The Honolulu Advertiser, Hawaii’s top daily and Sunday newspaper, will soon be printed on the most advanced web presses in the state. Two MAN Roland REGIOMAN systems have been ordered as the centerpiece of the paper’s new 147,000 sq. ft production and distribution facility, which is scheduled for completion in 2004. The new presses will give The Advertisers’ 152,000 daily and 173,000 Sunday readers more color and higher print quality in their morning read, while providing the paper’s advertisers more color placement opportunities. They will also streamline production of The Honolulu Advertiser, extending the Gannett publication’s news window and reducing printing costs. The REGIOMAN utilizes a four-page across, one-page around format to achieve high run rates and provide format flexibility. It can produce up to eight pages per web at speeds up to 70,000 copies per hour. At the same time, print quality is enhanced by the press‘ double-circumference blanket cylinders and by its blanket-to-blanket printing configuration. The Advertiser’s presses are scheduled to be delivered in May 2003. Each will be equpped with seven reel splicers, six eight-couple towers and MAN Roland’s PECOM digital command and control system. One will integrate a single MAN Roland folder, while the second will feature a double folder in a 2:3:3 configuration. "We're very excited about signing the contract to purchase these new presses, and we're equally excited about moving forward with this important construction and expansion project," said Mike Fisch, president and publisher of The Honolulu Advertiser. "We're committed to Hawaii for the long term, and this is just another example of our belief in the long-term viability of Hawaii as a place to do business." The Advertiser plans to simultaneously print two newspapers of up to 56 pages with 40 pages in full color on the new presses. The MAN Roland systems are also capable of printing a 64-page newspaper, providing fulll color on each and every page. That format flexibiility will help the Advertiser appeal more personally to its readers‘ interests. The REGIOMAN presses will provide more variability in the layout, size and number of daily sections. They will also offer more choices in color placement and be able to produce a wider variety of special sections for individual groups of readers or for individual zones. The new presses also will deliver higher-quality resolution so images in the newspaper will be clearer and sharper. "We believe the REGIOMAN will offer the next advanced level of printing speed and quality," said Dennis Francis, general manager of The Advertiser. "Its state-of-the-art technology will also allow for an easier learning curve for our press operators." The Advertiser is currently produced on letterpresses that are more than 30 years old. They are housed in a press hall that is part of the paper’s downtown headquarters. The new $81 million production plant will be located in the Honolulu suburb of Kapolei. When installed, the REGIOMAN systems will be nearly as long as a football field and taller than a three-story building. Installation of the REGIOMAN at The Honolulu Advertiser also gives the paper a portal for new business. The full-color quality capabilities of the new presses equip it to cost effectively compete for commercial printing jobs and insert work. Planning and installation of the new production center will be carried out in close cooperation with MAN Roland and its subsidiary company Eurografica. The arragement provides The Honolulu Advertiser with continuous access to MAN Roland ’s extensive expertise in the design and installation of large newspaper production projects all over the world.