'Little Monsters' Are on The Hunt

The four-page, 20x28" sheetfed press, despite a dull economy and a slump in sales of heavy equipment, is a bright spot indeed: its popularity among commercial printers is steadily growing, it is the subject of intense technological development and extensive market application, and because it is both versatile and affordable it seems to be the ideal press in a short-run, quick-turnaround world that demands quality printing.

In fact, were the economy still humming, the press's popularity and sales would likely be soaring to record levels and it would seriously be challenging the perennial size leader, the eight-up, 40"-wide press model.

Much of this growth is attributable to the new generation of high-performance 28" multicolor sheetfeds and new innovations. Most models are rated at up to 15,000 sheets per hour, with quick-makeready features, system networking, and console digital control. Now there are heavy-duty, single-side versions for high-speed packaging production (even up to 18,000 sph in one case), plus high-productivity perfector models with as many as six, eight, and 10 printing units (more on page 49).

The compact press appeals to printers of virtually any size since it provides either a stepping stone into multicolor work or a way to broaden pressroom capabilities and alleviate bottlenecks on larger equipment. Finally, the model is popular because some vendors offer either a four-page 28" or a six-page 29" size (sometimes called a "three-quarter" format).

"The half-size sheetfed market is stable in terms of total units sold," reports John Dowey, vice president of sheetfed marketing for Heidelberg USA, who says that, worldwide, Heidelberg has been shipping about 3,600 of these press units annually for the past few years but is on track to produce about 5,000 units this fiscal year.

"At the same time," Dowey adds, "the installed base continues to grow as companies reinvest. Many smaller shops are hesitant about moving into the 40" market: they serve smaller customers with shorter runs, and don't like the idea of competing with what they see as 'the big boys.' While some printers move from 29" to 40" presses, many carve out a profitable niche without going up to the bigger size."

Dowey explains, "The rationale is varied: big printers can make better use of their eight-up presses by moving smaller jobs or shorter runs to a less expensive platform, whereas smaller printers looking for efficiency can run with one less operator than on 40" equipment."

Says Doug Schardt, Komori America's product manager, "We'd say this market is changing rather than growing. The economy is affecting overall growth, but it's also pushing open new markets for aggressive businesses. Many new markets accommodate the four-up size perfectly."

Schardt says that some of the "new market" business is made up of 40" shops installing half-size presses to capitalize on short-run work that's becoming more predominant. Other businesses are stepping in because of deteriorating conditions in the two-color market.

Adds John Santie, Mitsubishi's product manager for sheetfed presses, "The four-page model is nimble and efficient, perfect for printers looking to add automation and extend their capabilities on a wide range of multicolor commercial products where premium quality and fast turnarounds are required."

At the Drupa 2000 show in Germany last May, Heidelberg introduced its Speedmaster CD 74-6+LX, a six-color with coater and extended delivery. It calls the machine the most advanced four-page press in the world today; the machine, with an oversize format of 23 1/2x29 1/8", is designed for both commercial and packaging applications.

By summer, multicolor CD 74s had been installed in six plants in the U.S., including Lake County Press near Chicago and The John Roberts Company in Minneapolis, plus in dozens of sites worldwide.

"Print 01 this month marks the official launch of the CD 74 into the commercial market," says Dowey. "Most installations involve commercial accounts where the machine offers an extreme level of automation, very wide stock latitude, and the true, unique 'three-quarter' format."

Although the CD 74 is not designed for perfecting, says Dowey, it does offer an oversize sheet format, which allows printers to run bleeds and color bars on the forms.

"At Print 01, we're showing a lot of new features," says Schardt of Komori. "This includes a new console for improved communication flow and open architecture, plus updated software for job reporting, ink key downloading from prepress, press maintenance, error reports on press, automatic sequencing of the makeready, and job storage and retrieval. Updated plate changers can now accommodate a polyester or double-sided plate or a metal plate."

At Print 01, MAN Roland is showing its full four-page press array:

• a 20 1/2x29 1/8" five-color Roland 205, a model rated at 13,000 sph;
• a 23 1/4x29 1/8" six-color Roland 306 LV with anilox coating module and extended delivery, rated at 15,000 sph; and
• a typical printing unit of the unique "open" Roland 500 press, a new 23 1/4x29 1/8" format, rated at 18,000 sph, designed specifically for packaging printing, featuring extensive automation (plate changing, format change-over, stock thickness set-up, and wash-up units for blanket and impression cylinders) and wide stock thickness range, extending from .004"to .04". The model is fitted with an in-line anilox coating module with extended "AirGlide" delivery.

Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses is unveiling the next-generation Diamond 1000, a 20x28" sheetfed displayed as a six-color press configured with special cylinders for higher-quality dot reproduction. It is designed to produce direct-mail work, sales collateral materials, point-of-purchase displays, and software packaging at speeds up to 15,000 sph.

Shinohara is exhibiting its Model 75 VIII P, an eight-color 23x29" convertible perfector for four-over-four work. Reports Leo Caproni III, general manager of Shinohara USA, "Demand for our 23x29" presses is huge, which has taken Shinohara by surprise. We knew the 29" was ideal for printers in the U.S. but we really did not anticipate the success of this product."

Meanwhile, KBA North America, which is showing its 74 Karat waterless press (along with a 47x64" six-color, called the show's largest sheetfed), has begun marketing the new Rapida 74, which KBA introduced at Drupa 2000.

The 20 1/2x29 1/8" press is available with up to eight or 10 units, with or without a tower coater. Modeled after the 40" Rapida 105, the Rapida 74 is equipped with automatic plate changers, CIP3 digital interface, automatic washers and ink roller wash, and KBA Densitronic closed-loop spectrophotometry system.

Following are several profiles of first-model users and early adopters, which typify some of the new applications of four-page presses. Turn to page 54 for reports of printers utilizing additional press innovations.

When Lake County Press, Inc. sought to upgrade its half-size press, managers took notice of Heidelberg's new Speedmaster CD 74 at Drupa 2000 and decided to add a six-color model plus coater. In February 2001 the high-end printer, located in Waukegan, Ill., 35 miles north of Chicago, became the first company in North America to install the press.

Coincidentally, the company, which billed $38 million last year, was replacing an older Speedmaster 74.

"We'd been talking with Heidelberg here and in Germany about the advantages of the CD cylinder configuration in our market and the mix of products we regularly produce," says Ralph L. Johnson, president and chief executive of Lake County Press. "We knew the 74 model eventually would be offered as a CD."

Adds Dan Murphy, pressroom foreman, "The CD model is just what we needed. We had eight years of experience running the 40" Speedmaster, so we were thrilled that Heidelberg incorporated those features into the 28" size."

Lake County Press used the older Speedmaster 74 to print award-winning jobs, adds Murphy, but it had a slightly smaller maximum sheet size and some limitations running heavier substrates. He says, "The new CD 74 handles a full 23x29" sheet and easily handles sheets from .002" up to .032" in thickness at up to 15,000 per hour. This is important because we frequently print covers for annual reports, high-profile corporate materials, pocket folders, and small point-of-sale pieces that generally use heavier stocks."

Other press features include a Technotrans blending system, which automatically mixes and cools the fountain solution for each unit; an anilox coating unit that provides a smooth coating laydown and a choice of several cell depths on the cylinder surface; redesigned water-chilled rollers; and Heidelberg's Drystar dryer for the extended delivery unit.

To cope with demand for more color usage, Classic Color, a 77-employee prepress firm in Oak Park, Ill., decided to take the leap into commercial printing. Last November, it installed a six-color 28" Lithrone from Komori.

"This press suits us perfectly," says Jeffrey Hernandez, Classic Color's vice president, "and it prints beautifully. We didn't feel that the 40" size would suit us because there's too much competition there and run lengths are decreasing. Also, we felt that Komori had the best computer-driven makeready features."

Advertising agency clients send job disks to Classic Color but it does not print everything it retouches or manages on the prepress side. "We're not just a printer," says Hernandez. "We put more value into our work because of the strength of our color reputation."

The first North American order for MAN Roland's new 200S sheetfed press was placed by Greenwell-Chisholm Printing Company, Inc., an 82-year-old general commercial shop in Owensboro, Ky. Installed there in October 2000, the 200S has a 20x29" format, an output rating of 13,000 sph, and such features as fast makeready, reduced waste, simplified operation, quick changeovers, and Pecom networking control.

"We needed a new press to handle the rapid growth of our four-color business," says president Carl Greenwell, who is the third generation of his family to manage the business. "What we heard about the Roland 200S sounded right for our operation, so we went to Drupa to watch it run. Its ability to handle a wide range of paper thicknesses plus its color capability give us more to offer our customers and keep jobs in house that we might otherwise have to outsource."

Greenwell-Chisholm, which employs 32 people and had been operating two two-color Roland 200 presses, had seen its growth soar in recent years, according to Tony Trego, vice president. "We were producing nice four-color work on the two-color presses, but we really needed a true four-color press to handle the growth in customer demand."

Trego concludes, "The half-size format is the only way to go. I don't see us moving into the 40" market but I do see us implementing CTP in the next few years, especially with prices dropping."

Westypo Printing Inc., established in 1961 as Westchester Typographic Service, now operates as a small, one-shift printer in Peekskill, N.Y., about 50 miles north of New York City. When clients began ordering more long-run four- and five-color work, Westypo president Mike McGugart decided to install a 28" five-color Mitsubishi Model 1F-13 (since rebranded as a Diamond model). Previously, the shop had depended on its 14x20" Heidelberg GTO four-color press.

"This was a big move for us, but a smart move," says McGugart. "Before, we weren't competitive on runs of 20,000 to 40,000 sheets, nor could we turn them as fast. Now we can compete for higher-volume work. The new five-color also saves us time and money because it's twice the size of our GTO."

McGugart has no plans to install CTP. "We print using film and metal plates so it doesn't make sense to install an all-digital workflow," says McGugart.

However, extensive automation on the new 28" press has provided faster turnaround and additional productivity. Says McGugart, "We come in Monday morning, fill the ink fountains, mount plates, and get into register in less than 30 minutes. The press is three to four times faster than our 20" four-color, which runs at 6,000 sheets per hour. Moreover, we can print and varnish four-color jobs or accommodate a fifth color much more efficiently."

"The 29" size is more profitable than the 40" press, especially on runs of less than 5,000 sheets," says Leo Caproni III of Shinohara USA. "Automation means that our press can be operated with one person, maybe one-and-a-half. Supply costs, makeready, power consumption, and return on investment are all better."

Counting both sides of the 23x29" sheet, Caproni notes, yields everything from a 12-page 8 1/2x11" signature to a two-up 11x25 1/2" three-panel folder.