Fannon Fine Printing Replaces Three Presses with a Roland 500

“We analyzed and compared both the companies and the presses themselves,” he reports. “Discussions with current owners took place at length and test forms were developed to find the limitations of each press. These test forms were run in both manufacturers’ showrooms and on production equipment to compare the performance and print quality of the presses.”

Quality Competition

The Virginia printer knows high-end print quality when it sees it. Fannon Fine Printing has been a prodigious winner of graphic arts competitions for years. At the latest International Premier Print Awards sanctioned by PIA/GATF, it received a “Benny” for best annual report and a Special Award of Recognition for receiving the most accolades for a company of 20 employees or less. And at the Printing Industries of Virginia’s (PIVA) Best In Print competition, it captured the prizes for Best Poster, Best Art Print, and Best In Show.

Fannon Fine Printing plans on keeping that winning streak going and then some. It is equipping its new ROLAND 500 with MAN Roland’s ColorPilot closed loop color control system. “ColorPilot will have a dramatic effect on our consistency and ease of production,” Fannon says. “It moves color management from a game of feel to a game of numbers and this is exactly the way it should be played. We can now profile the press and know that proofs we produce from that profile will consistently match the sheets coming off the press. Our clients will benefit immediately.”

‘A One-Man Machine’ of Many Talents

Fannon’s customers will also be pleased with the productivity the press provides. The new ROLAND 500, which is scheduled to be installed this month, will be equipped with printnet PressManager. It empowers the press operator to program in a new job, while the current project continues to print, significantly reducing press downtime between jobs. “Automation savings go directly with labor savings,” Fannon observes. “This press is a one-man machine.”