Time Machine

Saving 15 minutes per job on an eight-hour shift gives Bang an extra hour a day to run the presses, Lorentz says.

COVERING THE BOOK MARKET

But it was the adaptability of Timsons's T48A for the two-color elementary/high school market that ultimately sold Bang Printing.

"The typical workbook market is one color," says Bang president Kurtzman. "But if you take that press out of the ZMR mold, then it becomes a standard two-color press. In the educational market, a lot of [teacher editions] are two color, so [the T48A] gives us a larger market to sell to."

Kurtzman says all the ZMR features in the world mean nothing if the fundamental press technology isn't world class. He points to the T48A's continuous dampening feature, designed to provide better water control, ink, and water balance.

That produces better quality half-tone and screen work than systems with brush- or spray-dampening, according to the manufacturer. "It's similar to sheet-fed style dampening," Kurtzman says. "The quality of the half-tone and screen is much greater than most webs."

Bells and whistles aside, the main function of zero make-ready is to increase output, maximize profits, and helps printers offer competitive prices to customers. That's a tune any plant manager can dance to.

– Warren Chiara