Standard Finishing Systems, a leading supplier of post-press and paper-handling solutions for the graphic arts and print-on-demand markets, announced that Upper Marlboro, Maryland-based McArdle has installed the Océ ColorStream 10000 Flex web press with in-line Standard Hunkeler UW6 unwinder, CS6 rotary cutter and Standard Horizon StitchLiner 6000 Digital Saddlestitcher – representing the first installation of its kind to blend these best-of-breed technologies from Océ and Standard Finishing Systems. 

Founded in 1947, McArdle (www.mcardlesolutions.com) has a long, rich history in the mid-Atlantic print and publishing markets. Today, the organization’s mission is to enable its customers to deploy “smart marketing strategies,” leveraging print and electronic media “to generate results and capture data, so that our customers may make very informed decisions about strategy and the direction of their business,” according to Lisa Arsenault, McArdle’s president.

The Océ ColorStream 10000 Flex is a continuous-feed, monochromatic digital press with an option to add color – from 2/2 up to 5/5 color (CMYK plus Océ CustomTone). The result, according to Océ, is a unique solution that combines the running costs and productivity of a black-and-white printer with full-color capabilities.

To complete the in-line finishing configuration, Standard Finishing Systems partnered with both Océ and McArdle to conceive a seamless and efficient solution that’s capable of producing up to 6,000 high-quality booklets per hour. It comprises a Standard Hunkeler UW6 unwinder and CS6 rotary cutter, as well as the lightning-fast and highly automated Standard Horizon StitchLiner 6000 Digital saddlestitcher.

At McArdle, the in-line digital finishing solution has been customized as a Roll-to-Booklet/Roll-to-Stack combi line – meaning, it can stack and output fully separated book blocks to a conveyor, or cut sheets can bypass to the in-line Standard Horizon StitchLiner 6000 Digital saddlestitcher to deliver finished saddlestitched booklets, depending on the nature of the print job.

McArdle’s new Océ ColorStream 10000 Flex and Standard Finishing Systems in-line solution went live on February 1, 2012, and according to Arsenault, the investment has enabled McArdle to inspire new digital print business for its loyal clientele, and expand market reach beyond its existing customer base.

“It’s great for the markets we serve, including financial services, publishers, associations, and others,” Arsenault marvels. “Efficiency, reliability, and service. All of these criteria factor into a decision when you partner with another company. And those were all at play when we began this journey. Standard Finishing Systems and Océ were with us all along the way, and helped us figure it out.”