New Equipment Introduction

Equipment is tangible property used in the operation of a business. Here at AlphaGraphics we use digital printing equipment, bindery and finishing equipment to produce collateral for many business customers. Our equipment allows us to produce items quickly, accurately and efficiently…….usually. Equipment can also be a major impediment to efficient work flow when it is not working properly.

We added several pieces of equipment in 2014 that greatly increased our production capacity, work flow and quality of output. In April 2014 we added the HP Indigo Digital Offset Press. HP Indigo technology is digital so it avoids the use of conventional printing plates or films. It's like printing every image with a new one plate. HP Indigo is offset printing with the use of an offset cylinder covered with a rubber blanket. The combination of digital and offset provide for several advantages including:

• Thicker substrates can be printed compared to conventional digital presses
• Registration (the placement of the image on the sheet) is very precise, consistent and uniform front to back
• Wider color gamut – HP’s Electroink process allows for slightly wider color gamut than conventional CMYK digital presses
• Offset quality – since it uses ink instead of toner, the output maintains the look of the paper. Gloss paper looks shiner, and uncoated paper has a matte look. On a toner based digital press, full coverage output can tend to look shiny because of the necessary heat/toner process.
• Speed – We can print ~4,000 8.5 x 11 images per hour (based on 2-up on 12" x 18" sheets)

The Duplo creaser/cutter/slitter

Another piece of equipment we added is the Duplo 645 Cutter/Creaser/Slitter. We're most excited that this little gem allows for automated cutting of business cards. We can enter a program, load sheets, hit start and walk away. Business cards are cut uniformly and exact every time. The Duplo also can also crease folded cards (greeting cards, thank you cards, table tents). It is fast, efficient, accurate, and helps us output a quality product for you.

Our third piece of new equipment is a UV coater. UV coating provide the high gloss look that some people want. It is also beneficial for protecting printed pieces like menus and other material that can be subject to a harsh environment. See a video of our UV coater in action here!

The equipment added at AlphaGraphics in 2014 has elevated our production and finishing capabilities. We are ready to meet your needs!