Rolling Meadows, IL—Komori America—AZ Litho, a full-service commercial printer based in Tucson, Arizona, has purchased a six-color Komori Lithrone G40 advance (GL640) with coater and LED-UV to meet the evolving requirements of a customer base that includes printing sophisticated packaging applications and a variety of creative book types. Komori’s GL640 advance, AZ Litho’s second Komori press, was chosen for its enhanced automation that makes it possible to run at maximum speeds on a wide range of stocks and offer special effects that produce products that stand out from the competition.

“A major portion of our business is in packaging, children's books and instruction sheets and manuals for various industries,” said Laura Davis, vice president at AZ Litho. “One of the many reasons we're excited about this press is that it gives us the ability to create special effects and embellishments with specialty UV coatings and reticulating varnishes for these types of projects. We have a children's book publisher that we can now offer some cool special effects. For example, if it's a book about snakes, we can provide a raised tactile experience that replicates the feel of snakeskin.”

The company, celebrating 70 years in business this year, provides start-to-finish packaging solutions, from printing folding cartons to die cutting to folding and gluing, for clients from California to the East Coast to Mexico. The new GL640 advance goes from makeready pulls to full speed, even on short runs, delivering the dramatic speed AZ Litho wanted to get these jobs to market quickly. Given the larger sheet size of the press, the company is looking forward to having the capability to handle larger packaging projects that can be produced on difficult stocks, like uncoated or matte. With a reputation as the Southwest’s leading green printer, AZ Litho also likes that the GL640 advance is an environmentally responsible press. It is designed to save energy and resources and reduce harmful chemical substances, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), released during printing.

“AZ Litho is known for providing exceptional customer service and has a well-earned reputation for producing a quality product,” said Lance Martin, vice president of marketing for Komori America. “We’re pleased the GL640 advance is meeting the speed and innovation requirements that drove the decision to invest in this press, while still delivering exceptional print quality.”