New CTP, Creaser Bring Minnesota State Up to Date

“Good equipment is essential to keeping an in-plant viable,” asserts Doug Fenske.

Doug Fenske (left) and his press and bindery staff (Larry Hennis, Dave Franke and Mike Theissen) show off MNSU’s new Standard Horizon -CRF-362 creaser/folder.

As director of Printing Services at Minnesota State University-Mankato (MNSU) in Mankato, Minn., Fenske strives to keep his shop’s technology current, which was the impetus behind two recent installations: a Heidelberg Suprasetter computer-to-plate (CTP) system and a Standard Horizon CRF-362 creaser/folder.

“If you let equipment get too far behind,” he says, “the investment to bring it all up to speed is overwhelming — and that’s why they close in-plants.”

In addition, Fenske says, he wants to provide his nine union employees with the best tools. “I may not be able to give them a raise or buy them lunch,” he quips, “but what I can do is give them the best equipment to make their jobs easier, and in turn, they can put out great work.”

The Heidelberg Suprasetter replaces a nine-year old Fujifilm Dart 4300 thermal CTP device. The new system has a much smaller footprint, due to its auto-loader, and it also accepts all the plate sizes the in-plant uses.

“With the old Dart, we would run plates that were much larger than needed for our Halm Jet press and then cut them down,” Fenske explains. “Now, this saves us time and money for extra plate material.”

“The cost of a service agreement was much less as well,” he adds. “Over the same time period, it will pay for half the cost of the replacement machine based on the service plan I selected.”

Doug Fenske and the graphic design and prepress staff — Gail Connelly, Linda Clavel and Wendy Johnson — stand with the new Heidelberg Suprasetter CTP system.

Then there’s the environmental savings. “In my personal opinion,” Fenske shares, “saving fuel consumption in any form is a must for everyone.” He likes the idea that the Suprasetter only uses about 25% of the energy of the old Dart.

In April, Fenske and his team welcomed the Standard Horizon creaser/folder. “I wasn’t in desperation to upgrade, but there was still good value on our old folder before it was considered junk,” he admits.

However, it wasn’t hard to say goodbye to the old Morgana DigiFold. “That was a beast of its own,” he explains. “It was temperamental and slow, and I had spent more on repairs than the unit was worth.”

Fenske worked out an arrangement with his local dealer, who found a party to buy the old folder before he finalized the purchase of the Horizon.

“I was able to do a purchase order and trade-in,” he explains, “which netted me an additional $5,000 versus just trading it in. If you can work within your systems and particular guidelines, substantial savings and benefits can be realized.”

The new Horizon creaser/folder allows the MNSU team to operate more efficiently than before.

“We can do in-line perforations, and we can also turn the product, run it through at 90-degrees, and cut the perf rule and do a tear-out card,” Fenske explains. “We can also do ‘kiss’ perfs, when the perforation falls on the fold, so when you fold the brochure, it doesn’t tear off.” The new features keep both his team and his customers happy.

“Keeping equipment replaced on a regular basis is a must,” Fenske advises. “If you have any control over budget and equipment, my advice is to always be current and up to date on everything.”