CHICAGO -- R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company  today announced its latest imaging technology breakthrough, which combines the full variability of inkjet imaging with the speed, quality, flexibility and economics of offset materials. Developed in-house, the proprietary technology will be deployed on presses within RR Donnelley’s production platform in 2010 and beyond.

“This innovation opens the door to significantly more flexible and affordable targeted print communications,” said Thomas J. Quinlan III, RR Donnelley’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “This advance enables variable imaging at higher speeds, across wider webs and on a broader selection of papers and label materials. For the first time, it brings offset economics to variable imaging.”

Developed by RR Donnelley engineers under the code name Apollo, this technology also offers enhanced variable imaging capabilities, such as jetting MICR and other specialty offset inks onto a wider range of paper stocks.

John Paloian, RR Donnelley’s Chief Operating Officer added, “Direct mail and label imaging are just two of the applications for which this new technology will deliver superior quality and value. We developed this proprietary technology in response to customers’ demand for improved performance and affordability. We believe that it will not only change the way that variable imaging is accomplished, it will broaden the number of applications for this important technology.”

According to Mary Lee Schneider, RR Donnelley’s Chief Technology Officer, the company features more than 1,000 commercial and proprietary units with digital capabilities. Included among those are conventional long run presses that have been retrofitted with the company’s high speed, high quality digital color capabilities. This breakthrough comes close on the heels of the 1200 dpi 4 color inkjet press that we announced in 2008.”

RR Donnelley’s growing list of proprietary imaging technologies positions the company to move into applications beyond putting ink on paper.

“This new technology signals clearly that RR Donnelley’s active R&D pipeline is delivering important imaging breakthroughs that will have broad applications for our customers across the world,” concluded Quinlan.