Thank you for the comprehensive article, "The Advance Word on Advanced Presses," dated November/December 1998 [p.6]. Christopher J. Feola did a fine job compiling the story. Please note the following clarifications.
The presses sold by KBA to South Bend and Windsor were the predecessor to shaftless as they included individual motors per bridge-type units (one motor per two couples). However, a synchronization shaft was used to connect each of the bridge units as well as the folder to the units. Our press sales to Bend, Dayton, Fayetteville and Wenatchee will all include shaftless technology.
The new presses at the London Daily Mail include printing units and folders that are shaftless. Furthermore, each of the major cylinders in the printing units have their own motor, thus allowing a gearless and oil-less arrangement in the printing units. The folders, although shaftless, still include an internal gear drive and oil bath.
Also, please note that the reference to KBA-Motter in the future should be KBA North America, Web Press Division [see "Heavy Metal Suppliers Reorganize," p. 4]. The alliances as noted with Scitex and Karat press are with Koenig & Bauer, Wuerzburg, Germany. KBA North America, through our web-press and sheet-fed divisions, represents the technologies on behalf of our parent company.
Gary L. Owen
Director, Marketing & Newspaper Sales
KBA North America Inc.
Web Press Division
York, Pa.
Not a Letterpress
As a former, 19-year employee of The Washington Post, I enjoyed reading your article on the paper’s new presses and packaging operation ["The Washington Post: Up to Speed and on Schedule in Springfield," November/December 1998, p. 13]. However, there was one significant error—letterpresses were never installed at the Springfield, Va., plant. The photo of an "old letterpress" [on p. 16] is actually that of a Goss Metro installed in 1980.
Marty Black
Pre-press Manager
The Seattle Times
A Better Mousetrap
It seems like everyone is building the better mousetrap ["The Proof Is in the Newsprint," September/October 1998, p. 21]. We got our first Kodak 1000PS about two years ago. We built a rack on the back with steel stock and mounted a pair of rubber wheels on either side. A spool for butt rolls sits on the wheels allowing the paper to come up underneath, under the cover and with less drag. If you put the roll on with the paper coming off the top, the proofs will curl toward the machine when they come out. That way they will fall into the basket.
We found that scatter/fm screening gives us the best color gradation; and a custom color calibration that adds in 20 percent is the best way to approximate press gain.
Sam Mitchell
Assistant Production Director
Lansing (Mich.) State Journal