September 28, 2006 -- It's turning into a banner year for Cara Kass, COO of Hi-Tech Imaging in Marietta, Georgia. Last spring, she brought nationwide focus to the graphic arts industry by being selected as a 2006 Business Star by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council. Then this summer she engineered a major expansion of her printing company that involved moving Hi-Tech to a new location and the installation of a new ROLAND 500 press. The location change involved a six-mile trek from Smyrna to Marietta, where Hi-Tech now resides in a new 27,000 sq ft facility. “We moved up to the new plant to serve our customers better,” Kass says. Hi-Tech installed its new ROLAND 500 for much the same reason. The MAN Roland system is a six-color model complete with an inline coating unit and an extended delivery. It joins five-color and two-color 28-inch presses in Hi-Tech's pressroom. “We switched to MAN Roland because of the competitive advantage of the ROLAND 500's 23” x 29” press size,” Kass says. “The combination of the 6-up page size and speed allows us to be 50% more productive.” The ROLAND 500 is the fastest press in its class, capable of producing at the rate of 18,000 sheets per hour. Its automated makereadies, powered by its printnet operating and networking system, further accelerate its ability to print more profitably. Through Thick & Thin Versatility is another ROLAND 500 attribute that will be put to good use at Hi-Tech. The press can handle an extensive array of substrates, ranging from 40 pt. board to ultra-thin plastic film. “We will utilize the ROLAND 500 to print a wide variety of jobs, from postcards and corporate collateral to point of purchase signage,” Kass notes. “Its speed also will make it ideal for our longer run lengths.” In conjunction with its move to bigger and better quarters, Hi-Tech has installed a Vutek large format UV inkjet flatbed press. The digital system is able to output graphics up to 10 ft wide on multiple substrates. Kass sees it as an ideal production partner to the ROLAND 500 to complete POP and retail store projects. “Having a board press and a wide format press gives us the ability to cover a lot of new applications,” she says. “The Vutek also gets us into another market niche and gives us an additional service to offer our customers.” Hi-Tech is no stranger to expansion. The company was founded as a high-end prepress provider in 1984, servicing a wide variety of printers in the offset, screen and flexo markets. “We initially entered the print arena with a small digital press and quickly realized that it was not robust enough to service the existing client base we had,” Kass recalls. “Our vast prepress knowledge made it easy for us to implement CTP and file transfer software, enabling us to quickly embrace the latest technology advances in offset printing.” The move up to the advanced MAN Roland press was the next logical step in that climb. “It will more than double our current offset capacity and give us redundancy,” Kass says. “Our existing press is a five color. We will now be able to print six colors plus aqueous coating in one pass.” Recognition Rewards Hi-Tech is gearing up a marketing initiative to get word out on its enhanced offset capabilities to both existing customers and new prospects. The business-building recognition that its chief operating officer has received from Women's Business Enterprise National Council will no doubt add to the success of the effort. Kass was one of just 14 Women-Owned Business Stars selected from across the nation this year. “Being named a WBENC Business Star for 2006 was a very big honor,” she notes. “The Salute Gala in Washington D.C. provided exposure for Hi-Tech to many of our country's largest corporations. Being a part of WBENC has allowed me access to Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 corporations, as well as many very large women-owned companies.” The Hi-Tech chief operating officer sees the graphic arts growing stronger as more top-level opportunities open up for women. “Women are being recognized more and more in non-traditional businesses such as printing, construction and transportation,” she says. “When I was first asked to serve on the board of directors for the Printing Association of Georgia (PIAG) in 2004, I was the only woman on the board. This past year, a woman was named President of PIAG.” And now in Marietta, Georgia a woman runs a company powered by one of the world's most advanced six-up presses.