions and various businesses across Massachusetts and
in Texas, New York, Washington, New Jersey, Rhode Island and St.
Louis.
Editorial Contacts:
Rebecca Harbin
Manning Selvage & Lee
Tel.: +1 404.870.6825
E-mail:
rebecca.harbin@mslpr.com