CHICAGO, IL - June 24, 2002-- For almost 90 years, CCH INCORPORATED has been a leading provider of tax and business law information and services to professionals. In this day and age of instant-access information, the company offers more than 700 products in both print and electronic formats with an editorial staff of 600 updating publications on a daily, monthly and annual basis. That’s why CCH recently invested in three key pieces of A.B.Dick equipment for their in-house printing operation in St. Petersburg, Florida. Headquartered in Riverwoods, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, CCH is well on the way to getting a return on its investment. An 18-month process led to the purchase of the A.B.Dick DPM2340 platemaker and 9995A two-color offset press. CCH also recently installed a QP25II two-color press, giving them a cost-effective solution which provides more firepower and greater flexibility to turn and complete work even faster. “We previously outsourced our production but with it came at a price in terms both of cost and lack of flexibility,” said CCH’s head of manufacturing, Peter Nedza, who was involved in the decision process. “The equipment and technology in the industry keeps improving so we decided it was time to consider doing the production ourselves. We looked at several manufacturers during the Graph Expo 2000 show and decided to go with A.B.Dick shortly after seeing everything at Print ’01.” Installed in the first quarter, the new equipment has already made a big impact. CCH reports on tax and business developments through various types of print and electronic services, including news-letters, either 6” x 9” or 8 1/2” x 11 in size. These reports reach a diverse customer base. “The information we publish is used by accounting, legal, HR, securities, insurance, health care and small business professionals. There are specific time sensitivities that go with the information we publish, given the day-to-day changes in the law,” said Sharon Donnelly, the CCH division head of operations who oversees a staff of 33 in St. Petersburg. “We needed equipment that would give us cost and productivity benefits, while also being a low capital expense item.” Leading the way is the DPM2340, recognized by more than 2,000 quick response and small to mid-size commercial printers as the benchmark for digital platemakers. Capable of producing 45 plates per hour with a maximum size of 13.4” x 20”, the DPM2340 moves work through the printing process faster and more accurately while reducing the cost per job. When used with the 9995A, a superior two-color automated offset press, workflow is virtually seamless with work ready to go on press in 30 minutes or less. “With any new equipment you will have some initial bumps in the road. But things improved quickly and it’s allowing us to exercise more control over the printed product,” said Donnelly. “We are able to use our staff more efficiently and make better use of our 60,000 square-foot facility.” CCH’s plant in St. Petersburg now prints newsletter and report letter publications using the DPM2340 and the 9995A. One such project is a 6” x 9” newsletter that serves as a companion product to The Standard Federal Tax Report, which is recognized as the company’s flagship product. The 8-to-12 page newsletter is updated and printed on a weekly basis. “The DPM2340 and 9995A offset press are both easy to use,” said Donnelly. “The continuity of the DPM2340 is a big plus because it saves us an enormous amount of time. Speed was an issue for us and that’s one of the reasons why we chose the 9995A. With the QP25II now ready to go, we anticipate the new tight register system and newly designed second color head to help deliver high quality work even faster.”