VALHALLA, N.Y. (June 27, 2005) – When Matthew Coyle, owner of Franklin Web Printing Company in Franklin, Tenn., began investigating an all-digital CTP workflow last year, he wondered why he couldn’t find other companies using the same solution. For the first time in many years, Franklin Web found itself on the forefront of technology, rather than in the back of the pack. A general commercial printer, Franklin Web publishes a number of church publications, student newspapers for many area schools as well as some suburban newspapers. For many years, Franklin Web has been using a two-page imagesetter, stripping together two-page flats to ready them for printing. “It was so labor intensive and we knew we had to make a change,” explains Coyle. That’s when Coyle looked to Enovation Graphic Systems for advice and guidance on how to help his business become more efficient. At that time, Enovation had just announced a new solution for small- to medium-sized newspaper publishers, bringing together ECRM and Fujifilm, and Coyle became one of the first users. Installing ECRM’s NEWSmatic, a four-page violet CTP device, and using Fujifilm’s new FDT-330 violet plate for newspapers put Coyle and Franklin Web at the front of the pack in terms of the latest technology for his industry. “We love the system and we love the way it works,” he reports. “It’s doing everything they told me it would do.” Last year, Fujifilm announced the expansion of the company’s plate manufacturing facility in Greenwood, S.C., signaling Fujifilm’s commitment to and investment in the newspaper industry. The new expansion, which added more than 100,000 sq. ft. of space, will be dedicated to the production of the FDT-330 violet plates for newspapers. Another concern for Coyle was his return on investment and, he’s happy to report, it’s been “amazing.” “When you’re considering a move to CTP, you try to assume what you’ll save in terms of labor and time,” he continued. “We probably underestimated. The number of people and the amount of time it takes to complete a job is significantly less. Where it took four people previously, now it takes only two.” Not only is Coyle pleased with the ROI he’s seen, he’s also pleased with the quality he’s seeing. Installing the ECRM NEWSmatic and the Fujifilm plates has helped Franklin Web gain a lot in terms of quality, especially since there’s not the extra generation of film. “The accuracy of this machine is incredible,” he says. “The NEWSmatic cannot image a plate incorrectly. It just can’t happen. In this business, when things come out of prepress, the pressmen always question it somewhat,” Coyle adds. “Now, there’s no questioning it. None at all.” Switching to an all-digital workflow has not only been a change for Franklin Web’s employees, but also for its customers. Coyle admits that it’s required some explanation but, thanks to the time savings they’re seeing, employees have the extra time to educate customers on how to properly prepare their files. “In some instances, we even went to our customer locations and walked them through the change and really eased them into it,” he reports. “Now, because of the change we’ve made, we’ve gotten all of our customers to go digital as well. They’ve totally changed the way they’re working and they’re proud of themselves. It’s been really great.” These recent changes have also presented Franklin Web with an opportunity to expand their services and what they’re able to offer customers. Until this point, the company hasn’t offered composition or design services to customers, but now they are. Additionally, says Coyle, they’re hoping to compete for more jobs from other areas of the country. “Not only are we a printer, but we also specialize in mailing and fulfillment,” he says. “Being able to work digitally totally changes how people can do business. We’re no longer hindered geographically” Being headquartered in Tennessee gives Franklin Web an advantage in terms of the mailing services it offers: it’s centrally located and mail can be delivered much faster to points across the nation than it can from other locations. “It’s no longer a question of geography. Now it’s a question of how fast, how efficient and how well a job can be done.”