John Place

AS AN economically unstable 2008 gives way to a poten- tially more tumultuous 2009, printers from the Sunshine State to Washington State are tightening their belts, digging in and preparing for the worst. Even the firms that forged through the mess and found success, including those named as 2008 Fast-Track Firms, are hoping for a better new year.

BY MARK SMITH To be sure, the Mercury Print Productions of today has a compelling story to tell. It embodies both attributes connoted by its name: the speed of the winged messenger god and the high-tech of space exploration. Having been a strong player in the on-demand digital print arena for some 10 years, the company just completed beta testing the new Xerox DocuColor iGen 3 digital color production press and is now its first commercial user worldwide. Its sheetfed offset printing capabilities have far from suffered, though, as the shop also offers state-of-the-art computer-to-plate (CTP) production as a front end to four (two-

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