Offset Printing

Austin Print Shop Takes the Plunge, Installs Speedmaster CD 102 from Heidelberg

Wednesday 11. June 2008 - Building a strong customer base in Austin, Texas is hard - so hard that John Eastty, president/owner of Aus-Tex Printing and Mailing, occasionally brings out his red boxing gloves to show his competition that he plans to win the fight.

“We must constantly stay competitive in this market, and we didn’t want to be the only company in Austin left without coating capabilities,” Eastty said. As a loyal Heidelberg customer for years, Aus-Tex was already running four- and five-color presses, so the logical next step was to incorporate a new 6-color Speedmaster CD 102 with coater. “We were sharing some of our customers with other local printers, but now that we have coating capabilities, we can handle all our customers’ needs in-house,” Eastty said. This is a key component to the growth strategy that Eastty sees advancing over the next few months. “When paired with the existing 5-color Speedmaster SM 102 with perfector, the new 6-color model is a great matchup,” Eastty said. “We feel much more prepared to attack the workload with ease, quality and speed.” Aus-Tex also boasts the complete Prinect workflow system from Heidelberg, which has been running for about two years. “Prinect has simplified everything in our entire structure,” Eastty said. “It allows us to have one complete pass, from the customer’s file to the finished product. Prinect is a great way to manage business for us.” Everything at Aus-Tex is color calibrated, including its digital copy equipment. Representatives from Aus-Tex even go directly to customers to ensure that their own computer screens are calibrated to match the system, so whether the proof is on the customer’s screen, the printer’s screen or the press proof, the color is perfect. Aux-Tex has expanded to serve customers on a national and even an international basis, and has been in operation in Austin since 1946. The company still runs two Heidelberg letterpress machines, including an award-winning 1947 flatbed. The shop also operates POLAR cutters, Stahlfolders, two Printmaster PM 46 presses, and a 5-color Speedmaster SM 52, and all this equipment compliments Aus-Tex’s extensive mailing and fulfillment division. “With a new modern facility, new equipment, and the best employees in Texas, we’re ready for round Two,” Eastty said.