October 26th, 2008 - Based on feedback from customers, Goss International has identified and acted on the growing demand for a new 32-page 4x4 commercial heatset web press. The result is the new M-800 press, a model that borrows design elements from Goss M-1000 and Sunday presses and one that has already attracted orders from Mexico and Puerto Rico and interest from throughout the world since its launch in October last year.

John Dowling, a senior engineer responsible for press development at Goss International, says the specifically engineered press model fills a void between prior top-down and bottom-up attempts to address the 4x4 format. From the top, manufacturers - including Goss International with its Sunday 4000 model - have offered narrowed versions of larger four-around presses, with high-performance features and investment costs that were not compatible with some market requirements.

Other suppliers have addressed this market by converting single-width newspaper press designs to accommodate horizontal web paths. Achieving the print quality required for many heatset commercial jobs, however, can be a challenge with these modified presses, according to Dowling.

"We saw a significant number of customers with requirements that could not be met with existing 4x4 designs that were modified from the top down or bottom up," explains Dowling. "The only sure-fire solution was an entirely new print unit, designed from the ground up, that is appropriate for the unique requirements and that does not force compromises."

While the design of the M-800 printing unit is entirely original, Dowling's team started with some proven elements from Goss M-1000 and Sunday presses.

The in-line 2:2 cylinder configuration, a Goss International innovation and a signature feature of the M-1000 press, is insensitive to streaking. While the M-800 press utilizes flat blankets, the 12-roll inking and Duotrol dampening system are the same as those found in gapless Sunday 2000 presses. The same is true of the multi-drive print unit motor technology that allows operators to turn and plate each unit independently, and the Omnicon controls that deliver full compatibility with automated digital workflows.

Bearerless plate and blanket cylinders, originally introduced in the Goss Sunday presses, are also key components of the M-800 press, significantly reducing challenges related to rolling friction, torque, nip pressure and doubling. The bearerless cylinders also reduce the loads on bearings and the press frames by 50 percent.

The M-800 press is equipped with a Goss JF-70 collect folder that allows a single-web press to deliver up to 35,000 32-page signatures in collect production or 70,000 16-page signatures in straight production, while printing at speeds up to 11 meters per second (2,200 feet per minute). In addition, the press is available with Goss Contiweb splicers and Ecocool dryers.

The M-800 press fits well within the expansive Goss International commercial press portfolio. In the four-around format, it complements the gapless, high-speed Sunday 4000 and Sunday 5000 presses available in web-widths to 2.86 meters (112 inches).

The proof of the M-800 press capabilities will come from performance, and it will not be long before the first systems are in operation. Imprenta Ajusco in Mexico City and Advanced Graphic Printing (AGP) in Puerto Rico have already ordered the press. Imprenta Ajusco will install a four-unit press this fall, and AGP will follow with an eight-unit, stacked configuration in early 2009.

With its acquisition of the two-web M-800 press, AGP will introduce a new capability that was previously unavailable to its customers. Currently, the company can only print up to 32 magazine pages in a single press run. The new press will increase that capacity to 64 pages - a first for a printer in Puerto Rico.

"In the end, many customers were looking for optimum print quality in a 32 page, 4x4 format to complement their existing installed base of 4x2 16-page presses," explains Dowling. "Their specific request was an economical four-around press that can go 70,000 impressions an hour with a collect folder." With the 4x4 M-800 press, Goss International has filled this previously unmet market need and expanded the options for printers worldwide.