Offset Printing - Sheet-Fed

PART OF the beauty surrounding printing on plastics is that the potential for applications is limited only by the imagination of designers. And, judging by the creativity of some gizmos and gadgets printed on plastic, that doesn’t appear to be an issue. Even with limitless possibilities, this discipline comes with caveats. The substrates cost more than most paper stocks. The adhesion can be difficult. Some substrates can be high maintenance. Not every great concept will fly. And neophytes need to educate themselves thoroughly on the nuances of plastics printing. Color Ink, based in Sussex, WI, has worked in the plastics space since 2001, with

TO STAND out from the rest of the herd, offset press manufacturers, both web and sheetfed, have ramped up their service offerings. This trend toward extended service plans, preventive maintenance programs and beefed up parts and labor options is allowing press manufacturers to expand what is offered to their customers while also becoming more of a partner with the printer. Here is a look at some service plans that are available, in no particular order. At PRINT 05, Heidelberg unveiled an extended service package to the U.S. market called systemservice 36plus. Heidelberg’s systemservice 36plus service package extends service coverage for a period of 36

A FAMILY owned printing company is not unusual. But one that was started by three 20-something brothers, which has endured 30 years of growth and that’s debt-free, is surely note-worthy. Today, Shapco Printing is one of the largest sheetfed commercial printers in Minnesota. Located in downtown Minneapolis, this full-service company offers computer-to-plate, offset and digital printing, binding, kitting, and mailing and fulfillment services. Shapco has up to eight-color, 40˝ printing capabilities on paper (up to 40-pt. board) and plastic substrates. Joel Shapiro, 51, along with his co-owner brothers Robert, 50, and Alan, 56, have built a competitive edge based on their high-end printing capabilities combined with

WILLISTON, VT—While color output may be the standard in today’s offset printing market, the necessity for printers to adopt unique, value-added production capabilities is as clear as black and white. That, in part, is what drew approximately 100 visitors from around the country to a customer demo center open house held March 30th at KBA North America’s Sheetfed Press Div. headquarters. Demonstrations throughout the day showcased assorted press changeovers from commercial to packaging jobs, the switch from hybrid to conventional, special colors and effects, as well as printing on paper, board and plastic substrates. The various press runs comprised 18 makereadies with substrate changes. “We’ve more than

MUCH LIKE the historic city it calls home, Pearl Pressman Liberty Communications Group (PPLCG) has numerous tales to tell from a 100-year-old past steeped in printing tradition. Following in the fabled footsteps of Ben Franklin, this Philadelphia-based company has endured the tests of time, disaster and radical change in the industry. It all started in 1906, when two teenagers, working in a Philadelphia print shop, decided to go out on their own. The sons of Russian and Latvian immigrants, Manuel Pearl and Charles Pressman scraped together $60 and purchased a foot-powered press, assorted type and some paper. They worked out of Pressman’s bedroom in the

THERE ARE those who believe that offset printing is well aware of its mortality, in light of advances and inroads made by its younger and better connected cousin, digital printing. But even if offset technology is on the clock (and not everyone can agree), the lead time to its possible demise is fairly substantial. So before you convert that stacked web press into a glorified set of monkey bars, consider the major benefits that many printers have reaped by having hybrid technologies under one roof. In some cases, both offset and digital are being leveraged for the same job, as they each offer advantages

It’s a rarity to hear about a new printing facility being built from the ground up in today’s graphic arts world. But that is just what Williams Printing, an RR Donnelley company, celebrated when it opened a new 130,000-square-foot facility located near Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in 2005. But, then again, Williams Printing does not consider itself your Average Joe Printer. During the past 80 years, Williams Printing has built a reputation for outstanding quality, service and innovation. And although RR Donnelley is now the world’s largest provider of print and print-related services—and Williams is among the largest commercial printers in the Atlanta area—both pursue a

PASSION IS a powerful emotion—and a positive method—when a bit of reason is incorporated. A great company isn’t successful based solely on its business practices. Its success comes from the spirit of its workers. At Payne Printery, its employees exude passion. Payne Printery began as a one-man, single-color print shop, and was purchased in the 1930s by John Robert Moore. Moore decided not to change the company’s name because it had a good business reputation. After the purchase, Moore moved the shop a short distance from Plymouth to Dallas, PA, where it continued to produce one-color materials such as raffle tickets, business cards and letterhead.

In a traditional industry like the graphic arts, VistaPrint has found success by taking a bit of a non-conventional, forward-thinking approach. It all started with the vision of Robert Keane, president and CEO, when he founded the company in 1995. Keane’s idea included developing technology that delivers high-quality, low-cost graphic design and printing to small businesses and consumers while still providing premium customer service. VistaPrint is applying the principles of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) to drive out costs and improve response times. It connects its customers directly to its CIM chain by providing a layout program that they can use on the company’s Website,

Paul LeFebvre is nothing if not brutally honest. He made some fatal business mistakes in the past and paid the ultimate price, suffering through the bankruptcy of his Des Plaines, IL-based company, LeFebvre Intergraphics. Closing down the shop in 1996 was a bitter pill to swallow for the past inductee into the Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame. The company was growing out of control. He had purchased large quantities of paper and kept stocking up on it, but the value soon plummeted from $7 million to $4 million as prices fell. People in strategic positions at the company weren’t making the