Offset Printing - Web

DO YOU want to know what kind of business is done at Louisville, KY-based Gateway Press? In almost any given month, turn to the “Business of Print” page in this magazine and look in the Government Printing Office (GPO) section. Gateway Press is more than likely to be listed among the one-time jobs. In May, for example, Gateway landed a $2 million job to produce 6.8 million saddlestitched products—56 pages, two colors, four-color cover, aqueous coating, 81⁄2x11˝. Even sans a Printing Impressions listing of GPO Awards, it’s all a matter of public record, anyway. But for Gateway Press, it’s just another day at the

In a world of short run lengths, personalization, and fast turnaround, can the industry’s traditional behemoths, commercial and newspaper web presses, continue to compete? Absolutely, according to industry leaders. Companies like Goss International, MAN Roland, and other web press makers are pursuing innovations that can enable web printers not merely to stay viable but to compete vigorously for more kinds of business than ever before. While most web press print production is advertising-driven, changing trends in the marketplace are reshaping the business model. Traditionally, web presses offer significant advantages. They’re extremely fast and productive, and paper cost for a web run can

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

THE NEWSPAPER industry has seen better days. Facing greater competition from Internet resources, all-news cable TV channels and free tabloid dailies, the once-venerable broadsheet business is now, itself, making headlines. Many reports on the newspaper industry involve consolidation, fire sales or massive layoffs. Still, newspaper printers have found ways to remain profitable. One option is to produce commercial work during press downtime. Some coldset printers have added UV drying systems to their presses to enable the printing of advertising inserts and related materials. Take Eagle Web Press of Salem, OR, for example. The company, which traces its roots to 1970, boasts a staff of more than

THE WORLD of closed-loop color control (CLC) somewhat resembles a PGA-caliber golf course. In both cases, the rewards for mastering it are high, but hazards along the way can certainly leave you in a tough spot. What some web offset printers agree upon is this: closed-loop color control is a tool, not a turnkey panacea that will solve all color reproduction issues. Perfect, it is not. Generally speaking, CLC is a process where the control system analyzes printed color bars at full web press speeds and makes on-the-fly adjustments to maintain accurate color control. “The biggest challenge is getting our internal

WORLD AND industry viewpoints alike are set to come together at the upcoming 2006 Web Offset Association (WOA) Management and Technical Conference. But what sets this meeting apart in our conference-heavy industry? According to the WOA’s executive director, the combination of heavy-hitter speakers and relevant industry information will keep those attending the event wanting more. “We want attendees to be able to customize the experience for their individual needs,” reports Mary Garnett, PIA/GATF vice president and WOA executive director. Titled “Decision Points 2006,” the 54th annual conference will take place at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, FL, on May 21-24. Designed for executives

This year’s recipient of the Web Offset Association’s Harry V. Quadracci VISION Award might seem like an obvious choice, due to some family connections. Yet, it’s been hard work, determination and technological innovation that propelled Thomas A. Quadracci to the top of America’s largest privately held printer, not his last name. Quadracci will be presented with the eighth annual VISION Award on May 22 during the WOA conference. The honor was named after Quad/Graphics’ late founder and Thomas’ older brother, Harry Quadracci, who was the inaugural recipient in 1999. The timing of the award also couldn’t be better. Currently, chairman and CEO of Quad/Graphics, Tom

SOMETIMES A simple plan can be made to look brilliant when it is backed by hard work and dedication to quality customer service. But perhaps what has really helped Inserts East, a free-standing insert printing specialist based in Pennsauken, NJ, is its ability to lay low in a niche populated by some large, national printers. Make no mistake about it. Inserts East—though coined a boutique printer by company President Nick Maiale—is not a small potatoes establishment. At $50 million a year in annual sales, it is the envy of many smaller, mainstream commercial operations. But Nick and his father Gino—who managed the company from its inception

Decision Points 2006 is the theme for this 54th edition of the Web Offset Association (WOA) Annual Management and Technical Conference. To a large extent, if any recent year were plugged into that phrase, the hot issues, industry trends and challenges would be the same. In a promotional piece for the conference, Ralph Pontillo, 2005-2006 chairman of the WOA board of directors and vice president/division director at Transcontinental Printing, observes that: “Critical decisions must be made daily—strategy and tactics, operational challenges, investment decisions and procedures. A quick glance at the myriad of (2006 session) topics yields volumes of opportunities: world and industry viewpoints and

STEVE FORBES has been described as a media mogul, a Web-savvy ideologue, a simplified tax advocate, a publisher and, more relevant here, the keynote presenter at next month’s Web Offset Association (WOA) meeting in Orlando, FL. Not only does Steve Forbes know our business, he lives it. Forbes Inc. is an 88-year-old publishing company riding the cusp of the Internet and new media challenges. Having invested tens of millions into the Internet, the president and CEO of Forbes Inc. and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine continues to be very optimistic about the power of print. In addition to his intimate dealings with the printing industry