November 2, 2004 -- (press release) -- Our Oklahoma City plant recently started up its first two gravure presses, quite an impressive accomplishment for a plant that celebrates the one-year anniversary of its opening on October 29. In one year’s time, the plant has accrued an impressive client list and — at 761,000 square feet — has become the largest printing plant west of the Mississippi River. A showcase for the very latest in gravure technology, Quad/Graphics’ Oklahoma City plant promises to breathe new life into the market, offering flexible, high-quality gravure production at the speeds required to keep pace with the needs of today’s publishers and catalogers. Established entirely through greenfield growth, the plant is infusing the industry with cutting-edge capacity. Take, for instance, the plant’s Jackrabbit Gravure presses. Equipped with the latest automation from cylinder loading and unloading through product delivery, the presses are fast and flexible, swiftly delivering product in a variety of configurations and with minimal waste. Also within the plant’s walls are two “next generation,” fully automated cylinder engravers so advanced they can run with little human intervention and even can be directed remotely from other plants. Automating everything from cylinder loading and calibration through engraving and delivery to a cylinder storage system, these high-speed technological marvels — the first of their kind in the United States — dramatically reduce engraving time and costs while elevating quality. In combination, the technological advancements being pioneered at Quad/Graphics’ all-new gravure facility in Oklahoma City are morphing gravure into a process that’s more accessible than ever before. Traditionally a long-run process, gravure is fast becoming a cost-effective option for clients requiring shorter print runs, multiple versioning and quicker turnarounds. The plant’s high-speed gravure capabilities are further enhanced by its strategic location in the central United States, which enables timely, reliable distribution of printed product to major markets in the West. The Oklahoma City plant joins the printer’s two other gravure operations in Lomira, Wis., and Martinsburg, W.Va. Since entering gravure in 1986, the company has installed more than half of the industry’s entire gravure capacity.