Large-format Printing -- Many Profit Paths
Edison’s newest six-color, 81˝ KBA Rapida 205 is equipped with UV coating and chillers on the cylinders to enable long runs that prevent substrates from getting out of sorts. The printer’s large-format pressroom also features another six-color 81˝ Rapida 205 (no UV coater) and a six-color, 64˝ Rapida 162 with aqueous coater.
Once the 205 revolution began at Edison, the company was never the same. Makereadies dwindled from two or three hours to 20 minutes. Less spoilage and sharper products have equated to happier customers, Ostreicher notes. Plus, the UV press allows substrates such as plastics, opalene, styrene and foils to come out of the press “bone dry.”
Edison Litho produces point-of-purchase signage, packaging and displays, along with monster-size posters and signage on outdoor materials, such as opalene with backlit and Flexcon Busmark self-adhesive vinyl. Ostreicher adds that margins for this work are higher, with Edison garnering between a 9 and 12 percent increase in profit percentage.
“We run 24 hours a day. We’re very satisfied; the 205 with UV coater is an unbelievable machine,” he says. “Since we got the KBA presses, our billing is up 25 percent. Our customers are amazed.” PI
