Screen (U.S.A.)

IN-PLANTS DEPEND heavily upon the skills of a few key individuals to remain productive: production managers, bindery operators, prepress technicians, computer systems managers, or any number of other specialized personnel that are a part of the print production workflow. When one or more of these people are absent, the whole workflow may suffer. Many in-plants are turning to workflow systems to help mitigate this problem. Workflow systems help to standardize how we process jobs. When we rely on key individuals, we are depending on them to remember what they did last time to solve a problem, or how to most efficiently move a job

When the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) added a Screen PlateRite 4000 to its in-plant seven years ago, it was happy to leave film behind and enter the computer-to-plate world. That world, though, was not entirely problem free. “It was starting to get expensive to eliminate the chemicals,” remarks Dean Gray, director of Materials Management. Plus, having to handle hazardous waste did not exactly make the in-plant an environmentally friendly place. The in-plant recently tackled this issue head-on by switching to chemistry-free Agfa :Azura plates. A new :Azura C85 processor has been installed, and the shop made an almost seamless transition to the new plates.

Ken Leslie, founder and president of Strategic Search Consultants, has been named chairperson of Xplor International’s board of directors. An Xplor member since 1994, Ken has been the Midwest region’s representative on the association board of directors the past three years. Ken has also served on the board’s membership, conference and nominating committees as well as chaired the compensation committee. Ken has served as an officer for the Ohio chapter of Xplor and received his EDP certification in 2001. In his new role, Ken will work with Xplor’s president and CEO, Skip Henk, to execute the association’s strategic vision and direction.

Mike Fox, formerly senior vice president of sales and services for Screen (USA), has been promoted to company president. In his new role, Fox has primary responsibility for the planning and execution of all activities that promote Screen’s portfolio of digital prepress and printing solutions throughout the United States, Latin America and Canada. Fox has managed the Screen (USA) sales team since 2000, supervising the outside sales force and establishing business relationships with new clientele in various markets. He implemented the company’s development strategy in the areas of computer-to-plate (CTP) and workflow systems. Fox succeeds Eiji (A.J.) Kakiuchi, who continues in his current position as board

Agfa The Acento II four-up CtP system brings thermal plate imaging in two versions: the Acento II E model and the high-productivity :Acento II S. Acento II images all thermal digital plates sensitized for 830 nm lasers, including Agfa’s :Thermostar Plus, the new :Energy range of plates, as well as chemistry-free :Azura and developer-free :Amigo. The Avalon family of thermal plate­setters offers increased convenience, reliability and functionality and features Agfa’s new Avalon HD Imaging Head. The Avalon comes in five basic configurations with throughputs ranging from 10 plates per hour (pph) for the LE model to 40 pph for the XXT model. The

Agfa ApogeeX 3.0 workflow software is based on PDF, JDF (Job Definition Format) and Digital Film. Featuring a single, easy-to-use user interface, it offers a range of capabilities. Provides extensive process automation and connectivity features. Apogee PrintDrive enables integration with non-Agfa workflow solutions and output systems. New step-and-repeat function requires a page to be RIPed and trapped only once. Apogee Raster Blaster helps integrate most non-Agfa output devices into workflow. Apogee Power Converter converts legacy formats to PDF. :Delano 2.6 project management system offers extended JDF connectivity. It offers better support for spot colors, an improved user interface and faster system responsiveness.

Thanks to two back-to-back installations, Ball State University Printing Services is producing work faster and at a lower cost. By Bob Neubauer For 10 long years Ken Johnson and his crew at Ball State University Printing Services have been slowly building an equipment reserve fund. Now payoff time has come. Over the past couple of months, the Muncie, Ind., in-plant has used its savings to make two major installations that will completely overhaul the 11-employee operation. First the shop installed a six-page thermal Screen (U.S.A.) PlateRite 4100 platesetter. Then, in April, it added a four-color Heidelberg Printmaster 52 perfector. The new capabilities will

The need for digital proofing is growing, as in-plants move to CTP. Does monitor-based proofing have a place in your shop? By Mark Smith and Bob Neubauer ith film disappearing from many in-plants' workflows due to the rise of computer-to-plate technology, the need for digital proofing has never been greater. Many new CTP users, like Ball State University Printing Services, are sticking with hard copy proofs. Now that it has a new Screen (U.S.A.) PlateRite 4100 platesetter, the Muncie, Ind., in-plant is using ink-jet proofs from Kodak Polychrome Graphics' Matchprint ProofPro 2610 driven by a ProofPro RIP to proof jobs. "The color

If you run a lot of 500- to 10,000-page four-color jobs with tight turnaround times and have the right computer skills, digital offset printing may be just what you need. By Bob Atkinson In-plants face increasing demands for short-run, fast-turnaround jobs, including full-color work. The problem? The traditional film/plate/ press route is poorly suited for these types of jobs. New technology has offered some help with this problem, first in the form of computer-to-plate (CTP) systems that eliminate the time and costs associated with film. Then, starting about a decade ago, an even more powerful technology arrived: digital printing, where a RIP

Smaller formats, chemistry-free alternatives and a variety of imaging technologies are motivating in-plants to successfully—and profitably—bring computer-to-plate imaging in-house. By Vincent De Franco Doug Fenske is one of the growing number of in-plant managers who have realized the benefits and profitability of converting to a computer-to-plate (CTP) workflow. "It's just awesome," he enthuses, referring to the productivity gains he's enjoyed since leading the transformation of the Minnesota State University at Mankato Print Center to CTP. According to Fenske, the range of new opportunities and benefits includes perfect registration, faster imaging speeds and significant process improvements. "It's just so cool," he says.