September 2001 Issue
Combo Printing's Final Frontiers
Will combination presses boldly go where relatively few have gone before? by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor THOUGH COMBINATION PROCESS is now and will continue to be a strong contender in the package print market, that strength, at present, is concentrated in narrow-web applications, and configurations most commonly involving flexo/screen pairings. While machines outside this perimeter have been built, they are relatively rare. Here, suppliers summarize combo print possibilities for not-so-fully explored worlds. New World: Wider webs/CI formats Today's platform combo presses afford printers a considerable luxury: choice. The combo press's ability to print using different methods, in whatever order necessary, means the printer can
How the Bigger Get Better
Part one of a two-part series exploring how some of the largest prepress companies achieve major-league technology initiatives. by Terri McConnell, Prepress Editor Here we are again. At the point in the grand American economic cycle where it seems that big companies just keep getting bigger, while small companies battle for survival among the giants. As consumers languishing on the other end of perpetual hold, we might wonder just what's so great about the race towards consolidation. Frustrated with the complicated, sometimes dehumanizing experience of doing business with a corporate Goliath, it's easy to believe that mega-companies are endless, faceless entities where nothing
Smaller World (Bar Code Inspection)
The 2-D Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) bar code is beginning to crack mainstream applications. See below for a UPC update. by Susan Friedman, Editor A FRESH down-sizing initiative in the bar code arena may require converters to broaden approaches to bar code printing and inspection. New Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) bar codes, developed to address space-constrained applications, are smaller than Universal Product Codes (UPC), yet allow deeper levels of product identification. On meat packages and loose produce, RSS facilitates enhanced food safety and faster, more accurate checkouts. RSS codes on meat, for instance, can carry brand, cut, sell-by dates, or case information. On produce,
Sussing Trade Shop Facilities
by Michael Paeth, President, FlexoGrafix The one thing consistent in the world of prepress is change ... daily! If keeping up with new software, proofing, screening technology, plate exposure technology, direct-to-plate, and the myriad of other ever-changing facets of prepress isn't for you, you are not alone. But before you put your work into the hands of a trade shop, you should evaluate your needs, and then evaluate the trade shop that will be getting your work. Here are the "Top 10" criteria (in ascending order) to keep in mind when deciding on a trade shop to handle your work. Since everyone's needs
Venus Rising for Diamond Packaging
Gillette taps Diamond Packaging, and its Global Packaging Alliance partners, for consistency and quality in the international Venus shaving system launch. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor WHEN A PRODUCT invokes the Roman goddess of love and beauty, its packaging had better be something special. The Gillette Company realized this early in the development of its Venus shaving system, and called on Rochester, NY-based Diamond Packaging to deliver an eye-catching yet cost-effective line of cartons and razor cards for the product launch. The 90-year-old independent folding carton converter worked with Gillette on its MACH3 launch two years ago, and lists such other notables as Eastman
