With a strong reputation of developing cutting-edge technology for the graphic arts industry, manroland AG earlier this month added another    chapter to its illustrious history. The company was granted patent #7,614,725 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for an inkjet    printing apparatus.  It marks the 709th patent the company has received, which ranks second among all press manufacturers.

Long active in technology innovation, manroland has earned seven Intertech Technology Awards, the most recent coming in 2006 for the ROLAND 700          DirectDrive press.  It obtained its 700th from the Washington D.C.-based USPTO earlier this year for a printing press ink transfer device that was developed by the sheetfed team at the engineering center in Offenbach, Germany.  According to the USPTO, (www.uspto.gov) manroland's 709 patents since 1976 rank them ahead of KBA (665) and Komori (320).  manroland also ranks second in pending patent   applications filed in the United States last year in its industry.

"The company is proud of the work performed by its engineering and development teams throughout the organization," said Vince Lapinski, CEO of manroland Inc.  "Patents are the first step toward the commercialization of technology and are often seen in later years as advanced features on printing equipment.  Printers in all segments have seen the breakthroughs we have brought to market, and customers understand the value they receive when they invest in a manroland press."