August 21, 2006 -- High-quality award-winning general commercial printer's move to new 40,000 sq ft plant prompts need to eliminate paper cracking, curl, and static with new air humidification systems DRAABE, the world's leading manufacturer of humidification systems, is announcing the installation of six DRAABE TurboFog 16 high-pressure humidifier systems, one DRAABE PerPur 2122 pure water system, and one DRAABE HighPur 202 high-pressure pulsed system at Colonial Printing Company, a high-quality, award-winning multi-color commercial printer located in Warwick, RI. The DRAABE systems were installed in November 2005. "When we moved from our old building to our new 40,000 sq ft facility in Warwick, we installed more presses to give us higher capacity," says Ray Menna, president and founder of Colonial Printing. "We needed the extra space and additional equipment to keep up with our fast growth. What we didn't expect were the problems incurred by all of this equipment running two shifts a day. We started to see humidification problems, such as paper cracking, curl, and static that we had never encountered in our old facility. We knew we had to humidify the building." After researching the different humidification firms on the market for the graphic arts industry, Menna decided to install the DRAABE equipment. Six DRAABE TurboFog 16 high-pressure humidifier units were installed throughout the facility along with a DRAABE PerPur 2122 pure water system and a DRAABE HighPur 202 high-pressure pulsed system. DRAABE + Colonial = Same commitment to high quality "We looked at all the systems on the market, but we felt that DRAABE matched our commitment to high-quality print production," says Menna. "We felt that the TurboFog humidifier systems would provide us with lower energy consumption than compressed air or steam systems. The special water treatment used on the DRAABE systems ensures a 100% hygienic operation to provide pure water with no germs. And we were quite pleased with the titanium nozzle design on the TurboFog units because they would provide ultra-fine atomization with no dripping throughout the plant." The DRAABE TurboFog high-pressure air humidification system features a pulsating hydraulic flow and special titanium nozzles that atomize the water to a micro-fine aerosol directly in the room. Not only is this procedure very energy efficient, it is also quiet and absolutely drip free. The air humidity is controlled by a precision hydrostat. The atomization is activated as soon as the air humidity falls below the set optimum value. Only highly pure, de-mineralized water from a reverse osmosis unit integrated in the DRAABE System is used in order to ensure hygienic and trouble-free operation of the air humidification system. The pure water produced in the reverse osmosis unit will also be used as standardized process water to feed all printing presses at Colonial Printing. "In the future we can use the specially-treated water from the humidification units as process water for our new Lithrone printing machine," says Menna. "By using this pure water, we'll be able to reduce abrasion and corrosion on press and slash our chemical consumption by up to 50%. Having this type of system from DRAABE gives us real double benefits." DRAABE's expertise provides worry-free operation Colonial Printing also liked DRAABE's rental system approach, in which Colonial would be renting the water treatment and high-pressure pump with an automatic exchange every six months for servicing and maintenance. "This was another mitigating factor for us to go with DRAABE," says Menna: "By renting the system, we're kept free from any maintenance work on the systems. We are no experts in water technology; DRAABE is the expert and they guarantee us a worry-free operation. We never even considered purchasing the units; for us the rental system is the best way." Since the humidification system installation, Colonial Printing has completely eliminated its paper curl, cracking, and static. "In the beginning we were very sceptic," recalls Menna, "but we tested it with paper positioned directly under the humidifier. The result was impressive; the paper remained totally dry." In addition, the firm's relative humidity throughout the facility is a constant optimal 50%. Quality product, excellent support staff "We're very confident in our decision to install the humidification system," says Menna. "The quality of the product is excellent and the support from DRAABE has been above-par. But what really sets DRAABE apart from its competitors is its support staff. Wafik Kouchouk, the director of sales from DRAABE, provided us with excellent consultation and left no question unanswered. He has formed a relationship with our firm that is built on trust and credible solutions." Founded in 1975 by Ray Menna, Colonial Printing Company is a high-quality multi-color family-owned commercial printer located in Warwick, RI. Its customer base consists of colleges and universities, advertising agencies, independent graphic design firms, manufacturers, high technology companies, as well as insurance and financial institutions. During the past several years, Colonial Printing has invested in purchasing new equipment and continues to explore new technology to benefit its customers. Currently, the firm features a fully-integrated prepress department with the most current multi-platform hardware and software configurations, a wide range of press sizes including a new Komori Lithrone L640 six-color 40-inch press with in-line aqueous coating and a new Komori Lithrone L628 six-color 28-inch press with in-line aqueous coating, and a full-automated bindery with high-speed cutters, joggers, and saddle stitchers.