PHOENIX 3/27/07 - Panoramic Press Inc., a 50-year-old firm specializing in high-end commercial printing, has added a five-color Mitsubishi Diamond 1000LS press to its sheetfed lineup. The 28-inch press is equipped with an inline coater for applying aqueous coatings. "The Diamond 1000LS represented an economical way to fill the gap between small-format and large-format printing," said Jeffrey Erickson, president. "It is an excellent press for meeting our clients' needs for short-run to medium-run color jobs. Probably 95-percent of our work is printed with five colors or less, so the press offers the right color configuration for our job requirements." Founded in 1957, Panoramic Press is a family-owned operation that has served the Phoenix area for three generations. It caters to the real estate market, builders, associations and agency clients. The 16,000-square-foot headquarters facility houses offices, printing equipment and prepress functions. The bindery and warehouse occupy a separate 17,500-square-foot building. The 45-employee firm produces marketing pieces, brochures and pocket folders, in addition to corporate identity materials. It counts local businesses, both midsized and large, among its customers, as well as some nationally known clients. The company's presses run 12 hours a day, six days a week. In addition to the Diamond 1000LS, Panoramic Press operates a six-color, 40-inch Diamond 3000R convertible perfector with coater installed in 2004, along with a two-color, 20-inch press and an envelope press. Erickson pointed out that the Diamond 1000LS replaced a four-color, 26-inch press. "It was a good press, but it did not have a coating unit," he said. "We are seeing an increasing number of requests for coated products. Inline coating has become a necessary feature of sheetfed presses." Panoramic Press' finishing capabilities include diecutting, folding, gluing, stitching and shrink-wrapping. The prepress department implemented computer-to-plate technology in 1999. "We can makeready the Mitsubishi presses extremely fast," Erickson noted. "With the direct-to-plate system and automated plate changing, the plates fall right into place. The accuracy is phenomenal." Panoramic Press has been steadily adding new revenue sources by acquiring advanced technology, expanding its sales staff and aggressively pursuing a diverse range of print projects, Erickson said the company is on track to generate between $6 million and $7 million in 2007. "We are confident our Mitsubishi presses can handle all of the production demands," he said. "We were very pleased with the 40-inch perfector we bought in 2004. That is one reason we bought the Diamond 1000LS. Mitsubishi makes a high-quality press. The manufacturer's people have a good attitude when it comes to service. We have operated many other machines over the years, but have never dealt with a company that stood behind its presses the way Mitsubishi does. Mitsubishi was the right choice for us."