 In 2008, RYOBI MHI became the world's first manufacturer of sheet-fed offset presses to introduce LED-UV technology that incorporates an LED light source for quick drying. It has a 15 times longer life span, consumes 70 to 80% less electricity, and generates much less heat than a conventional lamp system, making it very attractive for its energy efficiency and greatly reduced environmental impact.
UV printing allows printed sheets to be quick-cured by UV light immediately after printing, offering advantages including a shorter lead time, powder-less printing, and printing on special media. RYOBI MHI was the first sheet-fed offset press manufacturer to commercially develop a next-generation, energy-saving, environmental-friendly LED-UV printing system. Winning high praise among RYOBI MHI customers, the system continues to evolve. New versions of the LED-UV printing system have been added to the lineup to enable varnish coating, greatly expanding the range of value-added printing and providing powerful support for customers. LED-UV Printing System's Advantages Shorter Lead Times
Environmental-friendly
Consistent Printing Quality
Compatible with Special Media
How does a traditional commercial printer, with a sheet-fed offset press, enter the lucrative packaging market? Investing in the right equipment and developing a solid business plan were key for Dale Skinkis, president of Graphic Edge Printing & Packaging. “The market for package printing is shifting with the growth of on-demand production,” he notes. “Serving the on-demand market requires focus upon quality and price. That’s how you get the business.” The company’s niche is quick prototyping and printing of folding carton retail packaging, from as little as 500 up to 20,000 units, within extremely quick turnarounds. Creating retail packaging typically takes four to six weeks or longer. Graphic Edge Printing & Packaging turns these jobs in as little as 48 hours. The staff at Graphic Edge is so customer-focused that when a packaging opportunity comes in they are able to quickly generate a packaging design and deliver a prototype within hours. “We are constantly studying the market for new and unique packaging designs and then reverse engineering the design to fit our production capabilities”, says Tashina Peplinski, Production Manager, at Graphic Edge Printing & Packaging. The Gift Box Dilemma Just 3 weeks before Christmas 2014, a client requested 30,000 gift-wrapped packages with bows on top for a cellular phone promotion. The client was adamant on having the bows on top, but to physically gift wrap 30,000 boxes was going to be very time consuming and expensive. The solution was to create a folding box design to include a die-cut bow on the top and print the “gift wrap” design. Within a day, the customer received a prototype and approved the job. Design, printing, die-cutting, and gluing production occurred in-house and within a few days. What enabled a traditional commercial printer to enter the packaging market? “Having every process that is needed to complete the job under one roof is key,” states Skinkis. “One of our unique differentiators is that we can run packaging jobs on the same press as our traditional commercial print jobs.” The Big Secret In the summer of 2014, Graphic Edge Printing & Packaging installed a RYOBI MHI 755XL-D Packaging Edition Offset Press. The new RYOBI MHI Packaging Edition press features automatic deployment and retraction of transfer drums to accommodate stocks ranging from onionskin to heavy board. It also features a special heavy-duty feeder, as well as an air-guide system to ‘float’ sheets through the 16,000-sph press without marking. RYOBI MHI’s Smart Make-Ready technology drives make-readies down to just six minutes. “We were pretty sure the RYOBI MHI Packaging Edition press was the one to help us grow our business, but we wanted to see the retractable ‘skeleton drums’ in action—this is the critical technology that enables printing of heavy stock,” said Skinkis. “After seeing the press in the RYOBI MHI factory and running full-out on the printer’s floor we knew this was the press for us—no hesitation, no question. We finalized the order right on the spot.” The press was sold by RYOBI MHI distributor Graphco, located in Cleveland, OH, and its partner, Guaranteed Service and Supplies in West Bend, WI. Graphco is one of six RYOBI MHI exclusive regional distributors who sell offset and digital presses across the U.S. and Canada, as part of Graphic Systems North America (GSNA). “We see a very bright future for package printing,” Dale Skinkis explained. “We also believe offset can effectively compete with digital printing for a long time to come, especially in the general commercial printing, package printing, and specialty printing realms. With offset, it’s all about great marketing—and great service, and RYOBI MHI gives us the edge we need to excel.”  115 Years and Growing - Woolverton Printing Upgrades to RYOBI MHI 925P LED-UV 8-Up Perfecting Press4/27/2015
 MARIETTA, GA — April 27, 2015— Printing is the core business at Woolverton, where it all started and continues as the source of growth since its foundation in 1900. Adding the latest print technology to the skills and talent of the self-motivated and hardworking Woolverton team was a natural decision for company CEO, John Lynch. His corporate motto: “Discover | Printing | Innovation” is embodied in the decision to go with RYOBI MHI in his pressroom. The 925P LED-UV, delivering this spring, allows Woolverton to meet customer demands for higher print quality, faster turnaround time and new and innovative print applications. From their headquarters in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Woolverton has earned a national reputation in market segments as diverse as church bulletins, high quality product catalogs and 1 Million+ direct mail campaigns. Double-digit growth in 2014 is a positive indicator for continued success in 2015. Woolverton offers both offset and digital printing and continually seeks out new and emerging technology to expand their portfolio of capabilities and meet their customers’ needs. This search led the Woolverton management team to Graph Expo 2014 where they were introduced to the RYOBI MHI 925P LED-UV press at the GSNA Commit To Print booth. They were immediately impressed by the automation and speed of the 925P LED-UV, along with the wide variety of substrates that LED-UV curing handles. Improving Woolverton’s speed-to-market capability pointed to the 16-page workflow that the 925P LED-UV offers. In addition, the ultra low power usage of LED-UV and the ability to cure even the most difficult substrates without dry back fits with Woolverton’s eco-sensitive operations. First to market with tried and true technology “Our success over the last 115 years comes from anticipating our customers’ needs and helping them grow their brands through print of all kinds,” said John Lynch. “This RYOBI MHI press will allow us to outclass our competition in color consistency and image quality, while delivering printed product in a much shorter timeframe. It will work well into our mix and we’ll continue to provide the same level of service we are known for. Building brands these days is a factor of both print quality and speed-to-market so our investment in the 925P LED-UV positions us to grow with our existing customers and bring in new clients as well.” Woolverton is anxious to share the LED-UV story with existing print buyer customers in various manufacturing segments, ad agencies, financial institutions and colleges, as well as new prospects. One of their largest valued customers, a high-volume direct fulfillment company, will experience immediate benefits with demands for tight turn around times and stringent deadlines. “John’s decision to add the RYOBI MHI 925P with LED-UV to his pressroom gives Woolverton a great opportunity to be the first printer in the area to offer this unique technology to their customers,” says Derek Gordon, Midwest Regional Manager for Graphco. “It’s not often a printer can be first to market by installing technology that is very well evolved. Since RYOBI MHI first developed LED-UV curing in 2008, we have placed over 165 units worldwide and Woolverton will benefit from all those years of experience.” #### About Woolverton Discover | Printing | Innovation For more than 115 years, communications has been the key to Woolverton’s success as it represents the many facets its customer base embraces. From traditional offset printing, digital capabilities, mailing, fulfillment, online and design, the team at Woolverton has created a lasting testament to the graphic arts industry. Steeped in the earliest tradition of Church bulletins, which was the result of the original founder/owner being the son of a Baptist minister, today that Church bulletin market segment comprises 13% of their business, with the balance being commercial accounts. Woolverton proudly serves dedicated customers down the street or across the country. Learn more about Woolverton Printing Company at www.woolverton.com, 800-670-7713 About Graphic Systems North America (GSNA) GSNA is the largest independent source of printing equipment, technical service and parts in North America. GSNA delivers exclusive access to RYOBI MHI’s full line of offset and digital presses for commercial, packaging and in-plant printers in the U.S. and Canada, together with immediate technical support and parts fulfillment. Formed in July 2013 with co-headquarters in four U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, the GSNA group has more than $60 million in revenue and constitutes the single largest offset press sales and service team in North America. Learn more about GSNA at www.ryobi-group.com.  Adding a LED-UV Perfecting System to your plant has many advantages. The RYOBI MHI LED-UV Perfector dries printed sheets instantly and efficiently. Here are seven more reasons to buy an offset press with LED-UV technology.
1) Shorter Lead Times LED-UV offset printing is high speed and on demand. With no need to wait for printed sheets to dry, work can immediately move on to the next process. You also won't need space to store printed sheets while they dry. 2) Environmentally Friendly Powderless printing ensures a cleaner work environment and less equipment failure due to powder contamination. Also, LED-UV ink is recyclable and easily removable. 3) Consistent Print Quality Printed sheets are dried instantly so you do not need to worry about color changes during dry-down. The problem of powder dropping on to printed sheets is eliminated, and printed sheets do not shrink due to heat. 4) Compatible With Special Media The ability to print on resin film, synthetic paper, metalized paper, and other types of special media. 5) Reduced Power Consumption LED-UV technology uses 1/8th of the power a conventional UV lamp system consumes. The LED-UV light source can be instantly switched on/off to reduce power consumption during job turnover. 6) No Infrared Light LED-UV perfectors do not produce infrared light, so the unit generates less heat and requires less air conditioning in the press room. 7) Long Life LED-UV systems have a life of approximately 15,000 hours. This is five times the approximate 1,000 - 3,000 hour life of conventional UV lamp systems. |
