Offset Printing - Web

by chris bauer Managing Editor Finally, the rumor mill can go silent concerning the status of industry giant Heidelberg Web Systems. Just days before closing this issue, Heidelberg and Goss International reached an agreement on major issues for the intended transfer of the Heidelberg Web Offset division to Goss International. An outline deal has been agreed upon in principle, but some issues remain to be resolved before definitive documents are expected to be executed over the coming weeks. Heidelberg will still display web presses at the upcoming Drupa trade show in Germany, reports Greg Norris, manager of marketing communications. Its newest

By Caroline Miller Associate Editor UV drying technology is continuing to make major in-roads into the web offset printing market as printers are forced to deal with heightened EPA restrictions, a sour economy and the need to further diversify their product offerings. "This year, we've really seen a trend of printers seeking us out. In the past, we've gone to them, but now they are coming to us," reports Elinor Midlik, president of Prime UV Systems. "We've seen a growing interest in UV systems regionally. We're hearing from many companies located in California, Maryland, Ohio and Massachusetts that are under strict EPA restrictions and

ELIZABETHVILLE, PA—More than 22 commercial coldset and newspaper printers converged on Dauphin Graphic Machines' (DGM) headquarters recently to get a better understanding of how the UV printing process could benefit them at a one-day seminar co-sponsored by Flint Ink and Prime UV Systems. The event was held at DGM's state-of-the-art training facility, CMYK University, located here. The seminar was unique in that, after discussing the finer points of the UV printing process with experts from DGM, Flint Ink and Prime UV, attendees were able to step into the press lab that adjoins the CMYK classroom and watch a live demonstration of the UV curing

by chris bauer Read all about it: The latest generation of newspaper presses are more than black-and-white machines churning out The Daily Rag. Color is here to stay—and newspaper press manufacturers are providing a column's worth of features and automated functions to advance newspaper printing beyond its traditional role. "Ever increasing color expansion is an ongoing trend in the American and global newspaper market," says David Stamp, global director of marketing for Goss International. "This drives four-high tower addition projects to existing installed presses—a very topical subject in the United States in 2003." Stamp sees many of his customers investing in press enhancements to

by chris bauer According to heatset web press manufacturers, an intense war is raging—and they aren't talking about Iraq. The war they speak of is a pricing war—and it is being fought among commercial printers. This economic conflict is necessitating higher productivity and press availability to increase efficiency and, in turn, generate profits. "This calls for higher production speeds with higher circulations and a reduction in makeready times and waste due to a higher degree of automation," says Erik Rehmann of Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA). "Additional paper savings are achieved by reducing the size of the cylinder circumference—with mini-gap technology and the use

BY CAROLINE MILLER Improved press technologies, better ink formulations and the absence of environmental regulations are just a few of the reasons why UV web offset press designs are turning the heads of heatset web printers. In the past, a heatset printer might not have considered a UV web press as a viable option in the pressroom. The cost and the complexity alone of UV printing outweighed any benefits a printer could gleam from printing and drying/curing with the UV process. "Had anyone predicted five years ago that the UV market would be where it is today, they would have been met with scorn,"

BY CAROLINE MILLER Faced with dropping readership, falling advertising revenues and more media outlets, newspaper publishers are looking now more than ever to their in-house production facilities to help them meet the challenges of a volatile business environment. Increasingly, newspapers with printing capabilities are interested in the ability to bring in commercial work to help boost their profits, contends Craig Simon, director of web sales administration for MAN Roland. MAN Roland manufactures the four-page Cromoman, the Uniset, the Geoman and its flagship, 16-page newspaper web press—the Colorman—which was shown at IPEX in a 24-page version. Its top speed ranges to 86,000 copies per hour.

BY CAROLINE MILLER Printers shopping for a heatset web offset press all agree on one thing: less definitely is more. Less makeready time, less press downtime, less manning requirements and less paper waste generated all mean one thing—more profits. And that's exactly what heatset web press vendors are offering their customers. "Emerging and growing printers have a renewed focus on technology and flexibility," reports Richard Kerns, president of Solna Web Systems. "Waste and time on press are crucial issues, which can be addressed easily by the new technologies available. Our customers are now equipping their heatset presses with closed-loop color control systems, ink

BY MARK SMITH UV web offset press operators may not have to wear shades, but the outlook for the market segment is upbeat. By incorporating this drying/curing process, press manufacturers have enhanced the capability of half- and narrow-web machines to compete for commercial printing work. Delivering a dry print affords greater flexibility in finishing operations, while the application of a coating can enhance the appearance of a piece. At the same time, the UV process has gotten easier to use. "Every web press Muller Martini has sold in the past two years included a UV dryer," observes Fred Jones, press division manager for the

WESTMONT, IL—Given the fact that attendance at industry trade shows and conferences is way down due to the sluggish economy, MAN Roland executives were understandably ecstatic about the turnout of 300 attendees at its Technology Open House held here June 14-15. "I am thrilled and honored by this turnout," proclaimed new MAN Roland CEO Yves Rogivue during his welcoming remarks. "We appreciate your interest in MAN Roland technology." Rogivue welcomed the group, which included MAN Roland's largest 700 series sheetfed press user, George Lopez, of Monarch Litho in Los Angeles, who was celebrating his 60th birthday. Rogivue, who is Swiss, went on to explain why MAN