CHICAGO September 2007 -- Chicago printer M&G Graphics caters to many of the Windy City's premier institutions. Since 1984, M&G has printed brochures, mailers, postcards and annual reports for an impressive client list that includes the Chicago Park District, Field Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Historical Society and Morton Arboretum.
"The quality requirements of our customers are quite high," said Josephine Meyer, owner. "The Mitsubishi Diamond 3000S is surpassing their requirements."
A first-time Mitsubishi press buyer, M&G installed the five-color, 40-inch sheetfed press with coater in July to replace two six-color machines from another manufacturer. The Diamond 3000S is doing the job of the older presses and more, according to Meyer.
"We have achieved capabilities beyond our previous two presses and are in a position to pursue additional work," she said.
M&G is certified by the city of Chicago as a Woman-owned Business Enterprise and is also certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Meyer describes M&G as a "fast, quick-makeready shop." With 23 employees, the firm operates one shift a day, during which the pressroom performs as many as nine four-color makereadies.
Run lengths vary widely, from 500 to 200,000 pieces. Commercial projects run the gamut as well, from greeting cards and maps to periodicals and die-cut folders.
In addition to serving its institutional clients, M&G prints commercial projects for general manufacturers and trade work for other printers.
"We offer stochastic screening on some jobs and conventional printing up to 300-line screens on others," Meyer said. "With the Mitsubishi press, you can't tell the difference in resolution between the printing methods. As far as color, clarity, registration, solid coverage and dot structure, the press is doing a wonderful job."
In the same way that the printed pieces satisfy M&G's customers' most demanding requirements, the press is fulfilling the printer's makeready needs.
"The automated presets and X-Rite IntelliTrax system on the press have reduced makeready times enormously," Meyer stated. "Makereadies can be completed in 12 to 15 minutes. On back-to-back jobs, as soon as the plates are hung, the job is printing. Our makeready waste has been cut to almost nothing."