Web offset specialists

Press, 28 August 1984, Page 28

Web offset specialists

All industry today must specialise to be competitive, and the print industry is no exception. In recognising this, D. N. Adams, Ltd, has over the years built up an expertise in web offset printing. Although it has built up this specialisation, it has not neglected the other aspects of commercial printing. Small runs such as business cards, envelopes and letterheads have not been ignored. A department housing four smaller sheet-fed presses is available, producing a wide range of paper covers mainly to supplement work from the web press. The company’s main work revolves around the printing of business publications, suburban newspapers, shopping information and various booklets. Web offset printing is characterised by the fact the paper comes off large reels and is cut to size after it has been printed. The company’s four unit web offset press prints both sides of the paper simultaneously before it is cut and folded ready for trimming and stapling or immediate packing and dispatch. The evolovement of colour has been spectacular in the printing field in recent Sears and no more so than i the mailer-type productions, which are put in mail boxes. This type of production has become a company speciality. Mr Noel Rogers, the firm’s general manager, sees an even greater emphasis being placed on this

type of communication and advertising in the future. The growth of these publications has been rapid in the last four years and people are becoming more conditioned to using them. “We are getting to the stage where people will ring up and want to know what has happened to this mailer type information if their street has been left out,” Mr Rogers said. fin time, the sophistication of this field will grow even more to an extent where people will be able to do all their shopping from the family lounge. Coupons will be filled out and money will be deducted from individual bank accounts. The products will then be delivered. As a reflection of the great advancement in the speed of communications, printing deadlines have also been greatly reduced. Copy for journals and newspapers has been processed and an order of more than 20,000 copies dispatched within a few hours of receipt. The web offset press is supplemented by the stitcher trimmer plant which enables forms from the press to be stapled and trimmed to magazine size. Colour inserting and mail wrapping is also sought by a wide range of customers. While the printing of the firm’s products has not changed greatly in the last 15 years, the preparation of the copy before it goes into the press has changed drastically. Many years ago, all the type was set in hot metal, whereas today, the process is much quicker and cleaner

thanks to the advent of sophisticated photo equipment. In the future, even greater speed is anticipated as several steps are cut out and the process becomes more complex. The use and sophistication of colour will be further advanced. Although the majority of D. N. Adams work originates from Christchurch and the South Island it has produced copy for the export market and inquiries from wide ranging sources continue.