Cincinnati, Ohio, - xpedx said it has launched a North American campaign to demonstrate the profit, productivity and cost advantages of the RYOBI 920 series 8-up multicolor offset press.

xpedx said the 25"x 36" RYOBI 920 delivers the lowest total cost of ownership and the lowest cost-per-printed sheet in 8-up, 16-page full-bleed signature printing.  xpedx sells Ryobi presses to commercial and in-plant printers in the U.S. and Canada.

Total lifetime costs-primarily purchase price, labor, utilities, consumables costs as well as maintenance and repair costs-are comparable with most half-size presses in production today and are well below total costs of 8-up 40-inch models, the company said.

Ryobi is the only press manufacturer worldwide that makes an 8-up, 36-inch press in 4-, 5- and 6- color models.  More than 250 cost-efficient, high-growth print companies across the Americas, Europe and Asia use RYOBI 920 presses.

Five-to 10-minute makereadies, world-class print quality, plate changers, CIP4-JDF compatibility, spectrophotometry, a retractable aqueous or UV coater and LED-UV print capabilities and other features make the RYOBI 920 highly competitive with comparably equipped 6- and 8-up offset presses.

The RYOBI 920 is competitive with digital printing on a total production cost per-sheet basis, even at short runs, but also complements digital print platforms because it gives printers the superior print quality and speed that only top-tier offset printing technology can deliver.

"With a RYOBI 920 series press, printers get a full-size machine that can run a full-size sheet at significantly lower total ownership costs of 40" equipment," says Don Coggswell, national sales manager for sheetfed offset presses at xpedx.

He said the xpedx printing equipment sales team is demonstrating how the 16,000-sheet-per-hour RYOBI 920 bests full-size presses with its lower purchase price, and on average 17% lower consumables cost, 35% less energy consumption and more efficient use of press operator time.

Getting up to register is easy and quick, minimizing production downtime and costly paper waste.  The 920 accommodates super-thin to heavy board substrates.

"Printers looking to grow their production to highest quality 16-page signature work and gang runs as efficiently as possible should give serious attention to the RYOBI 920," said Coggswell.  "Printers looking to modernize older 40-inch equipment should do the same because the total cost per printed sheet and total cost of ownership is significantly lower."

He said the 36" format of the RYOBI 920 series presses-optimal for printing on 24" x 36" sheets of paper-gives printers clear advantages over 40" platforms in a surprisingly large share of the full-size jobs that printers are doing.  xpedx recently surveyed printers producing eight-up jobs, and reported that as much as 70% of that volume, including jobs with full bleeds and color bars, could be produced on a 24" x 36" sheet. The RYOBI 920 is 36.22" x 25.20".

Because of its compact size and total automation, the 920 can be crewed by one operator, enabling printing companies to more flexibly deploy personnel.  Floor space requirement is 40% less than a typical full-size press, making it ideal for space constrained print production environments.

When Coggswell calls the RYOBI 920 "the largest half-size, eight-up press in existence," he's referring not just to the fact that its investment cost is comparable to that of a half-size press. He's also citing its ability to do what 40" presses do-but on a sheet of paper that comes at a significant discount.

Coggswell acknowledges that for many printers a 36" press may seem unconventional, but says they quickly see size as a competitive advantage once they see the total value, productivity and print quality of the 920.  He also noted that every printer who buys a RYOBI press gets access to the full range of business and technical support from xpedx locations in the U.S. and Canada.

The RYOBI 920 and all RYOBI presses will be discussed at Graph Expo 2010 in Chicago, Oct 3-6, 2010, or visit the RYOBI 920 page of the Ryobi Graphic Systems website.