Ripon, Wisconsin — It was less than a year ago that coldset web powerhouse Ripon Community Printers installed its first heatset press — an eight-unit ROTOMAN from MAN Roland. The company has proved to be a fast learner, recently walking away with a variety of major print quality awards, only nine months after starting up the press. Ripon used its ROTOMAN to win three first-place prizes in the Graphic Excellence Awards sponsored by the Printing Industries of Wisconsin. The categories were Web Press Printing, Uncoated Paper; Product/Service Catalogs; and Service Booklets and Brochures. Ripon and its ROTOMAN also won secondary honors for Heatset Newspaper Inserts; Magazine Series; Web Press Printing, Coated Paper; and Soft Cover Books. “These awards are a tribute to our press operators who made the transition from coldset to heatset a fast and productive one,” says Andy Lyke, one of the company’s owners and its president. “They also send a signal to our customers that they can count on Ripon for the highest quality heatset printing on any project they assign us. The consistency of our MAN Roland ROTOMAN makes that promise a reality.” All told, including sheetfed and coldset categories, Ripon Community Printers won 17 awards out of 22 entries in the Printing Industries of Wisconsin competition. The first place winners will automatically be entered in the national Premiere Print Awards, better known as the Benny Awards, which are run by PIA. But Ripon doesn’t have to wait for the Bennys to see if it will achieve nationwide honors for its heatset prowess. A ROTOMAN-produced piece won second place honors in a national Web Offset Association competition last month. “The PIW and WOA victories are amazing accomplishments for Ripon Community Printers,” says Vincent Lapinski, COO of Web Press Operations at MAN Roland Inc. “To go from never having produced a heatset piece to winning major awards in less than a year says a lot about the skill, commitment and professionalism of the team at Ripon. MAN Roland is proud to partner with a first class team like Ripon Community Printers.”