NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Copy Express of Lexington, Kentucky recently purchased the CRON CTP system with the Blackwood plates. After purchasing a new RMGT 940 offset press, the shop realized their old half-size plate making system, which worked fine for the older presses they were running, just couldn’t produce the necessary plates for the larger, 8up offset press they were installing. Copy Express bought both the press and CTP system from Graphco, the distributor, who recommended CRON-ECRM as the perfect solution to complement their new press.

Copy Express has seen tremendous growth in recent years, with president and owner Mark Hicks noting that he has been making strategic acquisitions over the last several years to facilitate that expansion. “That’s how I grow as quickly as I want,” he noted. The combined company — which has consolidated under the Copy Express brand — is now the largest commercial printer in the area.

And while relationships and maintaining the human element is a key driver of the shop’s success, the need for high-quality, versatile machines has also been increasingly critical. He needed faster speeds, larger sizes, and added features like UV coating to continue to grow the business. In the end, he went with the RMGT 940 press, trading in two older presses for the one new machine, and increasing his capacity and capabilities at the same time. Which meant he needed to upgrade the rest of his equipment alongside it.

“We can now make plates faster, at a higher quality, and for a lesser price point than our previous system,” said Hicks. “We looked at several alternatives, and one of them might have saved us a bit of money on the front end, but, frankly, the plates were more expensive once you factored in the chemistry needed to stand up to UV ink. CRON-ECRM’s Blackwood plates are very high quality, very cost-competitive, and the whole unit saves on energy costs across the board. It was a no-brainer.”

“Mark knew exactly what he wanted when it comes to how his business will continue to grow,” said Chris Manley, President of Graphco. “The CRON-ECRM Blackwood plates are a key element to ensuring there are no barriers in his way. With this one-two punch of the RMGT press and CRON-ECRM plates, there is nothing his shop can’t produce. II am looking forward to serving him and his company as they continue their amazing growth.”