Offset Printing - Sheet-Fed

PK Graphics — Clubbing the Competition
October 1, 2006

SUFFERING SEEMS to be one of the leading prerequisites to becoming a successful artist. In many ways, the same could be said for business success. Miguel Paredes should know, as he is both an artist and a businessman. And his company, PK Graphics, has blossomed into a $20 million performer in just eight years with an annual growth rate of 25 percent. But now that the suffering has receded on the business end, Paredes has encountered a new problem—getting sufficient rest. “My goal is to sleep,” Paredes, president and CEO, quips. That’s no surprise, given his exhaustive undertakings. Paredes is a media empire

HBP Inc. — Bundling Communications Solutions
October 1, 2006

“SELLING STRICTLY commercial printing has become a commodity sale,” acknowledges John Snyder, president of HBP Inc. Looking over the low rolling hills of Hagerstown, MD, Snyder leans back in the chair and adds, “Value-added services need to be offered so our salespeople can provide more solutions for solving our customers’ marketing problems.” From the look in his eyes, it is apparent that this man means business, and his business is thriving. A positive customer relationship is critical for survival in today’s economy. Rising costs, technological advances and cost-conscious customers have made it necessary for many printing operations to diversify into non-traditional revenue arenas to

PRESS: Set feed table grippers properly
October 1, 2006

Feed table grippers for sheetfed GTO and single-sheet MO's must be set carefully for the press to function properly. When installing these grippers, care must be taken that they sit on the pads evenly. A good way to do this is to move the press so that the grippers are just closing on the sheet at the feeder. Use a thin sheet of paper and make two small strips. Put one small strip in the front of the gripper, and another in the back side. Make sure the gripper closes on each strip at the same time. They must make good contact for the

PRESS: How much water pressure in the dryer?”
October 1, 2006

The DryStar infrared or ultraviolet dryer of a Heidelberg Speedmaster press produces heat in the delivery to aid drying. The water in the dryer cools the sheet guide plates near the heating elements. Failure to maintain the proper flow and pressure of the cooling water can lead to serious damage. To protect the dryer, make sure that pressure readings are as follows: SM52: 0.8 to 1.0 bar SM74: 1.0 to 1.5 bar CD74: 0.6 to 0.8 bar SM/CD102 with DryStar 2000: 1.0 to 1.5 bar SM/CD102 with DryStar 3000: 0.6 to 0.7 bar XL105 with DryStar 3000: 0.5 to 0.6 bar As with all limits and specifications, always consult

PRESS: Preliminaries for polyester
October 1, 2006

When running polyester plates on a Printmaster GTO 52 with a direct continuous dampening unit, do not thin the ink with print oil or other additives. Keep the water pan spotless so that no grease gets onto the plate. The dampening system’s pH value should be about 5. (Important: do not add alcohol.) To avoid overstretching the plate during mounting, tighten the tensioning nuts only by hand. Compression between the blanket and the plate cylinders must not exceed .1 mm. Before production, polyester plates must be treated with the sponge-on etching solution recommended by the manufacturer. If printing is interrupted, more etching solution should be

MAN Roland’s Southern Region Building to a Record Sales Year
September 29, 2006

MAN Roland’s Southern Region has become a hotbed of major press sales for the company, increasing the momentum as the pressmaker continues their record-setting pace for 2006. These were among some of the major purchases registered recently by MAN Roland’s sales teams throughout the South: A Rotoman for Gateway Gateway Press in Louisville, Kentucky ordered a new eight-unit two-web ROTOMAN press from MAN Roland. With a 170,000 sq ft facility and $40 million in annual sales, Gateway is an example on how to grow systematically into a successful commercial printing enterprise. “We started out looking at four different press manufacturers,” says Darrell Embry, Senior Vice President of

St Ives U.S. Division Announces Expansion of Services
September 28, 2006

MIAMI—September 27, 2006—St Ives U.S. Division specializes in complete creative services from design concept, photography through final mechanical, Web Offset, Sheetfed, complete in-house binding, finishing, on-site mailing and fulfillment services and Digital/On Demand Variable Data Printing. They are expanding their web offset and perfect binding capacity in South Florida. The expansion of capacity includes additional six-color capability with U.V. coating on one or two sides of the web, if required. In the Bindery, the expansion includes additional increased capacity with a fourth perfect binder, which includes demographic/selective capability, ink jet addressing—inside and out. Inside address/messaging is right reading, Outside address/messaging can be parallel or perpendicular

Heidelberg to Unveil New Partner Program At Graph Expo 2006
September 20, 2006

KENNESAW, GA—September 20, 2006—Following the success of its systemservice 36plus program announced at PRINT 05, Heidelberg will establish the next milestone in service offerings with the unveiling of its new Partner Program at Graph Expo 2006. Show attendees can learn more about Heidelberg’s new service offerings in the systemservicearea of Heidelberg’s booth #1200 at the tradeshow, which is being held in Chicago at McCormick Place on Oct. 15-18. The Heidelberg Partner Program is a suite of 20 customized services that provides customers with the flexibility to select the services that best meet their needs. With the new program, customers can build their own service plan

Heidelberg to Introduce New Anicolor Inking Unit for Speedmaster SM 52 at Graph Expo
September 14, 2006

KENNESAW, GA—09/12/2006—For the first time in the U.S., Heidelberg will showcase Anicolor, the world’s first zoneless short inking unit with dampening system, at Graph Expo 2006. An option on Heidelberg’s Speedmaster SM 52 line of presses, this unit, which has no ink zones, makes it possible to produce even the shortest runs using a standard offset workflow with significantly higher margins. Anicolor will be available for all four-color models of the Speedmaster SM 52 starting in the fall of 2007. Show attendees can view a Speedmaster SM 52 Anicolor press at Heidelberg booth # 1200 at the tradeshow, which is being held in Chicago

STRINE PRINTING — THE PRINTER’S CANDY STORE
September 1, 2006

AROUND EACH turn of every corner stood a reminder of the greatness that is Strine Printing. Dave Kornbau, the company’s vice president of operations, was a popular man while providing a walking tour in early August. His cell phone rang every few minutes. Co-workers handed him press samples here and there. Quick questions received lightning-fast answers. It was like watching an episode of “The West Wing,” the White House drama, only without the constant scowls. Kornbau paused and gestured toward bulletin board-type displays that adorned the hallway walls. Rich colors and textures were everywhere. Sparkling ceiling mobiles danced in the cool air, their diecut