NEW YORK, NY, July 15, 2005—Superior Printing Ink. Co., Inc., a New York City-based lithographic printing ink manufacturer, will exhibit an extensive range of value-added services at the Print 05 event in Chicago from September 9-15. “Offered under our Preflight to Profitability (P2PTM) program, our value-added services are designed to bring sustainable, continual improvement to our customers’ unique print manufacturing processes, from creative inception to final delivery,” says Michael Brice, Superior’s president and COO. The program’s overall purpose is to help analyze, map, calibrate, characterize and, ultimately, optimize the print reproduction process. “The value-added products and services that we provide are all designed to help printers reduce their operating costs and the cost of ink as a percentage of total cost,” adds Brice. “Our focus is not just to be an ink supplier but the provider of the best total cost solution available.” To achieve that goal, Superior’s teams of ink and color scientists, together with former printers and press operators who can perform the work required in a pressroom, offer their expertise on site in customers’ facilities. They help customers examine key business areas such as workflow, inventory control, profiling, color management and manufacturing gap analysis to determine where to create services that will improve effectiveness while reducing costs. Superior ensures the quality of its own products through one of the largest groups of scientists and technologists in the United States dedicated to the research and development of lithographic printing inks. It has an ISO-certified Central Manufacturing Facility in Connecticut, a dedicated varnish facility, and a nationwide network of manufacturing branches and in-plant installations. At Print 05, the value-added services that Superior has created for the graphic communications community will include: •SIMONS (Superior Ink Management Onsite System)—a proprietary system offering job costing, billing, inventory management and an ink formula database •PCMS (Precision Color Mixing System for Windows)—a proprietary, small batch blending system that allows the user to easily and economically achieve accurate Pantone and special non-Pantone color matches using existing and even dormant inventory •Press Profile—a “snapshot” of the condition of a printing press that permits upstream adjustment for predictable color output •Formulation—permits ink to be formulated specifically for end-use requirements such as fade, scuff resistance, dull and matte coated stocks •Estimating—gives an accurate estimate (based on the coverage visible on a proof) of how much ink is required, thus reducing waste •Workflow—using an ISO approach to systems optimization and consistency, the development of both procedural and technical workflows to maximize productivity in an increasingly digital environment •Training—on anything from the fundamentals of ink to reading a color bar, provided both to production planning staff and to staff on the manufacturing floor •Seminars/education—with a deep commitment to ongoing education as an ISO certified manufacturer, Superior offers a variety of educational modules on key topics that can be tailored to specific needs •In-plants—an in-house ink facility set up on a customer’s premises, staffed and equipped to enable Superior to manage all ink requirements, including color matching, small batch manufacturing and on site press adjustments •CRC (Color Resource Center)—a more sophisticated in-plant designed to assist the printer with color management from preflighting to post-production •Mixing Stations—enabling printers to mix small batches of colors using Superior’s Precision Color Mixing System (PCMS) •Gap Analysis—a determination of exactly where additional services are needed in client operations, from color management to print to postpress •Dispensing technology—cartridges, filling stations, kit, drum and tote pumping systems that dispense ink to the ink fountain through these and other methods •Local, regional and national support—from Superior’s 22 branches, 5 service stations, 30 in-plants, Central Manufacturing Facility, Warehouse and Distribution Center, corporate R&D, and color science capabilities “We’re not your traditional ink company any more,” concludes Brice. “Superior Printing Ink has evolved from servicing a small segment of the printing community, with a focus solely on ink, to our current emphasis on offering value-added products and services to the entire graphic communications industry.”