Looking to increase capacity at its printing plant in Rockaway Township, New Jersey, the North Jersey Media Group (NJMG) recently selected Goss International to refurbish an inactive Mitsubishi press at the facility. The investment came as NJMG won a bid to contract print two regional dailies published by Gannett - The Journal News and, New York's oldest newspaper, Poughkeepsie Journal.

Goss International reduced the web width of the offset press from 50 inches to 44 inches, installed digital inking and added an ink presetting system. "We worked with Goss International to specify upgrades that would help us to keep waste levels low and provide first-class print quality," says Bob Konig, vice president of manufacturing at North Jersey Media Group, "The timeline for this project was aggressive, and we placed a lot of faith in Goss International's ability to execute under the pressure of an immovable launch date. We were pleased that we hit our date without issue. We've already seen excellent results, particularly from the accuracy delivered by digital inking."

"Digital inking is a great option for printers and publishers looking to improve quality and reduce waste on their existing presses," explains Tom Bernth, senior Goss Lifetime Support product manager. "The Houston Chronicle recently recorded a 61 percent reduction in ink waste after enhancing their Goss Metro presses with Goss digital inking. The project with North Jersey Media Group illustrates how we can also make improvements like these on web offset presses from other suppliers."

NJMG's enhancement project was set in motion at the end of November 2009 and, with completion in March 2010, required a very quick turnaround. Bernth comments, "The timeline for replacing the inkers and fountains along with folder adjustments related to the web width change was tight. Working in conjunction with North Jersey Media Group's experienced staff, the Goss International team expedited the schedule and completed the project as planned."

NJMG prints its own daily and weekly community newspapers - including the award-winning The Record and Herald News, and more than 45 community newspapers - at the Rockaway Township facility. According to Konig, Gannett and North Jersey Media Group already have a strong relationship through the production of the regional editions of Gannett's daily, USA Today.