VALHALLA, N.Y. (June 22, 2005) – In the newspaper business, it’s often the aggressive reporter who gets the story. As it turns out, that holds true for the prepress side of the newspaper business as well. When The Columbia Daily Tribune began investigating plate options, it was aggressiveness that eventually won them over. “When our plate contract expired, we began researching our options,” explained Roger Uher, supply manager at The Columbia Daily Tribune, “and it quickly became a two-horse race with Fujifilm and another manufacturer.” As Uher began his research, he took a good look at more than just the quality and price of plates on the market. In fact, much of his decision was based on non-product variables. “I felt we could get a good, quality product from either supplier. We based our decision to go with the Fujifilm plates from Enovation on Enovation’s aggressiveness and their desire to do business with us,” he explained. “We really appreciated their ‘I want your business’ attitude.” Enovation’s newspaper specialists worked with the staff at The Columbia Daily Tribune this spring to switch the paper over to Fujifilm’s LP-NN plate for newspapers. Although Uher’s decision considered several non-product variables, that doesn’t mean that he didn’t sufficiently research and test the Fujifilm plates. “We went through evaluations of the product, tested it, ran it on press,” he said. “We also talked to a number of other Fujifilm users and queried our print partners before deciding on these plates.” It seems as if his research paid off. “Everything’s been great,” he reports. “We’ve had some minor issues, but nothing you wouldn’t expect when you’re changing from one product to another.” And, he adds, Enovation’s service has been a definite differentiator. “The service we’ve received has been outstanding. People here are impressed with the service and support they’ve gotten, and not only with the responsiveness, but also with the quality of support they’ve received once someone is here.” Another advantage that Uher sees in partnering with Enovation is in the company’s nationwide distribution system. “I have a supply of plates here, then there is back-up inventory in St. Louis and then there’s additional back-up in Hanover Park (Illinois),” he explained. “It was a clear logistics advantage over other manufacturers we were considering.” The Columbia Daily Tribune is an afternoon daily newspaper in Columbia, Missouri, home of the University of Missouri. The Columbia Daily Tribune is also a regional publisher of The New York Times as well as a commercial printer for a variety of customers in the Midwest. To accomplish all of this, Uher says, requires round-the-clock work, seven days a week. Uher says he’s pleased with how smooth the transition went and how well the plates are working. “I’ve been doing this for about 30 years and I know when things are done wrong and when things are done right. This one was done right. It took good planning on our part and great support from Enovation” The LP-NN plate was developed exclusively for the newspaper industry, taking into account the prepress and printing conditions associated with newspaper production. Like all Fujifilm plates, the LP-NN plates features a complex grain structure, consisting of primary grain, honeycomb grain and micropores. This “multigrain” structure produces synergies that lead to increased printing efficiently, faithful tone reproduction, long process life and simple platemaking. The plates also have good sensitivity, making them compatible with the fastest platesetter systems on the market today. Uher said he was also impressed with Fujifilm manufacturing facility in Greenwood, S. C., which he visited and toured. Fujifilm recently completed the construction of a new plate line at their Greenwood facility, which is dedicated to the production of printing plates, including Fujifilm’s LP-NN plate for newspapers. “All of the associates at the Greenwood facility are very professional and you can tell that they take what they’re doing very seriously,” Uher said. “The Greenwood visit reinforced our decision to go with Enovation and the Fujifilm plates. It’s all about quality….quality people, quality facility and quality product.”