KENNESAW, Ga. – March 14, 2008 –PS Print Experiences Cost Savings with Addition of Stitchmaster ST 450 from Heidelberg

Chris Strabley, project manager of PS Print, LLC, calls his new Heidelberg Stitchmaster ST 450 saddlestitcher a "blessing." The stitcher has enhanced the speed, efficiency and automation of the postpress department for the Oakland, Calif. shop since its installation late last year. More importantly, the shop can now do 95 percent of its binding work in-house, which equals cost savings for both PS Print and its customers.

"The whole process is much cleaner and more efficient than what we had before," Strabley said. "We have much more control over the binding process by minimizing outsourcing, which is a relief." The Stitchmaster ST 450 runs just beside PS Print's offset press, minimizing the time it takes to get jobs from the press into customers' hands. The saddlestitcher operates at up to 14,000 cycles per hour, and offers automatic presetting and synchronization of feeders, trimmer and stacker, all from a control touchscreen.

PS Print is almost entirely Internet-based, with a large product line of four-color work available for orders across the U.S. and Canada. The company runs Heidelberg POLAR cutting equipment as well as Stahlfolder equipment, and plans to expand its bindery offerings from Heidelberg in 2008. Along with its sister plant located in Bethlehem, Pa., the company has more than 120 employees.

Heritage Printing Service Installs Heidelberg KAMA Die Cutter
After the successful installation of a new 6-color Speedmaster CD 74 with perfector and aqueous coater last fall, Heritage Printing Service focused on upgrading its bindery. The Richmond, Va. shop now proudly owns a Heidelberg KAMA TS 74-60 automatic die cutter with increased sheet dimension. Company President Bill Miles said that training is still underway for foil stamping, but that the shop is already successfully using the machine for die cutting and embossing.

"This technology is a completely different animal," Miles said. "We are excited about the options that are now available to our customers with the KAMA." The half-format KAMA automatic die cutter system fits perfectly into Heritage Printing's existing equipment lineup, running jobs straight from the Speedmaster CD 74 press.

As a flexible, entry-level die cutting system, the KAMA was a natural choice for Miles and the Heritage Printing team. The die cutter is already helping produce quality brochures, advertising collateral and general commercial work for customers in the Richmond area. The all-Heidelberg shop is more than 70 years old, and is a family-run business that has relied on Heidelberg equipment since it was founded.