Finishing & Screen Printing
PS Print Experiences Cost Savings with Addition of Stitchmaster ST 450 from Heidelberg
Tuesday 19. February 2008 - Chris Strabley, project manager of PS Print, LLC, calls his new Heidelberg Stitchmaster ST 450 saddlestitcher a "blessing." The stitcher has enhanced the speed, efficiency and automation of the postpress department for the Oakland, Calif. shop since its installation late last year.
More importantly, the shop can now do 95 percent of its binding work in-house, which equals cost savings for both PS Print and its customers. “The whole process is much cleaner and more efficient than what we had before,” Strabley said. “We have much more control over the binding process by minimizing outsourcing, which is a relief.” The Stitchmaster ST 450 runs just beside PS Prints offset press, minimizing the time it takes to get jobs from the press into customers hands. The saddlestitcher operates at up to 14,000 cycles per hour, and offers automatic presetting and synchronization of feeders, trimmer and stacker, all from a control touchscreen. PS Print is almost entirely Internet-based, with a large product line of four-color work available for orders across the U.S. and Canada. The company runs Heidelberg POLAR cutting equipment as well as Stahlfolder equipment, and plans to expand its bindery offerings from Heidelberg in 2008. Along with its sister plant located in Bethlehem, Pa., the company has more than 120 employees.