November 27th, 2003 - Goss International has taken its first major order for the European Goss ENHANCE(tm) program from Leeds Web in the UK. The project includes a retrofit of Goss' award-winning Digital Inking System on both existing press lines at Leeds Web, plus a four-high tower press addition. Leeds Web is part of the Printing Division of Johnston Press, currently the fourth largest producer of local and regional newspapers in the UK. High profile titles published at the Leeds site include The Yorkshire Post, the second oldest daily in the UK, as well as the Northern Edition of the Financial Times. The recently completed first stage of the project for Leeds Web involved refurbishment at Goss' Preston, UK facility of a Goss HT70(tm) four-high tower, which had been acquired independently by the customer. Following this, Goss is upgrading Leeds Web's existing overshot inking system to Digital Inking across a total of 62 couples, including the new tower. The decision to upgrade to Digital Inking was taken in order to reduce wastage and improve color quality. The announcement follows recent news that the Goss Digital Inking System has been awarded a 2003 GATF InterTech(tm) Technology Award from the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation in America. The GATF commended it, in particular, for the RIP presetting functionality and the ability to be retrofitted onto older presses, as in the case of Leeds Web. With installation of the HT70 tower and the Digital Inking System currently underway, the Goss ENHANCE project at Leeds Web is part of an ongoing series of improvements to the printing facilities at the site, and complements the recent installation of CTP equipment. David Crow, Divisional Managing Director, Johnston Printing, comments, "This upgrade has come at a crucial time for us. Being able to provide as high a level of print quality across our own titles and for contract print customers is very important. The tower addition and Goss Digital Inking will allow us to print more consistent color and on more pages, more cost effectively." David adds, "The main consideration behind any spend in new technology is the return on investment. After research, it was clear that the upgrade path was the ideal solution. This upgrade will not only deliver better quality print, but also allow us to reduce wastage. Obviously, the key commercial benefit for us is the increased advertising revenues we can expect to receive due the improved color quality." Ian McLeod, General Sales Manager UK & Eire for Goss, comments, "Being able to offer Johnston Printing Division solutions and enhancements to their presses at Leeds Web will improve their quality, reduce their overheads and increase their revenues. Printing for profit is what it's about." Shane Lancaster, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Goss Preston, concludes, "The Yorkshire Post is an award-winning publication in terms of both design and use of color. Goss Digital Inking will allow Leeds Web to set a standard for color reproduction in the North of England, not only for its own publications, but also for their major contract printing accounts."