December 5, 2007 - HAWTHORNE, Calif. - There is an unmistakable note of pleasure and pride in Ed Chernoff's voice when he says, "We are known for the ridiculous." By that, the president of Marina Graphic Center Inc. means the family-owned shop enjoys a reputation for turning around jobs on time against incredibly tight deadlines.
"Files many times arrive late in the afternoon. The job is prepped and plated that evening. The job is run on the second shift, and the finished project is in the bindery either late that night or first thing the next morning ready to go out," Chernoff explained. "That happens quite often."
Marina Graphic Center's reputation is secure, especially since the printer added the fastest, most automated 40-inch sheetfed press from Mitsubishi.
Marina Graphic Center wasn't lacking for the tools needed to ensure quick turnarounds when it invested in the six-color Diamond 3000LS with coater. The pressroom boasted a highly automated, six-color Diamond 3000S with coater that was only 2 years old, along with a five-color, 40-inch press with coater, a two-color, 40-inch perfector and a six-color, 28-inch machine with coater. An assortment of small-format presses also ran their share of one- and two-color work.
"It seemed like so much of our work was gravitating toward the first Mitsubishi press because of its speed and fast makereadies," Chernoff recalled. "The workload on that one press was becoming disproportionate. The new press will help even out the workload."
Marina Graphic Center was founded in 1964. The staff currently consists of 115 full-time and part-time employees. Sales, administration, prepress, printing and paper storage functions occur in the 27,000-square-foot main plant. The bindery, quality control, fulfillment and shipping departments occupy a second facility with 13,500 square feet.
Generating $15 million in annual sales, Marina Graphic Center offers short-run printing to customers in the health care, education, entertainment and nonprofit sectors. Typical projects include marketing materials, direct mail, brochures and customer-communication pieces. Run lengths vary from 5,000 to 15,000 sheets.
With such a makeready-driven operation, Marina Graphic Center outfits its presses with the latest options. For the Diamond 3000LS, the printer selected SimulChanger, Mitsubishi's exclusive simultaneous plate-changing system. SimulChanger replaces old plates with new ones on every printing unit in a single operation in approximately one minute.
"We felt that, because so many of our projects are short-run, SimulChanger would give us the ability to change plates and get up and running quicker," Chernoff said. "The system is functioning consistently. One of the benefits is accurate register. Very little makeready is required to achieve a perfect fit."
Another option the printer enjoys is the X-Rite auto scanning system. The closed-loop color management system works in conjunction with the Mitsubishi ColorLink CIP4 interface for automatic setting of ink fountains.
"Both Mitsubishi presses feature closed-loop color control," Chernoff pointed out. "It's useful in keeping makereadies to a minimum and adjusting ink on press with little or no operator involvement. The presses are nearly up to full color on the first pull."
On the inks side, the two Mitsubishi presses are equipped with Sentinel automatic ink-dispensing systems from Pamarco Global Graphics. Not only is ink flow and color density more consistent, but the canister-based system also is reducing Marina Graphic Center's waste ink. Plus, the presses stay absolutely neat because the fountains are filled evenly and automatically.
"We take pride in running a clean facility," Chernoff said. "Our customers are impressed by the orderliness and cleanliness of the pressroom."
To eliminate fountain solution dumping and extend the life of the fountain solution, Chernoff is retrofitting both presses with Prisco FloClear filtration systems. FloClear recirculates the fountain solution, removing contaminants while leaving critical ingredients formulated by the chemical manufacturer.
"The fountain solution stays fresh, which helps maintain color quality and lessen the environmental impact caused by frequently replacing the solution," Chernoff noted.
The Diamond 3000LS has been in operation since August, and the printer expects to realize substantial efficiencies.
"Our long-term goals are more throughput and better utilization of manpower," Chernoff said. "The new press is faster and the makereadies quicker than any press we run. Overall, it will make our operation more efficient."