KENNESAW, Ga. -- October 2, 2007  -- Among the absolute requirements for running a printing business in remote Juneau, Alaska is reliable equipment. To Rich Stone, general manager of Alaska Litho, the Heidelberg brand is synonymous with dependability. When the 37-year-old commercial print shop moved to more spacious quarters last year, it also undertook a technology upgrade, replacing an aging Heidelberg GTO with a new 4-color Printmaster PM 74 press, and adding a POLAR cutting system and Stahlfolder B 26 folder to its postpress lineup.
"The Printmaster 74 more than triples our production capacity," Stone says, citing the automated features of the new press and the advantages of its 20x29" sheet size over the 14x20" GTO. "It's nice to know that as we continue to build our business, we'll have a press that can handle the increased volume."
The addition of the "rock solid" cutter and folder also gave Stone confidence that Alaska Litho will never be left out in the cold when bindery challenges arise. With 16 employees and yearly sales of $2.5 million, Alaska Litho provides a regional customer base comprised of government agencies, small corporations, the seafood industry and tourism-related businesses with brochures, rack cards, calendars, posters, cookbooks, promotional materials and annual reports. The company has been a Heidelberg customer since the early 1980s.