New KBA Rapida 106 Six-Color 41" Press with LED Drying Technology Arriving at Crossmark Graphics When Crossmark Graphics began to search for a new sheetfed press in August 2015, the general commercial fi rm had two important criteria: advanced press technology and forging a strong partnership with the press supplier. After thorough reviews of the major press manufacturers, Crossmark Graphics chose KBA (Booth 1435) and its Rapida 106. The new Rapida 106 6-color 41" press plus coater arrived at Crossmark’s New Berlin, WI facility this past spring. “We were excited for the delivery of our new Rapida 106 press—our fi rst from KBA,” says James Dobrzynski Sr., Founder of Crossmark Graphics. “It has become our workhorse press day-to-day producing all types of print jobs including plastic, lenticular, and canvas. Our goal is to increase production by 20% and maintain our high quality levels from the fi rst to last sheet.” After narrowing its decision to the KBA Rapida 106, Dobrzynski and his team including daughter Tammy Rechner, President and CEO, and sons Jay, Mark, and Brian, interviewed current KBA Rapida 106 customers to gain their input on the press. Rapida 106 owners, they learned, said that KBA’s technology is more advanced than other manufacturers and that they forged strong partnerships with the fi rm long after the press was installed. These unsolicited comments, along with the press’s continual innovations to boost its performance, fl exibility, and cost effi ciency solidifi ed the decision to move forward with the KBA Rapida 106. Upon its arrival at Crossmark, the fi rm’s new Rapida 106 will be confi gured with a host of automated features unique to KBA such as fully-automated plate changing, CleanTronic, ErgoTronic color control, QualiTronic, LogoTronic, as well as a VariDry HL Blue IR/HA/UV drying system. While 80% of Crossmark’s business is derived from printing on paper, a fast-growing area is printing on plastic, which now encompasses 20% of the fi rm’s output. For the last 2 ½ years, Crossmark has had a non-KBA press equipped with LED, and seeing the benefi ts of LED wanted to be a complete LED printer, which provides low energy usage, no heat, no distortion of the sheet, and no odor. “I’m very proud to say that we have had back-to-back record years in both volume and profi t since adding LED UV,” says Dobrzynski. “I give credit to our great team for helping to pull it off. We couldn’t have done it without them. Additionally, we are doing a lot more high-value work on plastic substrates, and we are more effi cient when we run lenticular–and everyone knows how tough that can be to produce. And, as nearly everyone knows, those substrates are very expensive, so we watch the waste carefully.” Crossmark’s new KBA Rapida 106 press will also have an extra LED on the press enabling the fi rm to do more special effects. It is equipped with an extra LED lamp along with docking ports after each print station to give the fi rm full fl exibility, adds Dobrzynski Sr. Another important criterion for Crossmark Graphics is maintaining the highest quality standards for its customers and their print projects. To that end, Dobrzynski specifi ed the new press with an inline color control system. “The new QualiTronic ColorControl will read and monitor every sheet that goes through the press,” he says. “Its camera system is integrated directly into the press with LED illumination and permits fully automatic ink density measurements in control strips. As soon as printing starts, the control strips (L to r) The Crossmark Graphics team: Brian Dobrzynski, James Dobrzynski Sr., Tammy Rechner, Mark Dobrzynski, and Jay Dobrzynski, eagerly await the arrival of the new KBA Rapida 106 six-color 41" press with LED drying technology. are scanned directly in the press and the measured solid densities are presented on the screen in a live graphic display. The measurements are used as a basis for fast, dynamic inline color correction. It is also possible to create inline measurement reports in PDF format. It will give us high quality consistent color.” Dobrzynski credits his fi rm’s success with its utilization of cutting edge technology and talented professionals who are in the business of building relationships. He and his family members have maintained a mantra of meeting and exceeding their customers’ highest expectations and delivering “the impossible.” To accentuate that point, Dobrzynski recently received an email from a new customer who wrote, “You and your company made us feel important, no matter if it is a small or large job.” “We applaud Crossmark Graphics on its investment in this step-change printing and drying technology,” notes Steve Korn, Director of National and Key Accounts for KBA North America. “This capital expenditure will pay dividends for many years to come by providing Crossmark Graphics with a signifi cant competitive edge in the marketplace. The 41.73" wide and 29.13" around KBA Rapida 106 press, known industry- wide as the “makeready champion” will enable Crossmark Graphics to provide the highest quality offset printing and immediate drying with ease. Accompanied by high-level KBA technology, this new press will be the keystone for the second generation of owners at Crossmark Graphics. KBA is genuinely excited to partner with them.” Print and Paper Sustainability Takes Center Stage All members of the public are welcome to attend Two Sides North America’s annual meeting, which takes place today from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm in Room N320BC, North Building, Level 3. Two Sides North America was launched in 2012 to offer education and information about the sustainability of print and paper, as well as create a forum for members to work together and share experiences, improve standards and practices, and maximize customer confi dence in paper products. Mary Anne Hansan, Executive Director of the Paper and Packaging Board, will talk about the progress of the “Paper and Packaging–How Life Unfolds” consumption building campaign from the manufacturers and importers of paper and paper-based packaging. Hansan will also discuss preliminary plans for 2017. Martyn Eustace, Managing Director of Print Power Europe Ltd., will explain how print and paper are being promoted in Europe and, more widely, how the Two Sides campaign is correcting misleading environmental marketing across the world. He will report on the successes and the setbacks. Phil Riebel, President of Two Sides North America, Inc., will present the results of a Two Sides consumer perception study related to the environmental and social benefi ts of paper and print, as well as other recent Two Sides initiatives. Riebel will highlight the success of the anti-greenwash campaign, including the key fi ndings of a white paper: “Contrary to popular thinking: going paperless does not save trees.” “As usual we will have a few new things to present, including some new resources for teachers and students,” says Riebel, “and the results of a new U.S. nationwide consumer survey on the attractiveness and sustainability of print and paper with great results for our industry.” Offi cial Show Daily | PrintingNews.com GRAPH EXPO 16 | September 27, 2016 | 27
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