Paterson, NJ – The newspaper industry has experienced contraction for many years, but Community Impact Newspaper, printed by Community Impact Printing in Pflugerville, Texas near Austin, is operating with a new model that offers hope. Positioned to report on local business issues, CIP opened a new 36,000 square-foot facility in June and experienced its first full month of production in October. It also required quick decision-making for equipment purchases, which included a new 54” SABER® paper cutter with a jogging system and stack lift from Colter & Peterson.

The newspaper’s new production home represents a major victory for the industry. Owners John and Jennifer Garrett launched the monthly tabloid in 2005 and outsourced work for years. Adding 3-4 new coverage areas each year, the company now employs 185 people to manage, report and deliver the news to more than 36 communities in the Lone Star state, with 23 different editions. Total mailed circulation is to 1.7 million residents, more than any other publication in Texas says GM David Ludwick, who spearheaded all of the equipment purchases.

“We identified three paper cutting systems and visited with Colter & Peterson, Heidelberg and Perfecta at Graph Expo in Orlando,” said Ludwick, who joined CIP (www.communityimpact.com) nine years ago. “I really liked the double arm action on the SABER and received positive responses about it from other printers. A printer I spoke with in Oklahoma said his SABER cutter has lasted a long time. The computer interface also made a big difference. Compared to the machines the other companies showed us, it was more logical and user-friendly.”

After recommending the SABER to his owners and getting the green light to proceed, Ludwick said knowing C&P could meet his stringent deadlines was very important.

“From the time I met with Sean Solomon (C&P Regional Sales Manager) at Graph Expo, to delivery and installation it was 30 days. That’s difficult to do, but they did it very quickly and did it well.”

After John Garrett selected the newspaper’s new press, Ludwick chose equipment to support the Goss Magnum Compact 4-color unit with three towers. It prints 45,000 copies per hour with signatures up to 36 pages at a time. The SABER paper cutter, jogger and stack lift get a different kind of workout. Ludwick indicated the system was acquired to cut postcards, labels and newspaper inserts - lots of inserts. CIP prints a run of 1.2 million twice a month - or 30 million annually - so they have the right machine to get the job done. 

A workhorse paper cutter, this SABER is equipped with a computerized Microcut® PLUS system and includes a 15” touch screen with CIP3 and CIP4 file capability. The automated process makes it one of the top, in-demand trimming machines on the market. Productivity increases since the system speeds up the process by guiding the back gauge into position every time and delivering precise cuts within 1/64 of an inch. It also automatically memorizes all cutting sequences so recall saves additional set-up time, which helps CIP’s operators who run it 40 hours a week.

“It’s working out great and we are really impressed,” indicated Ludwick. “The installation last month went fine and the trainer did a great job. The speed is good and it is easy to use and program. Our operators have plenty of experience with different paper cutters at their previous jobs, and they really like the SABER’s features, accuracy, and how the whole system works together. Our tabloid size is 8-1/2” x 11” on 70 lb. gloss text, and it will trim 8-1/2” x 5-1/2 inserts just as well and as quick when we have some 9” x 12” work to do.”