Rolling Meadows, Ill. - Globe Life And Accident Insurance Co. markets itself primarily through a robust direct mail program. With a large production schedule, Globe Life's printing arm, Globe Marketing Services Inc., decided the time was right to convert from a film-based prepress environment to computer-to-plate (CTP).

"Globe Marketing Services is one of only a few in-house printing operations that produces both high-volume direct mail materials and the envelopes for corporate marketing campaigns," said Chris Baker, director of operations. "We wanted to manage our time more efficiently and turn jobs around faster and at a lower cost."

Globe Marketing Services installed a Screen PlateRite 4300 four-up CTP device to image thermal offset plates, while a PlateRite FX870II was selected to keep the printer's envelope printing equipment well supplied.

"The Screen name is a known commodity in the graphics world, and Screen platesetters come highly recommended," Baker pointed out. "Screen adapted the imaging technology used in its offset CTP devices to its flexo CTP series. Having the same plate imaging engine inside our offset and flexo CTP units was a big advantage in terms of consistency and reliability."

Globe Life, a subsidiary of Torchmark Corporation, is based in Oklahoma City, Okla. It has approximately 4 million policyholders with more than $57 billion worth of insurance in force. Founded in 1951, Globe Life originally sold inexpensive but dependable life insurance protection to rural Oklahoma communities. Today, the company annually sends 300 million pieces of direct mail to prospective customers around the country. Baker said this print volume makes Globe Marketing Services one of the nation's largest in-plant printers for the life insurance industry.

Globe Marketing Services relies on two four-unit Didde VIP presses and a four-unit Didde CF1000 for its offset printing. The Winkler+Dünnebier 102 RE, a high-speed, reel-fed flexo press, helps deliver a half-billion envelopes annually. The Winkler+Dünnebier 102 RE includes a four-color computerized print deck, magnetic window cutter and side seam spray glue. Globe Marketing Services' envelope presses use up to 220 flexo digital plates a month.

"Our envelope printing consists of everything from spot-color to four-color work," Baker said. "The PlateRIte FX870II's higher maximum output resolution of 4,800 dpi means sharper detail and continuous tones showing little to no dot pattern."

In addition to imaging flexo plates, the PlateRite FX870II handles thermal offset plates.

"The offset plate option fit what we needed the PlateRite FX870II to do," Baker explained. "It becomes a backup machine for the PlateRite 4300."

The PlateRite platesetters are Globe Marketing Services' first Screen equipment. Baker called the company's switch to Screen CTP "a winner all the way down the line."

"Working with Screen was very easy," he said. "The platesetters are running extremely well. They have saved us a tremendous amount of time and money in prepress production. We also have seen an improvement in print quality. That has helped minimize our press downtime."