Offset Printing

Alabama Printer With Reputation for Quality Poised for More Growth With Heidelberg

Friday 13. June 2008 - McQuick Printing, headquartered in Montgomery, Ala., was founded in 1991 as an in-plant for a medical association.

Bill McGough purchased the shop in 1994 – and after years of steady growth, upgrades and two more acquisitions, McQuick now employs 36 across three locations. The shop has run Heidelberg presses since 1995, and the most recent addition to the floor is a new 5-color Speedmaster CD 74 with coater. “We’ve always been a Heidelberg shop; I’m a pressman from way back and I’ve always run Heidelbergs,” McGough said. “I’m from Germany. I believe in German equipment, as far as dependability and reliability.” That German precision and reliability has helped McQuick become a leader in the community when it comes to output quality. “We built a reputation around doing high quality work and delivering it when we said we would,” McGough said. McGough has traditionally bought used presses, but after looking long and hard at the used equipment market – and considering the vintage of the other presses on the floor – he opted to go with a brand new CD 74. “We needed to make a significant jump in the technological curve, so we felt strongly about purchasing a new press,” he said. “Plus, the extra help a new press manufacturer gives you has been great. Heidelberg has been really good about training, troubleshooting and helping us grow into this. The CD 74 was one of the smoothest installations we have ever had. It just was an easy transition. We had no hiccups.” In addition to the new press, McQuick also runs a Heidelberg Prosetter 74 platesetter in prepress; a 1-color SORK, 2-color Quickmaster 46 and 6-color SM 102 with perfector in the pressroom; and a Stitchmaster ST 270 saddlestitcher and two POLAR cutters in postpress. The shop uses Heidelberg consumables, including Perfect Dot blankets, blanket wash, fountain liners and Saphira plates and chemistry for its Prosetter. McGough is focused on the future and plans to offer Internet-based printing to his customers soon. “I think we are going to be one of the first in the state of Alabama to go Web to print, and this press has given us the capability to do that.”