Offset Printing
Presstek 52DI Press Helps Circle Services Reduce Operating Costs by up to 30 Per Cent
Wednesday 21. October 2009 - Presstek, Inc., a leading manufacturer and marketer of digital offset printing solutions has announced that Circle Services, a commercial litho and digital printer, based in Southend, UK, has installed a Presstek 52DI B3 landscape digital offset press.
Circle Services installed the Presstek 52DI to turnaround short-to-medium run jobs quicker and more cost effectively. Since installing the system, Circle Services estimates that print runs of between 500 to 10,000 copies are now 20-30 per cent cheaper to produce than with its litho presses or toner-based devices. “The Presstek 52DI has bridged the gap between a Xerox digital toner-based printer and our six-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster 74 and 102 presses for short-to-medium run jobs,” said Martyn Austin, Managing Director at Circle Services.
Circle Services, which recently achieved ISO 9002 accreditation, prides itself on using the latest technology. “Whether were producing a high-profile corporate brochure or short-run jobs from our fast-growing online web ordering service, quality is paramount,” says Austin.
“We were well equipped for runs of up to 500 copies, and for longer runs over 10,000, but it wasnt proving cost or time-effective to print jobs like 500 or 1,000 four-colour business cards on a conventional B2 press. We tried to pull together as many short-run jobs as possible on one set of plates, but because of delivery deadlines this wasnt always feasible. In some cases, we were spending more time on makeready than printing the actual job. Plus we had to take into account the paper wastage associated with getting the press up to colour when printing short runs.”
Towards the end of 2007, Circle Services was introduced to the Presstek 34DI portrait press which, like the 52DI, images all four plates automatically on-press. “It successfully got us into the market and during the time we had it, we printed 9 million impressions,” says Austin. “However, it became apparent with the quantity of work we were putting through it that we needed the larger-format press with the stream feeder. Plus the Presstek 52DI allows us to print at up to 10,000sph.”
“The Presstek 52DI takes digital offset printing to the next level with its quality and speed. Its a very robust machine, and the inking power within its size range is excellent, “says Austin. “We have to turn a lot of our work around very quickly. In fact, we guarantee that jobs which come in by noon one day are couriered by the end of the following day. The 52DI is the perfect solution. It takes 50 per cent less time to makeready and print on the machine compared with our B2 litho press. The big advantage is that the plates are imaged on press. If a short-run job has to go through our platemaking department and theyre busy making B1 plates, it can hold up a job for a long time.”
“Its also very clean and easy to operate. We do run spot-colour jobs and its quick to wash up. Theres no chemistry to dispose of, and by using this waterless digital offset press, the jobs are almost dry when they come off press and are ready for finishing. If were doing work and turn jobs, this is very useful. Even if were printing it on silk-coated stock, we only have to wait 15 minutes before its dry.”