Offset Printing
City Prints Formula for Success Begins with Heidelberg
Thursday 14. May 2009 - For City Print, Inc., Wichita, Kan., the value of owning Heidelberg equipment boils down the quality of the finished piece and a lack of unproductive downtime.
The ambitious commercial printer, which installed its first Speedmaster SM 52 4-color press four years ago, recently acquired a second press identical to the first, but with the addition of Heidelbergs Peak Performance Package and high-pile delivery, which enables City Print to compete against larger presses. To date, the older SM 52 has logged more than 30 million impressions and, incredibly, just two minor service calls. The new press is catching up fast, however, logging more than three million impressions in less than six months of operation.
“The Speedmaster 52 performs flawlessly, no matter what were running,” said General Manager Steven Harshbarger. “A lot of our business is geared toward shorter runs of a variety of materials, so quick setups and changeovers are important for us. With Heidelberg, we never have to worry about reliability. Its mind-boggling how well their equipment holds up.”
City Prints customers have taken notice. Founded in 1978, the $4 million, family run company is growing by leaps and bounds, serving some of the biggest direct mail marketers in the country. As long as “we keep installing faster, more efficient equipment,” Harshbarger said, he anticipates continued success for City Print.
The company also operates four existing Printmaster QM 46 2-color presses, a POLAR 78 X and 92 XT high-speed programmable cutters, a pair of Stahlfolder B20 folders with right-angle attachments, and a violet Prosetter 52 CtP device with front-end software by Heidelberg. The company employs 28.