Report 36 d,e,f,s,i.qxd:Report - KBA

Websites: www.onlineprinters.com | www.kba-metronic.com
L-r: press operators Achim Frühwald and Jonas Haupt with plant manager Bernd Schürmann and printshop manager Stefan Hagen
at the new Genius 52UV
New options with waterless UV
Onlineprinters expands
offerings with Genius 52UV
When Onlineprinters, a German enterprise based in Neustadt an der Aisch, fired up a smallformat
Genius 52UV B3 (20in) press from KBA-Metronic at the beginning of December it expanded
the range of substrates it can handle to include synthetics and non-absorbent or coated paper up to
0.8mm (32pt) thick.
The waterless Genius 52UV has
increased the number of offset
printing units in Onlineprinters’
press room to 62, for sheet formats
up to B1 (41in). There are also
a number of digital presses. Alongside
a broad spectrum of business
stationery such as letterheads and
business cards the company prints
flyers, postcards, posters and even
adhesive-bound catalogues and
stitched brochures.
A new dimension
“The Genius 52UV has added a
new dimension to our existing
fleet,” says plant manager Bernd
Schürmann. “Being waterless and
UV, the press is ideal for materials
such as high-gloss cartonboard,
polyethylene, PVC and other plastic
films.” Onlineprinters installed the
Genius with the aim of expanding
into lucrative niche markets with
high potential. “There are always
going to be certain materials that
are beyond the capabilities of our
conventional presses. The waterless
Genius 52UV can be made ready in
next to no time and runs up to
saleable colour in just a few sheets.
That’s what got our vote,” says
Schürmann.
Senior manager Stefan Plomitzer
agrees, adding: “Another
benefit of running UV inks is that
they cure instantaneously, so there
are no time-wasting delays prior to
sending the prints for trimming,
folding, die-cutting and packing etc.
Onlineprinters’ production plant on the Neustadt an der Aisch industrial estate
UV Offset | Web to print
And the printing process is pretty
simple because the press has no ink
keys. Since our entire production
process conforms to the German
Process Standard for Offset Printing,
the minder can rely on prepress
data being one hundred per
cent accurate. Without PSO accreditation
the growth our company has
achieved in recent years would not
have been possible.”
Installing the Genius 52UV
made virtually no difference as far
as pre-press was concerned. The
waterless plates could be exposed
with the existing ctp platesetter and
washed with the plate exposure device
supplied by KBA-Metronic.
While 70lpc (175lpi) is the standard
screen used on the Genius 52UV, it
is possible to print up to 120lpc
(300lpi) or frequency modulated
screens.
Fast turnaround
Onlineprinters’ finishing equipment
includes a number of guillotines
and folding machines
alongside new-generation gang
stitchers plus diverse creasing and
die-cutting machines. So orders
placed via the internet can be finished
in-house and mailed without
delay.
The company maintains two
online printshops, one German
(www.diedruckerei.de) and the
other English (www.onlineprinters.com).
“Jobs are sent in from all
over Europe and are printed and finished
here at our Neustadt plant in
a minimum of time,” says managing
director Walter Meyer. Looking
back on his company’s dynamic
growth, he adds: “Our focus on the
online market over the past five
years has enabled us to evolve into
one of the leading print enterprises
in Europe. We have really put our
backs into it since the company’s
launch with just one employee back
in 2004. In 2008 Onlineprinters became
a limited company and today
we employ around 250 people.”
The customer base includes advertising
agencies, retailers, printing
plants, businesses and private individuals.
Johannes Schaeben
johannes.schaeben@kba-metronic.com
Report 36 | 2010 41