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The article provides an overview of the condition of the quick and small commercial printing industry in the U.S. It offers information regarding the combined sales of 2014's Top 100 small commercial printers in the country which declined some 11% to just over $472 million compared to the 2013 ranking. Information about sales per employee and sales per shop is also provided.

The article discusses the effect of U.S. economic recovery on the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) print providers in the U.S. as of April 18, 2014. It cites several factors in buying a large-format printer including costs performance, image quality, and floor space. Also mentioned are several printers including SureColor T-Series AEC printers from Epson America Inc. and Web-connected Designjet T120 and T520 Printer AEC models from Hewlett-Packard Co.

The article explains the importance of preventive maintenance to printing companies. Drawbacks of putting off regular preventive maintenance includes major breakdowns, days of idle downtime, and gradual degradation of quality and efficiency. Conducting regular preventive maintenance makes downtime predictable. Ray Prince, the president of the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL), suggests steps printers should take on a regular basis to keep their press investments running efficiently.

The article focuses on the addition of digital mailing services in printing mail in the U.S. This system aims to ensure that mail with personal data is delivered to the proper recipient. Studies reveal that many printers seek to cash in by adding mailing services to meet the demands of their clients. This may help boost the business relationship of printers with their customers. It was found out that nonprint services leverage twice their revenue impact through the increase in print orders. The automated technology advancements help establish pin-point accuracy. Solutions providing mailroom operators with on-screen verification and sampling of documents are also made available. INSETS: MAR Adds Another Web;READY for Digital Mail.

The article focuses on the strategic approach of Curtis Packaging Inc. on the consumer packaged goods and printing services. Company's cartonmaker Sandy Hook has designed more innovative products using heavy silver metals effect. The company has applied several equipment including the 51-inches KBA Rapida 130 sheetfed-offset press, Harris & Bruno LithoCoat interstation dispersion coater and 37 inches Kohmann 950 window-patching machine.

The article features several sheetfed presses including machines from MAN Roland, KBA and Bert-Co Industries.

The article offers information on the sheetfed J Press 720 S from Fujifilm and the digital continuous-feed press series which include 5 RotaJET printing systems from Koenig & Bauer.

The article announces the winners of the 2014 "Quick Printing" (QP) magazine Readers' Choice Top Products Awards including the COLORlynx Technology calibration profiling solution from Canon Solutions America, the T400 Color Inkjet Web Press from Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP), and the Spartanics L-350 Laser Die Cutting Machine.

The article discusses the Oce JetStream 2200 printer used by full-service print provider Symeta for international newspapers. It offers a description of the inkjet printer's press technology involving a 20.5-inch web width, 600-by-600 dots per inch (dpi) resolution, and 500 frames per second (fpm) speed. In addition, the first prints were produced on behalf of Newspaper Abroad, which handles the marketing, sales, and distribution of international newspapers.

The article offers information on printers' open house in-plant parties, events which printers and industry suppliers are increasingly conducting to showcase new technologies or improved processes in order to promote business. It states that the cost-effective marketing strategy consistently draws considerable attendance and correspondingly generates increased volumes. Also mentioned are several printers and suppliers that hosted successful open house events including Solo Printing Inc., O'Neil Data Systems and Hewlett-Packard.

The article focuses on the partnership between Muller Martini Corp. and OcéVarioStream to demonstrate the productivity and flexibility of inline digital book manufacturing. Muller Martini featured its SigmaLine technology with OcéVarioStream 700 printers, which show a complete inline book printing/finishing system. The 700 series duplex printers ran into an Ibis Smartbinder saddlestitcher as one delivery option that also ran into a SigmaBinder of Muller Martini through a Shuttleworth conveyor. Further, the new SigmaTrimmer utilizes a patented swing-cut principle with three independent driven knife elements, automatically trimming books of varying sizes and thickness.

The article focuses on a digital printing company. When top golf supplier Titleist wanted personalized boxes to package golf balls, its print broker was almost stumped. It wasn't long before that broker thought of nine-year- old print-on-demand specialist Odyssey Digital Printing. The commercial and packaging printer had for some time been using roll-fed digital presses from Xeikon America to print custom point-of-purchase work. It had also demonstrated its ability to hold consistent color and quality for some of the best-known packaged brands on the planet. Odyssey was referred to Titleist because we're totally digital, and Titleist's turnaround requirement was three days for individual orders.

This article focuses on the advantages of computer integrated manufacturing workflow for folding and in-line gluing machines. Learning and gluing in line are two folder features gaining in popularity and helping printers and binderies save time and costs in computer-integrated manufacturing environments. Some manufacturers are perfecting the adhesion process, which previously was fraught with bottleneck set ups and clean-ups, not to mention extensive hand-holding by highly skilled operators. Binderies and finishing departments are not eager to job-out gluing, choosing instead to grow a new profit center internally and offer faster delivery. For creative and compact folding. Vujik Equipment's Miniature Glued Booklet System folds and glues booklet spines at one station of the H+H KL 112 folder. Popular among the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and small-packaging industries, Vujik says its mini system also works ideally for direct-mail inserts, compact disc packaging inserts, invitations, announcement and other small, folded print products. In addition to being flexible and versatile, the new class of folders is artificially intelligent, too. Heidelberg's folding machine, for example, retains preprogrammed settings for the six most commonly used small-format fold types and has memory capacity to store three more, despite its compact application. INSET: JDF Links the Binding Line.

The article presents a comparison of printing equipment including Lithrone SX29, 34 direct-imaging digital offset press from Presstek, and Indigo 5500 from Hewlett-Packard.

The article presents a case study of the prepress tools used by Avante LLC in enhancing its press-room quality and productivity. Craftsmanship and skills are considered as the secret technological weapon used in keeping the printing machines running. It prints applications, including corporate brochures, pocket folders and static clings. Avante expanded its database management, fulfillment and distribution services in 1998.

The article evaluates DigiRail inking machine from Goss International.

The article highlights the printing industry Shiele Group in Chicago. According to the author, the Chicago firm has added two new 6-color 40" Mitsubishi sheetfed presses, Xerox iGen 3 110 digital production press and a remanufactured Harris M90 half web. He added that the firm also receive FSC Chain of Custody certification in November. Moreover, impressed with the 16,000-sph MLP Diamond 3000LS that has been added in spring, the firm ordered a second, less automated press for fall installation. Furthermore, the firm is also producing a range of offset work on its two new Mitsubishi Diamond 3000LS presses.

The article discusses the new printing approaches of advertising firms in the U.S. It reports on the emerging trend of mobile advertising, wherein cars, trucks, vans and trailers are wrapped with commercial prints. It also discusses the latest printing technologies used by printing firms, such as Giant Imaging in South Florida. The firm uses its super-wide VUTEk printers and HP DesignJet 55000 thermal inkjet printers in producing high graphic commercial prints. Discussions on the features of the two printers, as well as the 3M Matched Component System Warranty products are provided.

The article features Branch-Smith Printing, a commercial book and publication printer in Texas, focusing on its capacity expansion and format changes of prepress and bindery equipment. It is reported that the company's 8-color 51 inches KBA Rapida 130 perfector is the first kind in the U.S. to be equipped with an inline roll sheeter from Grafech Engineering and available through Independent Graphic Services (IGS). Aside from the new KBA, the company also includes speedmasters from Heidelberg and roll-sheeters from Mabeg to its pressroom. Moreover, format changes of its prepress and bindery equipment are also described.

The article features Avon, New York-based Penny Lane Printing, the $2.5-million publisher/printer of the "Penny Saver" weekly newspaper. According to the author, the firm set an objective to reduce plate costs and speed output in order for it to afford 4-color on all its pages. Prepress manager Pete Swanson states that most equipment manufacturers were restricted to only a few choices of plates. He also cites that Penny Lane looked for the ability to use conventional plates sourced from different supplies.

The article focuses on the decision of Gail and Greg Herlin, wife-and-husband owners of GH Printing, to purchase a basysPrint UV-Setter from Punch Graphix. According to GH production supervisor Dennis Cederborg, the unit was the only one available in the market that accommodated all of their six different plate sizes. The platesetter, which gave GH Printing a 30% to 40% savings on the purchase price alone, allowed company to accomplish a seamless approval and delivery process on time-sensitive projects.

The article discusses several changes in the business of printing company Pearl Pressman Liberty Communications Group (PPLCG). The major changes began when PPLCG adopted a computer-to-plate prepress workflow in 1999. In August 2006, the company will begin implementing Job Definition Format files. Meanwhile, the firm entered the digital market in 2005 by purchasing an 80-ppm Xerox DocuColor 8000. Several clients of the firm include the pharmaceutical industry, advertising agencies, design studios and professional sports teams.

The article presents information on some of the equipment installed by Metzgers Printing + Mailing Co., a printer/mailer firm based in Toledo, Ohio, at its printing and manufacturing facility. A pick-n-pack warehouse helps the company improve its printing operations. The installation of a used 21x28 cylinder die press from Heidelberg Co. and a Kluge UniFold Automatic Folder/Gluer has also helped the company improve its production cycle. According to company president, Joe Metzger the Unifold folder and gluer fit nicely with the company's 20x28 presses.

This article presents a case study on the print-on-demand opportunities posed by automobile racing to The Print Network (TPN). The company is the preferred print supplier for Grand Am Road Racing. And due to the evolution of color digital print technology, even small racing teams with modest budgets can afford to keep their self-promotions up to date. The company's capacity totals over 8 million monthly impressions. The professional racing customers of TPN include Champ Car, the Indy Racing League, and AMA Supercross/Motorcross.

This article focuses on a printing project performed by Williamson Printing Corp. in collaboration with the creative design team of "Graphic Arts Monthly" and Leo Burnett USA for the magazine's January 2006 cover. Williamson used its 41" Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 for the magazine's cover which featured a Swiss army knife, with its implicit message of productivity. During the conceptual phase, the creative team of Burnett chose to add foils to the magazine's logo using the WPC Liquid Foil base to provide metallic sheen accents. The liquid foil technique was followed by three spot colors and standard 4-color process inks before coating the 85,000 covers, which ran on 100-lb. Sterling Ultra Gloss Book. Folding dummies and color proofs were reviewed by Mark Wendling, Heidelberg USA's advertising manager.

The article focuses on the printing business of Moquin Press of Belmont, California, operated by Greg Moquin. In October 2004, the company purchased the Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105. The machine is huge by sheetfed standards. The purchase marks the company's fifth Heidelberg since 1985. According to Moquin, XL 105 is a better printing machine but runs so very differently. With the machine, the company had to make some changes in prepress and adjust their plate curves. General Manager Frank Brunini does not foresee the company making a leap to web. Both Brunini and Moquin are content with a sheetfed focus. Meanwhile, there is a talk already about replacing the 5-color SM 102 with another 105.

This article focuses on the decision of trade printer MAR Graphics of Saint Louis, Missouri, to link its VariWeb web-finishing system to a Nipson VaryPress 400, a digital production press that employs magnetographic technology, in 2004. This inline integration allows the company to produce complex, ready-to-ship self-mailers from preprinted rolls in a non-stop process in two-up simplex mode. In MAR's integrated line, 4-color offset printed paper is roll fed through the VaryPress, which adds variable information. The VariWeb then laminates, diecuts and converts the piece into a self-mailer.

This article features the Mitsubishi Diamond 6000LS printing-press used by printing company Carter Printing. The press, rated at 14,000 sph, includes four other Mitsubishi time-savers: remote control of frontlay register, an ink clutch remote control system, remote-controlled adjustment of oscillating dead point and an automatic ink roller cleaning system. The Centralized Operator MakeReady and Control (COMRAC) allows operators to monitor and adjust virtually every function of the fully automated machine from the control console.

This article features the 6-color Roland XXL press used by printing company Strine Printing. The massive machine yields 22 percent more printable area than a 47 x 64 inch press--and 328 percent more than a conventional 40 inch--making Strine more competitive on longer commercial work. Configured with inline coating and hybrid UV capabilities, the press gives the company a lot of point-of-purchase advantage with laminates, litho wraps, posters, signage and packaging. The press also features a Pecom operating and automation system, which Strine had retrofitted on its pair of 56 inches 900s seven months prior to the XXLs arrival.

The article features the NexPress printers of WMSG, Inc. Dry electrophotography is being used in the digital printing technology of NexPress. In this printer, images are transferred from an imaging cylinder onto a blanket cylinder. According to Jim Liszewski, president and CEO of WMSG, the company is strictly tactical and analytical in terms of printing. To develop response-oriented programs, the company works with clients. Moreover, Liszewsi explained that the implementation of data-driven marketing is one of the areas that printers are pushed into.

The article focuses on the application of iGen3 digital press at the facility of Darwill Press in Hillside, Illinois. The company chose iGen3 in 2004 due to its compatibility with its hybrid sheetfed-digital manufacturing process. According to Brandon Van Dyke, vice president of operations and technology at the company, the image area of iGen3 provides flexibility for the operations of the company. Formerly, Darwill has used Xerox systems. Later on, DocuTech 6135 and 6180 monochrome systems were used to print benefits statements for financial clients.

The article focuses on the success of Concept Press in printing for several ethnic publishers. Concept Press was primarily known as a newspaper shop. The company's Dauphin DGM 430 web features two lines, one a 4-high tri-folder, and the other a single-folder floor unit installed 14 months ago. Concept has fallen love with the Heidelberg Speedmaster 74 8-color perfector, with aqueous coater, since it was installed early in 2004. alone. Commercial work now generates approximately 25% of Concept's $20 million in annual sales. Overall workflow is faster. The aqueous tower and infrared dryer cures sheets instantaneously, speeding them to finishing. The key to the company's success is meeting its customers half-way. The company's president, Jimmy Lin, believes in fair pricing but would rather compete on service. Today, Concept's 75 full-time employees run 2½ web shifts seven days a week and 2 sheetfed shifts five or six days a week. Prepress runs a Screen Katana image-setter. Lin foresees a computer-to-plate migration next summer of 2006. He also has a vision for heatset webs, but the ceiling is too low in his 44,000-square foot-space.

Evaluates several printing machinery available in the U.S. market in February 2005. No-Process Photopolymer Computer-to-Press printing plates from CitiPlate; Aspen metal plates from Xanté Chemistry-free Freedom printing plate from Presstek.

The article previews the printing industry trade show Graph Expo 15 to be held on September 13-16, 2015 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.

The article emphasizes the reasons to attend the Graph Expo 14 annual event for the print industry in Chicago, Illinois on September 28, 2014. Topics discussed include the pre-event Executive Outlook Conference that features the latest printing technology, the participation of 450 exhibitors, and the inclusion of seminars, sessions and presentations. Also presented is an introduction to an article by Quick Printing columnist Steve Johnson regarding Graph Expo 14.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses several printing equipment and software including the QuarkXpress 10 desktop publishing software, the Mail Integrity suite from Ricoh, and the Inkjet Computer-to-Plate from Printers Shopper.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses reports within the issue on topics related to quick and small commercial printers in the U.S. including print sales and profits.

The article focuses on the trade printing industry in the U.S. There are 128 printing firms around the country, as listed in the online directory called the "Graphic Arts BlueBook," when the keyword "trade printers" is searched. Information about trade printing and various companies that offer these services, as well as the equipments that they use, is also discussed.

The article presents a comparison of folding machines including Horizon Cross Folder AFC-746AKT from Standard Finishing Systems, Vijuk G&K FA 53 from Vijuk, and Baum 20 AutoSet Pile Feed Folder from Baum.

The article features the brochure "UltraVision," produced by Classic Color in the U.S. The brochure is printed on an 8-color Komori Lithrone S40 sheetfed press with eight interdeck UV lamps. The author explains that the demanding 8-color job featured Toyo UV Kaleido inks and Nicoat coatings with UV curing between every unit. Additionally, the stochastic palette was infused with Hexachrome color, reflex blue and multiple liquid metallics.

The article reports on the five-by-six-panel, fold-out poster by manroland. In June 24, the reproduced large-format sheetfed press 73" 900 XXL poster will be making its debut at manroland's U.S. Demo center. The 73" 900 XXL poster delivers more than 328% printable area than a conventional 40" format. Moreover, it was conceptualized by The Drucker Group. Meanwhile, Schawk, Inc. installed the first 8-color-plus-inline coater version of this press in its print division located in Los Angeles, California.

The article reviews that digitally imageable flexoplate from Asahi Photoproducts.

Information on the trade fair exhibiting several printing machineries from Dusseldorf, Heidelberg, and KBA. It mentions that Heidelberg debuted the Linoprint inkjet unit. It also mention that KBA-Metronic displays printers for DVDs and Cds. The trade fair involves a product sample of packaging display and partners.

The article evaluates computer software for Web printing-presses, including PrintOne and FusionPro from Printable Technologies, and Digital Storefront from EFI.

The article reports on Ryobi's ultraviolet (UV) press. The process of combining spot UV dull and reticulating varnish through flash-curing inline with UV lamps in the interdeck unit over the impression cylinder is called chemical embossing. "Graphic Arts Monthly's" (GAM's) cover for March 2007 is achieved using this process. The cover was printed via a Kodak Sword thermal plate in the Ryobi printing unit. These printing units feature double diameter impression cylinders and transfer drums with curvature ratios. It also has a Harris & Bruno flexo blanket flood coater and toggles between UV and aqueous coating with one button.

The article discusses coating processes in the production of hanging store signage and produced by Shapco Printing of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Included are transparent hybrid-Ultra Violet (UV) inks, gloss UV coating and a double hit of opaque white. Information on mix of specialty inks and special papers used are mentioned. A brief introduction on the business enterprise is presented. Company's product profile, machines used and printing technologies including proprietary reflector technology are also discussed.

The article features the Xerox DocuColor 8000 digital press at Lorraine Press. The company invited 300 customers and prospects to an open house and generated a 50 percent response rate on a direct mailer. According to Christian Hansen, principal art director of H Theory, Lorraine wanted to showcase variable imaging while targeting the creative community. H Theory Design created customized flipbooks for Lorraine featuring a different magic trick, a top hat, a levitating woman, a magic box and a mind reader. As the recipient flips the pages, the trick unfolds, revealing his or her name amid a smoky backdrop on about 20 of the book's 51 pages.

The article presents information on Adobe's PDF Print Engine software, unveiled at the Ipex show in Great Britain in April 4, 2006. PDF Print Engine is a direct, native-PDF print solution and is considered one of the most significant advancements in print workflow technology. It is said that the new engine is compatible with PDF files generated from the family of Creative Suite programs including PhotoShop, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat. The product represents the latest of Adobe's efforts to bring project designers and printers closer by improving the speed and quality of preparing complex jobs for print. According to Adobe, performance and productivity will improve as the new system's architecture is scalable and designed for concurrent processing across multiple processors.

The article focuses on the 2004 Annual Report produced by Samaria Print Services for Camden Property Trust. Printers believed that cleverly designed, printed and bound annual reports are powerful story tellers. Using thermochromic technology on the annual report was the product of Peat Jariya, art/creative director at Metal. According to Jariya, the annual, titled Transforming was a big hit and a collector's item. Samaria Print Services produced 10,000 of the 94-page reports on a 6-color, 40" Komori Lithrone.

The article features Executive Mailing Service of Palos Hills, Illinois, a provider of turnkey lettershop production services. The company makes daily shipments of Standard Class mail to all U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Bulk Mail Centers in major cities and several USPS Sectional Center Facilities. It complements and supports its direct marketing efforts by capturing, managing and distribution information to direct mail. According to the company, the Infoprint 4100 Advanced Function Presentation printers have helped the company save time and minimize operator intervention.