ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. — Gross Printing Company, LLC is a perfect example of a printer that found an affordable entry into four-color work with the Screen Truepress 344 direct imaging press.

"With the Truepress 344 as stepping stone, we can market ourselves as a four-color print shop," said Samson Gross, owner of the seven-employee firm in Brooklyn, N.Y. "The press will enable us to handle color work in-house that we had been outsourcing. We can give our customers fast turnarounds and high quality on a wider variety of short-run jobs at competitive prices."

A relatively young company, Gross Printing opened for business four years ago with an interest in social printing.

"We started out printing wedding invitations, cards, envelopes and flyers," Gross explained. "After about a year, we decided to specialize in trade printing. We acquired a two-color Ryobi 3302 and a Halm Jet press and began adding business identity kits and other high-end projects using two PMS colors."

The area of Brooklyn where Gross Printing is located is home to numerous private schools, synagogues and churches. These organizations host membership programs and charitable events, often held in different cities and states. Support materials in quantities ranging from 1,000 to 50,000 pieces, such as letters, postcards and 12-page to 16-page booklets, frequently need to be printed on very short notice.

"Over the past year or two, a growing percentage of our work has called for four colors," Gross said.

In order to expand the capabilities the company needed to satisfy all of its clients' print requirements, Gross Printing investigated different printing technologies.

"We undertook extensive research on conventional offset presses and digital offset presses," Gross said. "In the end, the Truepress 344 proved to be the best fit for our needs."

This technologically advanced direct imaging press produces economical print runs with a maximum 13.4 x 18.5-inch sheet and color fidelity that compares to larger conventional offset equipment. Thanks to its highly automated functions, one operator can manage the job from workflow to printing. Processless polyester plates are imaged on press at a maximum resolution of 2,400 dpi. The Truepress 344 prints exceptionally high screen rulings, including Spekta 2 650 lpi screening.

"The print quality is amazing," Gross said. "The Truepress 344 does a great job laying down medium and heavy ink coverage."

The low cost of printing increases the profit margin per job, Gross added.

"The Truepress 344 saved us the expense of purchasing an offline CTP system," Gross pointed out. "The cost of plates for the press is about half the cost of plates for competing direct imaging presses. Plus, the press does not require special proprietary inks. It runs with standard inks. We have work on the machine every day and are able to turn around jobs quickly. We bought the Truepress 344 to increase our revenues and bottom line, and it definitely has done that."