Chicago - R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced today the installation of its proprietary ProteusJet 1200 dpi color variable digital unit inline with an offset web press for direct response applications. ProteusJet, developed and built by RR Donnelley, offers fully variable color across the complete width of the offset web for superb inline personalization of high color pieces.

"This new line represents a significant breakthrough," said Tom Quinlan, RR Donnelley's Chief Executive Officer. "The unique ProteusJet variable digital printing units are already at work helping customers with applications ranging from on-demand book production to TransPromo statements. Now we are bringing its superb capabilities to direct marketing applications."

The unit will be fully operational in August of this year and will complement RR Donnelley's comprehensive Response Marketing Services direct mail offering that features end-to-end direct mail capabilities. The print line can run in three modes: offset only, offset plus digital full color, and digital full color only.

According to Mary Lee Schneider, the company's Chief Technology Officer, "ProteusJet offers a compelling mix of speed, quality and flexibility that will be exceptionally attractive to direct mailers. Direct marketers have been at the forefront of using personalization to produce proven results. We believe that designers will be delighted with this new line's ability to introduce four color imaging anywhere on the page and to do it inline with a conventional four-color process press. This opens a world of new creative possibilities, all with the affordability that makes tests and rollouts attractive."

"We continue to reshape the landscape of printed communications," added Quinlan. "Our development pipeline continues to respond to customers' needs with fresh solutions to their most important challenges."