KBR Graphics Canada, a major supplier of printing equipment throughout Ontario and Quebec, has installed a new MGI Meteor DP60 PRO digital press with XL format at Flash Reproductions, an award-winning full-service print shop in Toronto. The new press, which was installed in June 2011, is the first-of-its-kind for the commercial market in the province of Ontario.
 
"It's exciting to be the first in our area to have a new digital press that offers so much," says Flash Reproductions President Rich Pauptit. "The Meteor DP60 PRO has a much better image quality than its competitors, is much more versatile with a larger sheet size, is much more favorable in its pricing than its competitors, and has no on-going click charges. It's pretty rare when you can offer your customers a 'cheaper, faster, better' alternative but the Meteor DP60 PRO allows us to do just that."
 
The Meteor DP60 PRO, the most versatile digital press in the global graphics market, allows users to produce CMYK jobs at 2,400 dpi on the widest range of substrates from paper to plastics to envelopes from 20# to 16pt on the largest sheet size from 4 x 6-inches up to 13 x 40-inches. It produces offset-comparable output quality laser-safe prints with no click charges and an economical total cost of operation.

Pauptit recalls the "long, painstaking process" of evaluating a range of digital presses traveling to Rochester, Atlanta, and Toronto to view demos using Flash's different substrates including synthetic plastic. "The Meteor's sheet size is a huge plus for us," he says. "All of the other digital presses were 13 x 19-inches but the Meteor is 13 x 40-inches. We found that customers had to design around that smaller size. We're giving them a much larger range to work with us and our clients are excited about it. In the end, the other three competitors couldn't hold a candle to the Meteor."
 
Quality was another important feature that Flash Reproductions sought. Over its four decades in the printing industry, Flash has garnered some of the highest print awards possible and gained a reputation for its superior output. "Quality is key for us," says Pauptit. "We were seeking a digital press that brought something unbeatable to the table. The Meteor provides image quality that is second to none. It suits us quite well. We've been able to integrate it into our workflow and we've promoted one of our skilled offset press operators to the Meteor."
 
Another key decision in purchasing the MGI Meteor DP60 PRO is its ability to print on a variety of non-traditional substrates such as plastic, polyester, polycarbonate, polypropylene, PET, vinyl, synthetics, styrene, vinyl/static cling, canvas, and magnets. "We print on a lot of synthetic plastics," says Pauptit. "We took our substrates to be tested on all of the digital presses. The Meteor's competitors could not print on our substrates. That was a defining moment. It was important that the Meteor printed on so many different substrates. It opens up new markets for us and gives us new options. We can go to our customers and offer them new abilities. It's a big deal."
 
One of Flash's large customers provides back-lit signage for the Toronto Transit Commission subway service. The new Meteor digital press will allow Flash to capture that business due to its ability to print short-run jobs on synthetic plastic that fits into the 11.5 x 34-inch lightbox on the subway. "No other digital press can do this except our Meteor," says Pauptit. "In the past, they've had these jobs printed using a different, but much more expensive, method."
 
Flash Reproductions prides itself on being environmentally-friendly and embodies that reputation by being FSC certified and Rainforest Alliance certified. Flash runs on electricity from low-impact wind and hydro facilities, which create far less pollution than conventional, non-renewable energy sources. Its recycling practices include a waste-recovery program that saves more than 1.5 million tons of recyclable materials from North American landfills every year. The new Meteor press contributes to these practices. "The toners are environmentally sound and we'll be producing a lot less waste, which will contribute to our eco-friendly printing," says Pauptit. "We're a short-run specialty shop producing 100 pieces of this and 100 pieces of that. The Meteor will allow us to get up to color much faster and reduce our makeready and waste."
 
Flash Reproductions purchased its MGI Meteor DP60 PRO press from KBR Graphics. "This is our first experience with KBR," says Pauptit. "From our initial meeting, they totally understood what we wanted to bring to the market. They too come from a high-end offset background. It's been great dealing with them throughout our consultations. We tend to choose our partners very well and, in this case with KBR, we made an excellent decision."
 
Flash Reproductions has been a mainstay of Toronto's printing landscape since 1969 catering to countless clients, from small design firms to large companies. The firm has over 40 years of award-winning expertise and experience utilizing sophisticated technology to deliver products on time and on budget. Its in-house services include traditional offset printing, digital printing, letterpress, screen printing, embossing, die cutting, package construction and bindery. Flash Reproductions is also FSC-certified and leads the industry in eco-friendly printing methods.
 
With a tradition spanning over 34 years of dedicated sales and service support to the printing industry, KBR Graphics has evolved as a major supplier to the printing industry covering the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. The company offers a wide spectrum of graphic arts equipment including major manufacturers such as KBA Offset Presses, MGI Digital Presses, Standard Horizon Finishing Systems, Perfecta Paper Guillotines, Baumann Paper Handling, Esko Art Work, Busch Paper Handling, Graphic Whizard and Challenge. KBR Graphics has locations in both Toronto and Montreal.
 
Related websites:
www.kbrgraphics.com
www.flashreproductions.com