Knowing your customers' needs is a major consideration for any printer. Knowing your equipment's capabilities is another.

Lewisburg Printing Co. in Lewisburg, Tenn., has strengthened its UV printing capabilities with the addition of the Grafix Hi-Cure UV-curing system on a seven-color, 29 x 41-inch sheetfed press. The new press will replace two existing 28 x 40-inch machines and share the pressroom floor with 56-inch and 73-inch models.

"Our 56-inch press supports UV printing and coating, but not our 40-inch presses," said Hale Hawkins, CEO. "In the past, when our customers wanted UV, we could print jobs that really fit better on a 40-inch press on the large-format machine. It wasn't the most competitive use of equipment."

The new press at Lewisburg Printing features an interdeck UV curing system, chamber/anilox coater and extended delivery. The Grafix Hi-Cure system includes three interdeck UV modules with 500-watts-per-inch bulb lamps. Docking stations on three units enable the interdeck modules to be moved easily to other printing units without tools. At the back end of the press are three UV lamps of 500 watts per inch each.

The combination of interdeck and end-of-press curing offers great advantages. Inks are already cured before coating takes place.

Lewisburg Printing, a four-generation family-owned firm, specializes in high-end commercial printing, labels, top sheets for corrugated packaging and point-of-purchase displays. UV print and coating in the 29 x 41-inch sheet size opens up numerous possibilities for different applications and substrates.

"We will have better flexibility to print top sheets for the corrugated industry," Hawkins said. "Printing on plastics will open doors with some other customers."