PLACENTIA, CA – May 17, 2023 – RMGT, manufacturer of the leading 8-up sheetfed press in North America, this past summer installed two new offset machines to state-government agencies in Austin, TX. In June, a 29-inch, four-color 790 model perfecting press was delivered to the Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) in-plant facility. Two months later, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) took delivery of a four-color, 25.2x37" RMGT 940ST offset press with an LED-UV curing unit, replacing its 4-color Ryobi 754G XL, which was seven years old.

“These recent press installations, at two autonomous facilities, offer concrete proof that offset printing is far from dead at in-plant shops,” believes Kian Hemmen, sales director of RMGT Print & Finishing Solutions. “Challenged by labor shortages from staff retirements, many in-
plant operations are realizing the efficiencies that advanced automation and larger sheet sizes can bring. The return on investment is there.”

Texas DOT sees benefit of LED-UV curing
One of the outstanding features of the new RMGT 940ST is the LED-UV curing unit, which instantly dries printed sheets. “It doesn’t matter how much ink coverage we have. We print it and it’s dry. The job can move immediately to the bindery,” remarks Art Garcia, Production Manager, Texas DOT. “Additionally, there are no worries about ink offset on the sheets, so the operator can let printed sheets pile higher without having to stop periodically to remove them. Instant drying also means the press does not need to use powder, which reduces clean-up time. We don’t have to do as much maintenance,” affirms Garcia. Another major improvement with the RMGT 9 Series press is the larger sheet size. The new press enables TxDOT to run 16-page and even 32-page signatures, so it can take on more publications work. Garcia estimates productivity has increased 50% just because of the larger sheet size.

With a larger sheet size enabling the shop to expand the types of work it can produce, and an LED-UV curing unit that instantly dries printed sheets, the new 15,000-sheet-per-hour (sph) press has stepped up productivity at TxDOT’s 130,000-square-foot plant. Substantial production efficiencies are what led both agencies to justify procuring conventional printing equipment.

More four-color work at Health and Human Services
After operating the B2 size perfector, which includes a coater, for more than 180 days, HHS Director Paul Kida and his 24 employees like what they’ve seen so far -- especially in terms of speedy makeready times and overall production efficiency. Replacing a 30-year-old Heidelberg press, the RMGT 790 runs up to 16,000 8½-x-11” sph in HHS’s 38,000-square-foot plant.“We are producing more color work,” Kida said, “and the coating unit is a new capability.” He estimates that 4-color process (CMYK) work now represents some 40% of the shop’s monthly page volume, which typically exceeds 6 million impressions. HHS prints products such as brochures, booklets, posters, pocket folders, calendars, presentation materials and mailers. “A lot of our informational pieces require attention-grabbing photograph reproduction,” Kida added. “That’s where the color capabilities come into play.”

“Automatic plate changing as well as auto blanket and ink-roller cleaning expedite the 790’s makeready times,” noted RMGT’s Hemmen. “In addition, programmable inking speeds up tone adjustments.” The press also features continuous dampening and print-density control systems.

Kida admits to considering digital press options before recommitting to an offset solution. “We did our homework,” he shared, which included weighing pros and cons of the latest production inkjet printing technologies. As part of HHS’s due diligence process, he visited TxDOT to see a RMGT 7 offset model in action. “I also checked out an eight-color version at a local commercial printer,” he said. “Both sites offered positive feedback about their respective RMGT presses.”

About RMGT North America
RMGT (RYOBI HMI Graphic Technology Ltd.), a global leader in LED-UV sheetfed offset presses, is represented by a group of four authorized sales and service centers that serve commercial printers, offset packaging converters and in-plant printers in the United States and Canada. Covering the Northeast US is G.E. Richards, Midwest and Southeast US is serviced by Graphco, the Western US is serviced by Print & Finishing Solutions and covering Canada along with the RMGT 10 Series distribution in the US for legacy
Mitsubishi customers is RM Machinery. This network constitutes the single largest offset press sales and service team in North America. As innovators of the first LED-UV printing system for sheetfed offset printing in 2008. RMGT continues to apply their technological expertise and creativity for constant innovation, providing the printing industry with meaningful products and services while building bonds of trust and respecting diverse values. Learn more about RMGT North America at www.ryobimhi.com
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Copyright 2023. All brand names are the property of their respective owners and may or may not be trademarked.

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University of Missouri Print & Mail Services garners top recognition at the 2023 “In-Print Awards.”

SOLON, OH – May 24, 2022 –In 2019, Graphco, distributor of the industry leading eight-up sheetfed offset press in North America, provided an RMGT 940 five-color press (with coater and LED-UV curing unit) that was used to produce two Gold Award winning pieces for the University of Missouri at the 2023 In-Print Awards competition. The annual contest, co-sponsored by the In-Plant Printing & Mailing Association (IPMA) and In-plant Impressions magazine, is held exclusively for in-plant shops from across industry segments.

The University of Missouri faced stiff competition from several other large U.S. universities along with other contestants. (View the complete list of 30 winners.) Capturing gold in the “Booklet” category, the large-format Viewbook is used to help recruit prospective high-school seniors (and their families) to the University of Missouri. “We mail it as a periodical to optimize postage rates,” explained Jeff McNeeley, Director of the University’s 50,000-square-foot print/mail operation, which employs 33 people. The four-color publication features spot high-gloss varnish on the cover and is saddle-stitched in the bindery. MU Health, as the “Magazine/Catalog” category winner, is also printed 4/C, saddle-stitched and mailed to a different audience: the University Medical System’s healthcare patients.

Derek Gordon, Midwest regional manager at Graphco, stated: “We are proud to play a part of the University of Missouri’s success. The large runs of 100,000 and 50,000 copies [see specs, below] are above their norm—since they average 3,000 and 5,000 impressions per run – but it’s no surprise that their RMGT press brought home the gold!” 

Additional job specifications: 

• Mizzou Viewbook – 32 pages plus cover / trim size 10½ x 14” / 100,000 quantity
• MU Health biannual magazine – 16 pp. + cover / trim size 8½ x 11” / 50M

Mizzou Viewbook

MU Health biannual magazine

“We love the fact that the jobs come off our press dry and we can finish immediately,” continued McNeeley, who, along with his press crew, has fully transitioned from conventional to LED-cured inks on their 8-up offset press. “With the right ink sets and G7 profiling, our colors are extremely consistent. RMGT’s Insta.Color system is closed-loop, and we are dialed in now. There was very little variance on that 100,000, multiple-day Viewbook run,” he said, adding that one of the school colors is gold (PMS 124), which can pose a challenge. “It’s really more of a reddish yellow, which we build from CMYK to match -- and need to maintain extremely tight tolerances for Mizzou branding purposes.”

From a bottom-line, machine ROI (return on investment) standpoint, the RMGT’s fast printing speeds (>15,000 sheets per hour) and substantial paper savings enhance overall production efficiencies for the award winning in-plant printer. “Makereadies are just more efficient,” McNeeley reported. University of Missouri press operators confirm that their RMGT Full Autoplate system changes all 5 plates in less than 3 minutes and they now use much less waste paper on their 9 Series press. 

“That’s a huge drop from our traditional 40” press, which was over 20 years old and would need about 1,600 waste sheets per run. So, essentially, we are able to makeready in half the time, and run 42% faster. A win-win for our operation,” he concluded.

These Gold Category winners, along with all the others can be seen at the IPMA annual conference being held on June 4-8, 2023 in Bonita Springs, FL. For more information, go to https://ipma.org/ipma-2023-conference.

Award-Winning University of MO Printing Team

About Graphco
Graphco is the industry’s leading provider of offset, digital, and print finishing solutions. We proudly represent the finest brands of equipment including RMGT (Ryobi MHI Graphic Technology), Benford LED-UV, Konica Minolta, Standard Horizon, CRON-ECRM, Graphic Whizard, Petratto, Spiel Associates/Sterling, MBM, and many more. These brands are only as good as the technical support team that stands behind them and Graphco’s reputation for top-notch service is second to none. Since 1976, Graphco has thrived in an ever-changing marketplace by loyally adhering to the firm’s original model for success: providing best-in-class print production equipment along with reliable and assured technical service. Learn more about Graphco at www.graphco.com, 800-458-2769.

Copyright 2023. All brand names are the property of their respective owners and may or may not be trademarked.

If you would like to learn more about how the RMGT 970 will improve your printing facility, please fill out the form:

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ACUP+’s annual conference is a comprehensive professional development opportunity that includes educational sessions led by industry experts, dynamic roundtable discussions, networking and collaboration events, and an extensive vendor trade exhibit.

The 2023 ACUP+ Annual Conference will be held April 2-6 at the Embassy Suites Lincoln.  Register today!

 

We look forward to seeing you in Lincoln!

Register Here Today!

The post <strong>57th Association of College and University Printers (ACUP+) Annual Conference</strong> appeared first on Graphco.

COLUMBIA, MO – July 27, 2020 — The University of Missouri Print & Mail Services is ranked by In-Plant Impressions as the 10th largest University In-plant in the United States, with more than $7 million annual sales.  More than 70% of this revenue comes from offset printing as they produce recruitment, promotional and other outreach materials for their 30,000 students in run lengths and sheet formats that aren’t practical for digital.  In order to meet the University’s goal of improving the print quality of their materials, reducing manufacturing costs and eliminating equipment breakdowns, the University of Missouri recently installed a new RMGT 9 Series press to replace their Heidelberg Speedmaster 102 6-Color and MOZP 2-Color presses.

The new fully loaded 940ST-5+CC+LED-UV five-color with coater features RMGT’s Smart Insta.Color makeready technology and Fully Automatic Plate Changing along with GEW’s LeoLED-UV curing for both coated and non-coated work.  This suite of automation technology is already impacting the print quality, job costs and reliability of the University’s Print & Mail Services even during the first few months of operation.

Newfound Flexibility Saves University of Missouri Time & Expense

One of the biggest advantages the upgraded press provides is newfound flexibility. “At the University of Missouri, digital and offset can now work side by side symbiotically,” explains Jeff McNeeley, Director, University of Missouri Print & Mail Services. “If I’ve got a surplus of work in my digital area, I will move some of that to the offset area, and vice versa. If I’ve got a ton of small jobs all scheduled to run digital, we’ll gang them up and move them over to the new press. This option wasn’t possible on our previous Heidelberg. The flexibility saves not only time but expense. I’ll move from digital to offset a lot easier and quicker now than ever. It’s definitely cheaper to get started on this device than it was on our old device, hands down.”

In bringing LED-UV curing technology to their in-plant, University of Missouri Print & Mail Services has seen a great increase in efficiency, a welcome surprise to McNeeley. “Initially, LED-UV was the furthest thing from my mind. I didn’t think it was even an option,” he states. However, after much research, University of Missouri chose to equip their RMGT 9 Series with GEW’s new LeoLED-UV curing system and they are seeing the benefits in action. 

Jobs that would previously run at slower press speeds and needed to wait before proceeding are moving immediately into finishing thanks to the RMGT 9 Series 15,000 SPH speed and the ability to instantly cure inks and coatings on press. McNeeley cites one specific example of the LED-UV curing recently proving its true value. University of Missouri had a large job that needed to get done in a very short timeframe, consisting of several 30,000 16-page signatures printed in reflex blue. “As many in the industry know, reflex blue simply doesn’t dry, making the sheets difficult for the bindery to handle,” observes McNeeley. But after ordering LED-UV reflex blue for their RMGT press, they saw incredible results. “As soon as the sheets came out of the press, we started folding them. We were printing, folding and stitching all at the same time. That just would not have been possible with our legacy presses.” ​

“The closed-loop color management is a ‘night and day’ difference from our old workflow.”

Increased efficiency and consistent print quality are another key advantage that acquisition of the new RMGT 9 Series equipped with the Insta.Color has brought to Jeff’s department. “The closed-loop color management is a ‘night and day’ difference from our old workflow,” continues McNeeley. “Smart Insta.Color allows our prepress data to be directly loaded in the press so it can pre-ink the job, decreasing makeready times and reducing makeready waste.” He notes that makereadies that used to take up to an hour on the previous 40” press can now be completed in just 15 minutes on the RMGT 9 Series. “The quality here is just drop dead gorgeous,” mused McNeeley. “We’re getting nothing but compliments on our print quality. We’re ecstatic about it.”

“The University of Missouri-Columbia is a great example of an in-plant printing operation that chose to rely on LED-UV cured offset as the most cost-effective way to manufacture print,” states Chris Manley, President, Graphco, Distributor for RMGT in the Midwest and Southeast. “Jeff did a thorough analysis of their print needs including an evaluation of inkjet and digital technologies along with the other major press manufacturers products. Their conclusion validates that and RMGT press equipped LED-UV curing offers the best solution to produce the high-quality printing the University of Missouri departments demand.”  

“We realize that moving toward Graphco and RMGT after many decades of reliance on another vendor required a big leap of faith for Jeff and his Team,” continues Manley. “We will be here to earn that trust through thick and thin. The SEC is known for speed on the football field, so it’s also very exciting that the Missouri Tigers now joins the Alabama Crimson Tide as two SEC schools running very fast with their new RMGT 9 Series presses.”

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