January 2008 - EL MONTE, Calif. - Lithotech International found a number of good reasons to purchase a Mitsubishi Diamond 3000S over rival sheetfed presses. According to Paul Yang, pressroom manager, the strength and rigidity of Mitsubishi press construction topped the list.
"The six-color, 40-inch press that the Mitsubishi press replaced had begun to experience a lot of problems," Yang said. "We wanted a new press that was manufactured with higher quality metals."

Lithotech specializes in short-run to medium-run projects. The average press run for presentation folders, posters, postcards and catalogs is in the range of 3,000 to 5,000 pieces.

The commercial printer knows that producing such jobs efficiently requires quick makereadies. In addition to the Diamond 3000S, Lithotech operates a six-color, 28-inch press and a five-over-five, 40-inch perfector from another manufacturer. Replacing the older press with the six-color, 40-inch Mitsubishi provided a big step up in makeready automation.

"Press technology has gotten much better," Yang said. "We have the Mitsubishi CIP3 interface, so we can send the color profiles directly from the computer in prepress to the press console. We also use an X-Rite spectrophotometer to help manage color. In the past, we relied on the operators' visual skills to determine accurate color. Now the color is easier to control because the computer does most of the work. We save time and materials getting up to full color faster."

Yang estimates that, compared with the press it replaced, the new press has cut makeready times in half.

"It used to take 40 minutes to makeready one side of a job on the old press," Yang said. "Operators spend only 20 minutes on a makeready now."

Other features of the Diamond 3000S enable Lithotech to accelerate the completion of jobs.
"The press is equipped with an aqueous coater and an extended delivery," Yang noted. "The sheets dry faster, which is better for work-and-turn projects."

The installation of the Diamond 3000S also has brought about a change for the better for print buyers.

"The overall quality of printing is improved," Yang said. "The Mitsubishi press produces a sharper dot structure. The color is more consistent and has a cleaner look to it. The aqueous coating protects the sheet and gives the surface a more attractive, glossy appearance."