ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. May 6, 2002 -- As a world-class printing organization, Toppan Printing Company America prides itself on an impressive array of equipment. Toppan America has expanded its prepress capacity, adding two Screen PlateRite 8000 (PT-R8000) eight-page thermal platesetters. The installations were part of several recent prepress updates and enhancements at the award-winning company’s Somerset, N.J., facility designed to provide its clients with speed, quality and greater cost efficiencies. "We investigated all of the computer-to-plate devices on the market," recalled Dean Nikituk, prepress manager. "Compared with other companies, the Screen platesetters offer the best solution to meet our CTP needs." Toppan America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Toppan Printing Co. Ltd., which is ranked as the world’s second-largest commercial printing concern. With headquarters in New York City, Toppan America operates a modern 210,000-square-foot plant in Somerset, N.J., about 45 minutes west of Manhattan. Staffed by 175 employees, the facility currently runs around the clock, six days a week. The Somerset operation specializes in high-caliber commercial printing, annual reports, catalogs and books. Its stable of 28 x 40-inch multicolor sheetfed presses range from four colors to 10 colors, including a 10-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102 perfecting press. In addition to complete electronic prepress, printing and finishing services, Toppan America offers digital proofing, electronic file transfer, digital printing, fulfillment and mailing services. The PT-R8000s bring an added level of speed and reliability to Toppan America’s prepress department, achieving high plate output with reliable thermal plates. The PT-R8000 is renowned for its automation and ease of use. Each unit is able to image up to 12 plates per hour at 2,400 dpi. Four standard resolution settings handle a wide range of jobs. The PT-R8000s generate 2,200 to 2,400 thermal plates from Kodak Polychrome Graphics a month, according to Nikituk, who oversees a prepress staff of 19. "That represents 99 percent of our workload," he said. "The remaining 1 percent of jobs that require film output is handled by Screen’s DT-R3100 eight-up imagesetter." A longtime user of Screen equipment, Toppan America also currently operates a Cézanne flatbed scanner and TC-P1080 four-up digital proofer. In fact, the new platesetters replaced a PlateRite 1080 and PlateRite 2080 that were installed approximately four years ago. "Screen has made great strides in CTP technology," Nikituk said. "We have been very impressed with the easy operation and reliability. Screen’s devices simply run and run. They rarely require unscheduled downtime. We consistently produce high quality and fast turnarounds. We have been very comfortable with Screen over the years, and felt that staying with Screen was the right decision." About Screen (USA) Screen (USA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Dainippon Screen, based in Kyoto, Japan, is one of the world’s largest developers, manufacturers and suppliers of system components for the prepress and printing industries. For more information, contact Screen (USA) at 5110 Tollview Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008. Telephone: (847) 870-7400; fax: (847) 870-0149; Web site: www.screenusa.com.