Offset Printing - Sheet-Fed

Watch as the judges select a project from the University of Oklahoma as the Best of Show winner out of all the offset pieces in the In-Print 2010 contest.

Kodak leaders provide an overview of the innovation and technology that will be on display at IPEX 2010. Kodak will feature new key market solutions based upon differentiating technology that will add value to customers- and helping them to grow their businesses. Quality, productivity, and delivering a consultancy are discussed, in addition to customer interviews.

WHEN MARK Dixon inherited the lead role at the University of Oregon's Printing and Mailing Services in December from long-time Director J.R. Gaddis, he started by taking a back-to-basics approach and stamping it with his own progressive twist.

WITH MORE than 1,000 exhibitors expected from more than 40 countries, IPEX 2010 is the British version of Drupa.

While LED lamps are old news on inkjet presses, they are something of a novelty on the sheetfed side.

“LED inks for inkjet [applications] have been available for a couple years now,” says Mike Sajdak, senior R&D chemist for INX (Schaumburg, IL). “They offer less heat generation, a smaller footprint and faster startup times. Offset LED inks are a little newer.”

At Drupa 2008, Ryobi (xpedx) teamed with Toyo Ink to showcase an LED-UV system for a concept demonstration on the 525GX, a 14 × 20-inch press.

The judging of the In-Print 2010 contest recently took place at Redlands Community College. Here's a behind-the-scenes look.

UV technology gives in-plants an opportunity to offer something different in the form of high-quality coatings, special effects, processing of unusual printing stocks and rapid delivery of express orders. UV coatings, for example, have a number of specific advantages, among them: high gloss levels, excellent protective qualities and a pleasant tactile experience. Sheets are dry and ready for finishing as soon as they arrive in the delivery, with no powdering required.

After getting by for the past couple of decades with minimal investment, Ashland University Printing Services has carried out some major equipment upgrades, allowing the shop to bring a significant amount of printing back in-house. About a year and a half ago, the Ashland, Ohio-based university invested in a new four-color Heidelberg Speedmaster 52, along with a Heidelberg Suprasetter computer-to-plate device with Prinect workflow. At the same time, the shop replaced its aging Baum folder with a 20˝ Stahl folder from Heidelberg. 

Many of us have heard that adding UV printing to our repertoire would increase our offerings to our customers but have not completely understood exactly why. Do the benefits overcome the added expenses? Is UV the answer for developing our business? With today's economy, should I make this capital investment? The question might actually be; "Can you afford not to make the investment?"

Just before Christmas I took the train up to New York City to visit a few in-plants. I do this from time to time to remind myself what the inside of an in-plant looks like and to learn more about the situations managers are facing. So I planned a rather ambitious itinerary that would take me to four different in-plants, all around the city. One was at a television network, one at a financial services company. Another was in a hospital, and the last at a famous art museum.