The Buffalo News, a New York State based daily newspaper publisher has installed the QuadTech Register Guidance System V-I and QuadTech PPC 3000X at its production facility in downtown Buffalo. The implementation of the state-of-the-art QuadTech equipment has led to The Buffalo News being able to reduce makeready from 30,000 down to 3,000 copies. A press upgrade has also enabled The Buffalo News to redesign its highly successful daily newspaper of the same name to attract new customers and advertising opportunities. The Buffalo News Operations Manager, Bryan Carr, comments, “In such a competitive market, it is imperative to offer customers the highest quality and the best value. Both the QuadTech Register Guidance System V-I and the QuadTech PPC 3000X enable us to work at optimum efficiency and offer the most competitive package to our clients. “Quality is key to The Buffalo News and we are very proud to print a product we truly believe in. The new presses have enabled us to move fully into the 21st century. The new offset units not only improve reproduction, but also provide an opportunity to reshape the paper so as to strengthen its position as the leading publication for West New York State.” The first of the two new KBA Colora presses was installed in December 2003, and after a short trial period both presses were running live jobs by mid-May 2004, replacing the 50 year-old letterpress units that The Buffalo News had previously been using. The press upgrade has necessitated significant redevelopment to the existing production building, with the roof being raised 25 ft (7.62m) to accommodate the new towers. Mr. Carr comments, “The new presses print to a higher quality and are a great deal faster. The QuadTech Register Guidance System V-I was recommended to us by KBA, and we always had full confidence in the recommendation. “With the savings we make on waste, the QuadTech Register Guidance System V-I and the QuadTech PPC 3000X will pay for themselves very quickly.” Since the installation of the KBA Colora press, color capacity has been increased from eight pages collect to 24 pages straight. The modernized look and feel of the newspaper, partially achieved through the increase in color, has helped position it as a powerful communications tool and enabled new commercial opportunities. An example of the enhanced opportunities is that advertisers have over four-dozen special sections to choose from, each tailored to reach a set target audience. This change has had a very positive response from both readers and advertisers alike. Residing on QuadTech’s unique ICON platform, (which provides an open interface to complementary systems and integrates essential control functions onto a common network) the Register Guidance System V-I is a high performance camera-based system, engineered for a full range of register-guidance applications. It supports system features that speed throughput – including job-function presetting, automatic phaser and scanner-position control, and the ability to simultaneously detect and correct both circumferential and lateral register errors at speeds of up to 15.2 M/sec (3,000 ft/min). The QuadTech PPC 3000X is a flexible solution for automatic, unit-to-unit color-register and print-to-cut register control. It automatically detects, calculates and initiates compensation for any registration errors. Incorporating capabilities such as a 50-job setup-configuration library and automatic makeready, it helps minimize waste from the start. The system also begins maintaining register as soon as the printed image appears, and ensures waste savings during speed changes, splices, restarts and steady-state running – even at speeds exceeding 15,2 M/sec (3,000 ft/min). “QuadTech offers a very professional package with regards to equipment choices, installation, customer services and training. The Register Guidance System V-I keeps everything in register automatically, enabling our operators to focus on other areas of the pressroom,” comments Mr. Carr. Both the PPC 3000X and Register Guidance System V-I provide the most advanced register control available today and have been developed for maximum flexibility, upgradeability and greater operational efficiencies. Using innovative, ultra-fast scanning systems, they both collect register information from printed, micro-sized register marks, and communicate error, status and configuration information to optimize register and press performance. Mr. Carr continues, “QuadTech’s highly qualified training specialists really helped with the transition to the new technologies and taught all of our operators how to fully optimize the new equipment so as to maximize productivity.” Established in 1881, The Buffalo News was acquired by Warren E. Buffet in 1977, and currently employs 950 people at its facility in News Plaza, Buffalo, New York State. Producing over 225,000 copies daily, the morning edition is followed by seven afternoon editions, all requiring significant makeovers, including changes in ad content. The Buffalo News is number one in Sunday readership with over 320,000 copies produced. The paper is in the top 75 markets in the USA with total annual retail sales in excess of $17 billion. Mr. Carr concludes, “As well as being able to produce more color, we are also able to start the presses later and finish sooner, and there are significant savings in both manpower and running costs. The Register Guidance System V-I and PPC 3000X have facilitated the streamlining of our entire production process. We have been extremely pleased with the results and would not hesitate to work with QuadTech on any press investments in the future.”