EFI

california LOS ANGELES—Donahue Printing, a family owned printing company in business for 70 years, has installed a new seven-color, 40˝ Mitsubishi Diamond 3000S sheetfed press. WALNUT—Reinberger Printwerks reports the installation of two new two-color Heidelberg QM46 presses, as well as a new Konica Minolta digital imaging system. florida ORLANDO—Allegra Print and Imaging has purchased the Heidelberg Printmaster PM 52 it had been testing after an eight-month trial period. Allegra became the first shop in the U.S. to test the four-color Printmaster 52 press and has produced more than two million finished pieces since installation in November 2003. georgia ATLANTA—Vertis announced that 18 members of

by chris bauer Managing Editor People said opening a prepress shop while the nation's economy had one foot on a banana peel was just too risky. And who needs prepress services anymore anyway, naysayers asked, when most printers are bringing their prepress functions in-house? But that did not deter Michael Wight, president and CEO; Hank Russo, vice president of sales; Ed Hartman, vice president of operations; and Jim Lerner, CFO, at DigiLink Inc., based in Alexandria, VA. The four partners had a solid business plan, a combined 75 years of printing industry experience and, most importantly, a drive to succeed. They would not be

To thine own self be true and thou cannot be false to any other printer. A little twist on Shakespeare to remind me that if I am going to write a column, it should be as truthful as possible, particularly in the case of critical issues where all sides should be presented. In the past, I have written much about JDF (Job Definition Format) and the enormous impact I believe it will have on our industry. Am I caught up in all the hype? My passion is evident, thus I am being true to my own self, so Shakespeare can rest easy. But

SEWICKLEY, PA—Industry research into best practices of sheetfed offset printing with hybrid UV inks and coatings took a major step forward with the donation of a new six-color, 28˝ Komori Lithrone NL28 press for the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) that was dedicated during an open house celebration held here last month. The fourth press donated to GATF by Komori America, the NL28 is equipped with interdeck UV units that, by using special hybrid inks, provide the ability to add a UV coating without changing out rollers and blankets. It also features a redesigned ink fountain, the Komorimatic dampening system and Komori's K-Station

More Than 700 Get Connected At EFI Event LAS VEGAS—The plush MGM Grand Hotel and Casino was the mecca for approximately 700 worldwide customers as EFI/Connect 2004, Printcafe's fifth annual user's conference, paid a visit to Sin City June 27-30. The conference resembled a mini Graph Expo, with 22 exhibitors showcasing complementary equipment, and 162 educational seminars for users of EFI workflow solutions. The conference opened with a state-of-the-industry report by Andrew Paparozzi, the NAPL's chief economist, titled, "Success Factors of the Profit Leaders." Paparozzi pointed out that the recession has been much more severe for the industry than it has for the rest

arizona PHOENIX—Steve Woods Printing opened its doors with a dedication celebration in May. Steve is the son of Frank Woods, formerly of Woods Lithographics. CALIFORNIA SAN MARCOS, CA—Golden State Graphics recently added to its bindery a Vijuk 321-T saddlestitcher. florida DeLEON SPRINGS—E.O. Painter Printing held its 100th annual stockholders and directors meeting recently. The company, which traces its origin to 1873, was purchased and incorporated by Sidney Weller Johnston, the current company president's grandfather. MIAMI—Color K Graphics purchased a KBA 74 Karat digital offset press with coater during Drupa. PENSACOLA—Six Stahl B30 buckle plate folders have been installed at Pensacola Christian College. georgia

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor The front end of the printing process, or what happens "pre" the press, used to be a fairly contained, well-defined set of steps. Then the digital age dawned and, ever since, the changes have kept on coming. Another whole step, premedia, has even been added to the process. At Drupa 2004, computer-to-plate (CTP) production, digital proofing (remote and hardcopy), screening alternatives and, of course, the all-encompassing workflow and CIM concepts were the primary areas of focus in new product development. JDF support was pervasive, but came across more like a background buzz than a force destined to reshape

Window into the Future With the hustle and bustle of last month's Drupa 2004 now completed, this issue highlights some of the new products that became commercially available during the 14-day event, various vendor announcements, as well as a peek into future technologies that will shape the graphics arts industry for years to come. Just as important, the general sentiment among the more than 394,000 visitors and 1,860 exhibitors filling 17 halls was that market conditions—albeit fragile—are showing signs of a sustained recovery. Referred to by many as the "JDF Drupa," it should have been termed the "Workflow Drupa" even though, as Frank Romano

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor There's always a danger of any promising new technology or big idea becoming just so much hype. As expectations are built up, so too can be a sense that it all sounds too good to be true. All the talk of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) and Job Definition Format (JDF) is approaching, or already reached, the point where some in the industry are tempted to tune out. Skeptics believe there are a number of reasons to doubt that implementation of CIM/JDF will bring the promised benefits or, at a minimum, they question the ROI. For that reason and others,

connecticut MERIDEN—Sappi Fine Paper has named Miller Johnson Inc. a "Silver Award" winner in the general category for its printing of a 2004 Mercedes Benz dealer calendar. The 66-year-old printing firm has annual sales of $9.5 million. NEWINGTON—Direct mail provider Data Graphics has added its fifth Miyakoshi variable-size offset press to this location. The MVF22K is a six-color model and is configured to run all cassettes and OEM equipment now in use at Data Graphics. florida SARASOTA—The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has placed an order for two Goss Global Newsliner tower additions for its existing Metroliner presses. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune serves one of the largest and