Ricoh makes big savings with Renz finishing kit
The Coulsdon, Surrey-based operation, which is the UK inplant of the imaging and electronics giant, purchased the Renz AP 360 automatic punch and Renz MOBI 360 semi-automatic wire-binder. Production manager Alec Bennett said: “The punch is so mechanical and there are no circuit boards or software to go wrong, while the wire-binder is as well built and robust as the punch.” He said the AP 360 punching machine had removed all punching bottlenecks for wire binding, saving labour time and money. Before buying the kit, the 50-staff company used smaller bits of equipment for punching around 20 pieces of paper at a time. “The additional purchase of a four-hole punching die for the machine has led to considerable savings from pre-punching sheets for loose-leaf binders without the need to drill,” said Bennett. The MOBI 360 semi-automatic wire-binder meanwhile enabled the business to replace six temporary workers, who used to tackle predominantly A6 work by hand. Now only one person was needed to operate a machine that binds two at a time to double outputs over a given time. “We have bought lots of kit in the past year, having gone from 12m to 15m images a year and all of that goes through the finishing department,” he said. “The kit will pay for itself; the MOBI 360 has already made significant savings on labour costs. “Both machines are portable, single-phase, have very easy and fast makereadies and require no air. The Renz installation and the training on both machines went smoothly and we are pleased with the savings.”...
read moreDemand for paper binding pushes Apex towards Palamides Delta 502
Managing director David Clark said the £68,000 kit was installed in the trade finisher’s Corby plant in Northants this April and is predominantly used to strap and stack work from the firm’s three Heidelberg ST 300 stitchers. “Customers increasingly want paper binding rather than plastic strapping, so we bought the machine to get more work. Paper is easier for mailing houses, which just rip it off rather than fuss around cutting plastic.” The Delta 502 was supplied by Friedheim International and has helped Apex Print Finishers speed up a typical A5 two-up job from 17,500 to 18,500 per hour, according to Clark. “Another benefit of the Delta is we can use it with one person: with other kit you need two people to handle each bundle but with this machine, they come out together already with a paper binding, so that eliminates the need to one person.” Clark’s six-staff company has a £500,000 turnover and its services include stitching, inserting, strapping and shrinkwrapping. Clients include Polestar and Prinovis....
read moreDrytac outsources distribution to Antalis
The company said that the new distribution deal would help it deliver a “notable improvement” in customer service and allow it to place greater focus on the development of its products. Drytac Europe managing director Hayden Kelley said: “We believe that this partnership will hugely benefit our customer base. Antalis is an extremely well established business with excellent and far-reaching distribution channels. “Customer support levels in the UK and Ireland will be boosted and Drytac can now fully focus its resources on what it does best – namely the manufacturing of quality adhesives and over-laminates.” “Antalis has many of the best account reps in the business and they will be able to provide excellent advice to our customers regarding the right products for the right applications. They will then be able to supply the Drytac products at the right price and deliver them right on time,” he added. The deal is effective immediately and the company confirmed that current prices would not be affected....
read moreDemand for paper binding pushes Apex towards Palamides Delta 502
Managing director David Clark said the £68,000 kit was installed in the trade finisher’s Corby plant in Northants this April and is predominantly used to strap and stack work from the firm’s three Heidelberg ST 300 stitchers. “Customers increasingly want paper binding rather than plastic strapping, so we bought the machine to get more work. Paper is easier for mailing houses, which just rip it off rather than fuss around cutting plastic.” The Delta 502 was supplied by Friedheim International and has helped Apex Print Finishers speed up a typical A5 two-up job from 17,500 to 18,500 per hour, according to Clark. “Another benefit of the Delta is we can use it with one person: with other kit you need two people to handle each bundle but with this machine, they come out together already with a paper binding, so that eliminates the need to one person.” Clark’s six-staff company has a £500,000 turnover and its services include stitching, inserting, strapping and shrinkwrapping. Clients include Polestar and Prinovis....
read moreDrytac outsources distribution to Antalis
The company said that the new distribution deal would help it deliver a “notable improvement” in customer service and allow it to place greater focus on the development of its products. Drytac Europe managing director Hayden Kelley said: “We believe that this partnership will hugely benefit our customer base. Antalis is an extremely well established business with excellent and far-reaching distribution channels. “Customer support levels in the UK and Ireland will be boosted and Drytac can now fully focus its resources on what it does best – namely the manufacturing of quality adhesives and over-laminates.” “Antalis has many of the best account reps in the business and they will be able to provide excellent advice to our customers regarding the right products for the right applications. They will then be able to supply the Drytac products at the right price and deliver them right on time,” he added. The deal is effective immediately and the company confirmed that current prices would not be affected....
read more5 Best Bets for Your Offset Press: If you can’t Measure it, you can’t Control It!
In an ideal pressroom environment, nothing would go wrong and you’d get consistently accurate jobs from your offset press. Unfortunately, we don’t work in this imaginary perfect pressroom. As a result we sometimes end up wasting materials and losing time. Your best bet is to learn more and be prepared to handle problems the moment they arise. There are useful training and education tools available that will help you stop wasting and start earning more profits. If you wish you had an expert on hand who can tell you how to handle these types of problems, you actually do! We’ve pulled advice together from one of our onsite experts, Lloyd DeJidas, Director, Graphic Services and Facility Manager, Printing Industries of America, for Five Best Bets for Your Offset Press: When troubleshooting on a lithographic process, first and most importantly, be sure to accurately identify the problem. I see many printers resorting to excuses like “These inks should run on any stock,” or “We don’t have time to test things,” rather than trying to identify the root cause. When you know the problem, you can find a solution and help avoid a future incident. Determine all possible causes of the problem, such as press, materials, or human error. Ask what has changed and quickly organize your data to verify potential causes. Analyze the plate scum line and determine if you have the proper ink and water balance. The scum line will tell you if your: Skewing roller is set properly Metering roller is performing well Dampening system is even from side to side Get an accurate measurement of fountain solution, blankets, and rollers. With the many interactions and variables on the offset press, you need to have the right instruments: Meters measuring p/H and conductivity assure that the fountain solution has been mixed properly and will indicate when the fountain solution has become contaminated and should be changed to avoid print quality deterioration. A roller durometer indicates when the ink or dampening roller has become too hard, which could cause roller streaks. Regular measurements of the blanket with a packing gauge will indicate when a blanket has lost pressure due to compression set and needs repacked. Measurements with a dead weight micrometer confirm that the blanket has been made to proper specifications. Always remember: If you can’t measure it, you can’t control it! When a printing problem arises, determine the root cause by testing your paper and ink. These are some of the tests to perform: Inkometer readings measure if the ink tack sequence is correct for proper wet ink trapping. Grindometer measurents ensure that the paper has been milled properly. Calibrate abrasion testers indicate that the inks have set and will have the proper scuff resistance and durability that your customer will be pleased with. Studying best offset practices like these will help you take control and optimize your pressroom. If you want efficient hands-on training for offset printing, Lloyd will also lead the training workshop Extreme Offset: Troubleshoot, Control, Optimize, hosted July 23–25, 2013, at our headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You will learn proven techniques to measure, troubleshoot, and optimize press performance in our onsite printing facility and Paper and Ink Laboratory. Registration is open for this course. For more information and resources on offset printing, visit our...
read more5 Best Bets for Your Offset Press: If you can’t Measure it, you can’t Control It!
In an ideal pressroom environment, nothing would go wrong and you’d get consistently accurate jobs from your offset press. Unfortunately, we don’t work in this imaginary perfect pressroom. As a result we sometimes end up wasting materials and losing time. Your best bet is to learn more and be prepared to handle problems the moment they arise. There are useful training and education tools available that will help you stop wasting and start earning more profits. If you wish you had an expert on hand who can tell you how to handle these types of problems, you actually do! We’ve pulled advice together from one of our onsite experts, Lloyd DeJidas, Director, Graphic Services and Facility Manager, Printing Industries of America, for Five Best Bets for Your Offset Press: When troubleshooting on a lithographic process, first and most importantly, be sure to accurately identify the problem. I see many printers resorting to excuses like “These inks should run on any stock,” or “We don’t have time to test things,” rather than trying to identify the root cause. When you know the problem, you can find a solution and help avoid a future incident. Determine all possible causes of the problem, such as press, materials, or human error. Ask what has changed and quickly organize your data to verify potential causes. Analyze the plate scum line and determine if you have the proper ink and water balance. The scum line will tell you if your: Skewing roller is set properly Metering roller is performing well Dampening system is even from side to side Get an accurate measurement of fountain solution, blankets, and rollers. With the many interactions and variables on the offset press, you need to have the right instruments: Meters measuring p/H and conductivity assure that the fountain solution has been mixed properly and will indicate when the fountain solution has become contaminated and should be changed to avoid print quality deterioration. A roller durometer indicates when the ink or dampening roller has become too hard, which could cause roller streaks. Regular measurements of the blanket with a packing gauge will indicate when a blanket has lost pressure due to compression set and needs repacked. Measurements with a dead weight micrometer confirm that the blanket has been made to proper specifications. Always remember: If you can’t measure it, you can’t control it! When a printing problem arises, determine the root cause by testing your paper and ink. These are some of the tests to perform: Inkometer readings measure if the ink tack sequence is correct for proper wet ink trapping. Grindometer measurents ensure that the paper has been milled properly. Calibrate abrasion testers indicate that the inks have set and will have the proper scuff resistance and durability that your customer will be pleased with. Studying best offset practices like these will help you take control and optimize your pressroom. If you want efficient hands-on training for offset printing, Lloyd will also lead the training workshop Extreme Offset: Troubleshoot, Control, Optimize, hosted July 23–25, 2013, at our headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You will learn proven techniques to measure, troubleshoot, and optimize press performance in our onsite printing facility and Paper and Ink Laboratory. Registration is open for this course. For more information and resources on offset printing, visit our...
read moreScreen Europe relocates UK base
As part of a strategy to create a pan-European site the business has down-scaled its UK operations moving its back office services from Milton Keynes to a smaller office in Luton while relocating its demo centre and integration activities to the Netherlands. The company has invested in the refurbishment of its existing facility near Amsterdam to include a new “solutions centre” kitted out with a full range of digital print-on-demand (POD) equipment, as well as a series of meeting rooms. The site will also become Screen’s European spares centre. The new Luton base, which has retained 34 staff, will continue to provide the same sales, helpdesk, spares and support services across the UK. Screen has recruited four new members of staff for its Netherlands operations, to replace UK staff that did not want to relocate. Screen Europe president Brian Filler said that the move reflected the transition of its products from CTP to POD. “In the past we were selling hundreds of units at €100,000 each where we could afford to have multiple demo centres across Europe, but now we sell tens of units at €1.5m it becomes more difficult to keep that value of equipment on the books. It changes the whole structure of what we do.” “No-one really needs to see CTP demos any more and if they do we can just take them to any number of customers that have them, but if someone wants to see a POD device then they need to travel to the European showroom to see it but that is nothing out of the ordinary.”...
read moreScreen Europe relocates UK base
As part of a strategy to create a pan-European site the business has down-scaled its UK operations moving its back office services from Milton Keynes to a smaller office in Luton while relocating its demo centre and integration activities to the Netherlands. The company has invested in the refurbishment of its existing facility near Amsterdam to include a new “solutions centre” kitted out with a full range of digital print-on-demand (POD) equipment, as well as a series of meeting rooms. The site will also become Screen’s European spares centre. The new Luton base, which has retained 34 staff, will continue to provide the same sales, helpdesk, spares and support services across the UK. Screen has recruited four new members of staff for its Netherlands operations, to replace UK staff that did not want to relocate. Screen Europe president Brian Filler said that the move reflected the transition of its products from CTP to POD. “In the past we were selling hundreds of units at €100,000 each where we could afford to have multiple demo centres across Europe, but now we sell tens of units at €1.5m it becomes more difficult to keep that value of equipment on the books. It changes the whole structure of what we do.” “No-one really needs to see CTP demos any more and if they do we can just take them to any number of customers that have them, but if someone wants to see a POD device then they need to travel to the European showroom to see it but that is nothing out of the ordinary.”...
read moreAncient House completes alcohol-free move
The Ipswich-based sheetfed and web house installed a ten-colour B1 Komori GL1040P perfector with Mabeg reel sheeter earlier this year, as part of an investment programme that the company hopes will increase turnover by up to £2m. The press has been configured with beta.c 220 temperature control and a beta.f dampening filtration unit from Technotrans. According to Paul Sadler, operations director at the ISO 14001 certified company, one of the critical elements to running alcohol free is ensuring that chemicals are clean and ink tack exactly right. “Good chemistry is critical to running without alcohol and it needs to be controlled well which it is with the beta.f. The filter life it good too.” “We like using technotrans because their products are good and their service and support is reliable. We are very pleased to have completed the circle in our move to having an alcohol-free pressroom.”....
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