Phillips Printing Reduces Makeready Waste by 60 Percent with Closed-Loop Color Management
DAYTON, Ohio—November 3, 2015—Rutherford Graphic Products today reported that Nashville, Tennessee-based Phillips Printing, a third-generation family owned full-service communications company, has acquired Rutherford’s IntelliSet and IntelliLoop solutions to augment its X-Rite IntelliTrax automated press-side scanning solution for a complete closed-loop color management solution in the pressroom. Phillips Printing is G7 certified and operates a hybrid digital/offset production platform consisting of two-color and six-color Heidelberg presses, and a range of color and monochrome digital toner-based presses. The company primarily serves the healthcare and non-profit segments.
"In the ongoing quest for improved efficiencies," said John Hearn, who runs estimating and data management for the firm, "we wanted to move from density to spectral measurements for color management and to automate ink key settings to reduce makeready time and waste, as well as to improve color consistency throughout the run. This combined solution has exceeded our expectations, reducing makeready waste by 60 percent and enabling us to reduce the cross-over point between offset and digital."
With these systems in place, operators simply scan a press sheet using IntelliTrax and the Rutherford system automatically adjusts ink keys, a process that takes less than three minutes. "In addition to reduced makeready time and waste," Hearn added, "we are able to correct for color drift during production runs before it is even visible to the human eye. What’s more, we are running the press so efficiently that we can profitably produce jobs as small as 600 12x18" sheets on offset, helping us deliver short-run work with the offset quality clients prefer."
Jay Rutherford of Rutherford Graphic Products, commented, "It is exciting to work with forward-thinking companies like Phillips Printing. It is especially interesting to see them moving volume from digital to offset as a result of these improved efficiencies. The combined solutions have taken them to a new level of quality and productivity, and they will continue to push for even more efficiencies in the future. We’re working to help them do that!"
About Rutherford Graphic Products
Based in Dayton, Ohio, Rutherford Graphic Products (RGP) is a privately held company formed in 2000. With experts in hardware and software design, RGP is actively developing next-generation products with applications in the printing industry.
Source: Rutherford Graphic Products.
