Presstek is a leading manufacturer and marketer of digital offset printing business solutions. They recently announced that New York-based Advanced Digital Printing acquired a second Presstek 52DI digital offset press, only seven months after buying the first one. They wanted to expand their production of packaging materials to encompass the additional printed material their customers require.

The larger format size of the 52DI press, combined with its ability to handle heavy stocks and its fast and efficient makeready, allowed advanced digital to significantly expand their product offerings and revenues. The company has also added conventional die-cutting to facilitate the production of packaging items produced on board stock, applications that can only be produced because of the DI press.

Presstek DI presses are the most efficient means of producing fast turnaround short-run, high quality color on a wide range of substrates. All plates are simultaneously imaged on-press, in precise register, and all the press comes up to color quickly. The DI’s waterless printing ensures fast drying and reducing water consumption, and its chemistry-free platemaking combined with reduced paper waste also ensures cost effective production.

The Xerox Corporation announced that Ifolor AG, a photo and print lab based in Kreuzingen, Switzerland, has agreed to buy multiple Xerox iGen4 Presses. Recently, Xerox has sold more than 300 digital systems and software. In addition to the iGen4 Presses, Ifolor has also upgraded three of its existing iGen3 Digital Production Presses with Xerox’s new Automated Color Quality Suite Press Matching System. This sale is one of the world’s largest orders to date for the Xerox iGen systems.

Ifolor AG specializes in the digital production of photos, posters, photo books, greeting cards and calendars and delivers them to customers in Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The company will be one of the first print providers in the world to use the new Xerox iGen4 presses. The productivity of digital presses is a key factor to increasing print revenue. The iGen increases productivity by 25 to 35% by automating operator tasks, reducing the need to interrupt the press for adjustments and decreasing overall operating costs.

As a result, the iGen4 improves the break-even point between digital and traditional offset printing, making it faster and more economical to print jobs on digital.

Presstek announced the appointment of Rolf Schmidt KG as an additional new dealer in Germany. The Ronnenberg-based company distributes prepress, digital printers, related media and customer services and will focus on the distribution of the Presstek 52DI and 34DI digital offset presses in Germany’s northern regions.

Presstek DI digital offset presses are the ideal printing solution for Germany’s print communications providers as they continue the quality benefits of traditional offset presses with the digital workflow efficiencies of toner-based devices. Multiple studies indicate that over 80% of the four-color printing market requires quantities of 5,000 or less. This makes the Presstek DI the most profitable, high-quality solution to bridge the gap between the conventional offset presses and digital toner-based devices. The DI presses are also easy to integrate into existing printing environments.

Presstek’s highly automated sheetfed, four-color digital offset presses offer one of the most profitable solutions for quick turnaround, short-run high quality color printing. The DI presses do not require separate prepress systems since the chemistry-free plates are imaged directly on the press. The Presstek DI offers one of the lowest costs per sheet at run lengths of 500 to 10,000, a plus since 80% of the color printing market is 5,000 impressions or less.

Oce, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, has a PRISMA software suite that is being targeted to the demands of emerging hybrid digital and offset production workflows. As offset and digital printing converge in commercial print operations, Oce PRISMA software can support both printing methods and benefit graphic arts customers who are building a digital print operation to complement their classic offset business.

Oce’s software is ideal for every process step in modern print production workflow: document creation, scan and make-ready using Oce Document Designer and Oce DocSetter software; and web-to-print and soft-proofing solutions using Oce PRISMAweb and Oce TrueProof. Central output management solutions can be customized to fit the challenges of any environment. Maximizing efficiency and minimizing costs require that a traditional offset-print operation running concurrently with digital print infrastructure be managed by one efficient, comprehensive workflow.

Oce PRISMA software helps graphic arts customers use all their printing devices with maximum efficiency. The software configures hybrid workflows to drive different printing systems via a common platform and process, even across multiple sites.

With the addition of Asahi Kosoku Printing Co., Ltd., from Osaka City, Japan, Xerox Corporation’s Graphic Arts Premier Partners Program has reached 700 members. Dedicated to developing new business opportunities with digital technologies, this global network of leading print providers increased its membership 32% in 2007 with 164 graphic communications companies worldwide joining the program. The membership consists of companies in 48 countries on six continents. The growth in the Xerox Premier Partners membership was led by North America with 87 additional new members for a total of 328. There are 210 members in Europe, 89 in the Asia-Pacific region and 75 in other areas.

The latest addition to the program is Asahi Kosoku which provides digital and offset printing and expensive finishing and binding services. Fourteen Xerox Premier Partners from around the world have come together to provide an energy-saving, distribute and print-on-demand network to fulfill production of about 300,000 call-to-entry posters and flyers for 3,000 design schools in 36 countries. Graphic communications companies are invited to join the Partners Program based on their commitment to meeting their customers needs through Xerox digital printing systems and services.