The first printer in Germany to install a 96-page web press system has again selected Goss International to install a second one.

Stark Druck, a leading European print services company and a pioneer in high-pagination web offset production, will install its second four-unit Goss Sunday 5000 press with a 2860-mm (112-inch) web width in Pforzheim, Germany in mid 2012. Goss International will supply high-speed pinless combination and former folders for the new press and an additional new Goss former folder for the first Sunday 5000 press, which went into production early this year. Stark Druck also operates two Goss Sunday 4000 48-page short-grain presses.

“The performance of our existing Sunday presses, including the newest 96-page system, and the advantages they allow us to provide for our customers were the key factors in our decision to invest in a second Sunday 5000,” explains Reiner Wormitt, managing director at Stark Druck. “Goss International shares our vision for creating new opportunities through innovative, high-pagination presses and they have stood behind that vision with their ability to execute and support these installations.”

Goss International installed the first press in the world with the 2860-mm (112-inch) width in 2009. The company remains the only supplier with presses of this type in full daily production, with three Sunday 5000 presses now installed.

Stark Druck has selected the Goss Autoplate fully automatic plate changing technology and the Goss DigiRail digital inking system for its Sunday 5000 presses. Goss International will supply a Contiweb FD paster, Ecoset dryer and the Goss Web Center automated workflow and control system. The new press will have a PCF-3 combination and PFF-3 former folder, both designed to run at up to 100,000 copies per hour for optimum product versatility. Stark Druck will add also a Goss PFF-3 former folder to its existing Sunday 5000 press, creating two identical 96-page systems.

The features and ribbon configuration of each of the PFF-3 former folders for the Sunday 5000 presses at Stark Druck will be absolutely unique in Europe. This will allow the company to offer specific products and very high copy output in low page count magazine format with very short makereadies to its customers.

“Stark Druck continues to exemplify the competitive benefits of innovative wide-web technology,” according to Jochen Meissner, Goss International president and CEO. “We are proud of how we have worked together with their team to achieve long-grain and short-grain Goss Sunday systems that are among the most productive and efficient printing presses in the world, and we are grateful for this new opportunity to extend our relationship with the fourth Goss Sunday press at their facility.

Stark Druck is a group of companies providing digital, sheetfed and web offset printing as well as prepress, finishing, distribution, multimedia and Intranet services.