With the press towers clearing the overhead by no more than an inch, the first Magnum Compact press system in the United States has been installed snugly and initial tests on its six 2 x 1 units completed. The press is currently undergoing commissioning tests and shadow production before moving into full production this month.

The new press for Advance Publishing of Staten Island, USA, complements the company’s existing double-width press line and offers backup to the production of the daily Staten Island Advance while adding capacity for other contract newspaper, insert and commercial work.

Even at just 7’2” (2.2m) tall, the installation of the Magnum Compact towers was a high-precision operation. In what is possibly a unique configuration, web slots were cut into the ceiling to accommodate turner bars for delivering the web to a folder on the floor above. Extra web slots were also cut to feed an additional, future folder which has been allowed for in the configuration.

An engineering achievement in itself, the installation was completed with only very minor modifications to the building.

Among the Magnum Compact features attractive to Staten Island Advance was the Goss Autoplate technology that delivers fast makereadies and enables successive jobs to be run with complete plate changes within two minutes. This is accomplished with minimum waste and contributes to maximum press uptime. Plates that have been removed may be reused for repeat production of shorter run jobs, further extending the value proposition of the press.

The design of the Magnum Compact system gives the towers a lower profile without compromising print quality or performance. Easy access to blankets, rubber rollers and ink ducts enabled by the single-level towers facilitates and accelerates maintenance.

Together with simplified operation and run-length flexibility, these features mean that the Magnum Compact design enables the Staten Island Advance to offer a wide range of products competitively and with good margins. The ability to print cost-effective runs as short as 500 - 1,000 copies provides printers not only with an alternative to digital print, but an economical way of handling runs up to 250,000 copies, giving unparalleled production flexibility and a powerful competitive advantage.

The Staten Island Advance was established in 1886 and is part of Advance Publishing’s family of newspapers that comprises dozens of titles across the United States. A diversified communications group, Advance Publishing has media interests that encompass cable television, leading media internet sites, business journals and magazines as well as newspapers.