CLIFTON, N.J. September 10, 2007 -- Officials of NEI Worldwide Graphics want their firm to be the best commercial printing operation in the Tri-State Region. Thanks to a recently installed eight-color Mitsubishi Diamond 3000TP Tandem Perfector, that goal is well within reach.
"This is a one-of-a-kind press," said Rick Breakstone, senior vice president of sales and marketing. "It is Mitsubishi's first Tandem Perfector equipped for one-pass printing and coating on both sides of the sheet. It has been a phenomenal addition to NEI."
Founded in 1991, NEI has evolved from a trade printer to a high-end commercial shop. The company prints brochures, promotional premiums, product launch packages and other color-critical materials for educational institutions, advertising agencies and design firms throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Products for the pharmaceutical industry represent a large niche for the printer. About 65 percent of the work is four-over-four with coating on both sides, according to Breakstone.
"We are set up as a one-stop shop," Breakstone said. "We take jobs from start to finish, all the way through die cutting, folding, stitching, and gluing — anything you can think of on the finishing end — and out the door."
The NEI facility encompasses art design, layout, digital photography and electronic prepress. A small-press division handles short-run, quick-turnaround work. The 40-inch division features the Mitsubishi four-over-four double-coater perfector, along with a six-color and seven-color press, both with aqueous coaters.
Mitsubishi introduced two-sided printing and coating to the marketplace with the Diamond 3000R Double Diamond convertible perfector. The double coater version of the Tandem Perfector features tower coaters before and after the Translink unit. The Translink — a three-cylinder transfer system — passes backside printed sheets to the front-side units without flipping the sheets. The same gripper edge is maintained throughout the run.
"Because of the common gripper, there are less scuffing problems on the printed sheet," observed Gary Swenson, president and CEO. "The press can lay down heavy coverage with tints and solids or white backgrounds without any problems at all. It's an amazing sales tool."
Breakstone added that customers appreciate the quality and convenience afforded by the press.
"Getting jobs on press fast and through the plant quickly is a priority for our customers and us," Breakstone pointed out. "The press has been great for customer approvals. We makeready the press in half the time it normally would take to makeready a conventional straight press. Customers love being able to OK two sides of the sheet simultaneously. Instead of spending a full day at the printer, they can be on their way and back to work."