Goss International

ALTHOUGH CONGRESS blew a kiss at the printing and mailing communities by passing long-overdue postal reform legislation in the waning hours before both chambers ajourned on December 9, the latest postal rate case has various industry factions worried that the increases could be the kiss of death for some classes of printed products. The hikes are scheduled to take effect next month, excluding a complex rate structure implemented for periodicals, which has been delayed until July 15. Rates will rise as much as 40 percent for catalogers—the hardest hit segment. At press time, however, the Postal Regulatory Commission was re-examining the Standard mail flats

PRINTERS WHO hitch their star to a particular vertical market put themselves in a vulnerable position, given that market may experience wholesale changes and leave them holding an antiquated bag. By all rights, Motivating Graphics’ obituary should have been written by now. The Ft. Worth, TX-based company primarily aligned with a single market from its outset in 1976, and that vertical experienced major technological shifts that would have shaken loose many vendors like apples from a tree. But, 30 years later, the Clark family—father Ray Sr., son Ray Jr. and grandsons Chris and Tim—are coming off a year in which they invested more than

FROM NEWSPAPER publisher to newspaper printer, Bartash Printing has been around the block. And, considering its location—Philadelphia—that block is pretty historic. Philadelphia is the home of America’s first and foremost printer: Ben Franklin. And, like Franklin, who started out with very little, local printer Joe Bartash started out small before hitting it big. Bartash Printing, one of the largest cold web printing companies in the Philadelphia region, was started 55 years ago by Bartash to print his weekly newspaper, the Southwest Globe Times. In 1962, Joe’s son-in-law, Sidney Simon, joined the company. During the next 45 years, Simon and his son, Michael, built the

FOR SOME, it’s a matter of survival and, fortunately, given the state of the newspaper industry, for others, it’s a matter of growth. In either case, newspaper/publication printers running coldset web offset presses are expanding their product ranges or delivering greater value to existing customers. Through increased automation, newer technologies (like UV inks), new presses, new publication configurations, or some combination of these options, printers are offering both internal and external clients production efficiencies and the opportunity to upgrade to color quality levels that have greater appeal to advertisers. Ron Magee, pressroom manager at the Carroll County Times, Westminster, MD, reports that last summer

Publishers Press chooses shaftless 22,000-books-per-hour system for Kentucky facility. BOLINGBROOK, IL—February 26th, 2006—Publishers Press will install the world’s first Goss Pacesetter 2200 saddlestitcher at its facility in Lebanon Junction, Kentucky in April. The company will also add a new Goss Universalbinder adhesive binding system. Joe Sweeney, bindery manager at Publishers Press says high net throughput along with simplified operation and makereadies were key factors in selecting the new shaftless saddlestitching technology for short- to medium-run publication applications. “The ability to keep the system running fast while achieving advanced product personalization will be an advantage that we can pass on to our customers,” Sweeney explains. “We have seen

FREDERICKSBURG, VA—The Free Lance-Star has garnered the distinction of being the first newspaper in the United States to install a Flexible Printing System (FPS) press from Goss International. The paper opted for a configuration with four towers and a 72˝ web width for triple-width production. Goss will also provide Ferag press gripper and storage components. A dual-delivery Goss Magnapak packaging system with 34 stations will also be part of the installation, which is slated to begin in 2008. The FPS press will have the capacity to produce 48-page broadsheet products running straight, 96-page broadsheet products running collect, and semi-commercial products with ribbon widths up to 36˝,

FREDERICKSBURG, VA—January 5, 2007—The Free Lance-Star will be the first newspaper in the United States to install a Goss Flexible Printing System (FPS) press. The independently owned paper selected a configuration with four towers and a 72-inch web-width for triple-width production. Goss International will also provide Ferag press gripper and storage components and a dual-delivery Goss Magnapak packaging system with 34 stations. Installation will begin in 2008. The new FPS press at The Free Lance-Star will have the capacity to produce, in full color, 48-page broadsheet products running straight, 96-page broadsheet products running collect, and semi-commercial products with ribbon widths up to 36 inches. “We’ve tracked

CHICAGO—The Chicago Tribune will install five high-capacity shaftless Goss Magnapak packaging systems at its Freedom Center here. The systems, with Goss Omnizone supervisory controls, will allow the Tribune to achieve advanced microzoning and selective inserting capabilities. It will provide targeted zoning of the paper’s inserts, down to sub-ZIP code levels.NOTE: PI Weekly returns on January…

CHICAGO—December 11, 2006—One of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States has ordered six Goss Magnapak packaging systems to achieve advanced microzoning and selective inserting capabilities. Chicago Tribune Company will install five high-capacity shaftless Magnapak systems along with Goss Omnizone supervisory controls for daily preprint production of the Chicago Tribune at its Freedom Center in Chicago. The technology will allow targeted zoning of the paper’s inserts down to sub-zip code levels. An additional Magnapak inserter at the Tribune Direct facility will provide selective packaging of the company’s total market coverage (TMC) product for non subscribers. Installation of the new Goss systems with a total of

American Firms Win High Honors BUDAPEST, HUNGARY—Winners of the Sappi International Printers of the Year awards for 2006 were announced at a gala event held here at the Museum of Applied Arts. The nine winners were chosen from 33 finalists in the following categories: annual reports, books, brochures, calendars, catalogs, general print, magazines, packaging and labels, and printer’s own promotion. North American firms bringing home the cast bronze elephant trophy included Nahan Printing, St. Cloud, MN, for its Bergdorf Goodman Magazine Resort/Holiday 2005 in the magazines category and Cenveo Anderson Lithograph, City of Commerce, CA, for the 2006 Cadillac XLR brochure in the brochures