Southern Lithoplate Integra 830P Thermal Plates Integrated Into Fineline Graphics Production
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WAKE FOREST, N.C. – Fine Line Graphics, a one-stop commercial print shop located in Columbus, Ohio, has switched to using Southern Lithoplate Integra® 830 P thermal plates to improve production at its 38,000-square-foot facility. SLP’s flagship positive-working, no-prebake plate is designed for fast, precise imaging in prepress and consistent, reliable printing on press.
“The Integra plate allows us to print with less water and chemistry,” said James Basch, president and treasurer. “That automatically translates into faster makereadies, a reduction in paper waste and increased efficiencies. We are confident that we will be able to enjoy measurable savings over time.”
Established in 1982, Fine Line Graphics specializes in printing, mailing and fulfillment for direct mail and retail. The 45-employee firm exclusively runs 40-inch sheetfed presses to deliver high-end brochures, catalogs and in-store materials. Its pressroom houses a two-color Miller perfector and two Komori presses (an eight-color and a six-color) that accommodate sheets ranging from 17.5 x 22.5 inches up to 28 x 40 inches. Equipment additions in the pressroom and bindery have been key to handling a wide variety of jobs at an affordable price.
“The plates we had been using were good plates,” Basch said, “but we began experiencing some service issues with the manufacturer, which afforded us an opportunity to look at other vendors. As conversations with SLP developed, it became apparent that our companies share similar business philosophies. SLP is an American-owned, family-run operation. They care about their employees and customers, and are concerned with how they present themselves in the marketplace. SLP and Fine Line Graphics are a natural fit.”
SLP (www.slp.com) is a leading provider of digital plate solutions and associated products for the newspaper and high-quality commercial sheetfed printing markets. SLP’s service infrastructure is designed to support customer productivity and profitability from prepress through the pressroom and beyond. Equipment manufacturers have confidence in SLP’s ability to service customers’ prepress and pressroom technology, including computer-to-plate recorders and processors.
Printing with less water results in sharper dots, higher ink densities with excellent ink holdout and more consistent color during the run.
“The Integra delivers a noticeable improvement in quality,” Basch said. “Printed images are cleaner. We can print a smaller dot.”
The Integra plate also requires less chemistry to process and eliminates the need for baking. To complement the SLP plate, Fine Line Graphics invested in a Glunz Jensen 125 plate processor.
“The processor’s smaller footprint makes efficient use of space and facilitates easier maintenance,” Basch said.
With the Integra being manufactured at SLP’s Wake Forest, North Carolina, headquarters and in Grand Rapids, Michigan, availability will be better compared to other plate suppliers.
“With two distinct production lines in two distinct locations close enough to our facility, there’s little chance of supply being interrupted,” Basch said. “We have one less thing to worry about. It gives us peace of mind for strategic reasons.”
Responsive customer service from its new plate supplier is another thing Fine Line Graphics will not need to worry about, according to Basch.
“We are so fortunate to have found SLP,” Basch said. “It is a pleasure to do business with a company that is willing to discuss any product or service issues and address those issues head-on. We are excited to work with this great group of people.”
SLP is committed to working closely with customers to improve printing techniques and quality, such as participation in the Specifications for Newsprint Advertising Production (SNAP) Certificate Program. SLP also is helping customer partners print to G7-based specifications through its G7 Quality Program. State-of-the-art manufacturing facilities located in North Carolina and Michigan exceed the needs of SLP’s customer markets. The company is headquartered in Wake Forest, North Carolina, near the world-renowned Research Triangle Park.
CONTACT:
Steve Mattingly
Southern Lithoplate, Inc.
(800) 638-7990 ext. 2240
Fax: (919) 556-1977
SMattingly@slp.com
www.slp.com
