JACKSON HEIGHTS, N.Y. -- As one of the largest independent converters of folding cartons in the United States, The Standard Group has established a track record for innovation and excellence. As a longtime user of Mitsubishi large-format folding carton presses, the Jackson Heights, N.Y.-based packaging specialist has been able to rely on Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses over the years for state-of-the-art printing technology.

The Standard Group is enhancing its production capabilities at the Southern Standard Cartons division in Louisville, Ky., with the installation of a Diamond V3000LX sheetfed press. The eight-color Diamond V3000LX, equipped with an ultraviolet (UV) coater, is a replacement for a seven-color, 51-inch Mitsubishi 5FC.

"We chose the 41-inch format offered by the Diamond V3000LX after careful consideration of the market trends that have been under way over the past few years," said Bill Jack, printing manager at Southern Standard Cartons. "The shorter run lengths that the packaging industry has been experiencing coupled with the improvements in efficiencies and the reduction in makeready times made possible by new Mitsubishi presses influenced our decision."

The Diamond V3000LX will share the pressroom floor at the 225,000-square-foot Southern Standard Cartons plant with two seven-color, large-format Mitsubishi carton presses -- another 5FC and a 56-inch 6FC -- both with aqueous coaters. By contrast, the Diamond V3000LX features a maximum sheet size of 29 1/2 x 41 11/32 inches. It prints on 0.0016-inch up to 0.040-inch stock at a rate of 16,200 sheets per hour.

Emphasizing food and private label products, Southern Standard Cartons provides folding cartons to leading branded and private label manufacturers. The company plans to capitalize on the Diamond V3000LX's color and coating configurations to attract new business.

"We anticipate that the press will open up a lot of horizons for us," Jack noted.