Baum’s extensive service training program for the BaumPrint 18 dealers continues this week with the second Level 2 class completing their work.

At Mid-State Litho we believe that factory support is a critical part of ensuring that we offer the absolute best service to our customers. Because of this we have sent out senior service technician, Brent Taylor, to participate in Baum’s 3 step program for service training.

Baum

BAUM this week held another Level 3 training program on [the] BaumPrint 18 Press.

Shown below is Brent Taylor of Mid-State Litho (on left) receiving his completion certificate from David Loyd, Baum Trainer for the BaumPrint 18.

[Baum's] factory training program is comprised of 3 levels of training, and each dealer is required to pass all three levels for program certification. BAUM congratulates Brent on completion of his product certification!

http://www.baumfolder.com

It is with the saddest of hearts that I am informing you of the passing of Jim LaPrairie. Jim waged a valiant effort against his cancer but lost that battle Tuesday evening surrounded by his family.

Anyone that has spent even a moment or two with him already knows Jim was an upstanding person. I first met him in 1979 working for AB Dick, he had just completed his term of service with the Navy where he was working on presses aboard an aircraft carrier. I’ve had the pleasure and good fortune to have spent the last thirty-one years working very closely with Jim. I realize now what a blessing every single one of those days was. There is not enough time or room to list all that I have learned from him about being a good human being. I will always remember him as the most kind, honest and caring person that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Everyone else always came first with Jim, right to the very end.

All of us at Mid-State Litho will miss him dearly, he treated everyone here the same way he treated his customers, with respect and dignity. I will follow with funeral service arrangemets as we are given them. Thank you to all of you, he loved the work he did and you, the customers he served. He was very touched by the outpouring of caring and well wishes many of you had for him over this last year. He wanted nothing more than to retire calling on all of you. We have all suffered a great loss. Please honor Jim with hard work, dedication to your family, honesty and true caring for your fellow man, the same way he did.

Douglas Barrett

The Intoprint DP100GA is a new and exciting product available only through MSL. Imagine printing full color envelopes, letterhead, and other unique items easily, efficiently, and economically. The abilities of the Intoprint DP100GA are like no other machine on the market.

Here at MSL we pride ourselves in offering our customers a product line full of quality machines that will keep your business profitable. After researching and testing the new wave of envelope printers, we concluded that the Intoprint DP100GA offers the highest quality with important features that graphic arts professionals demand in the modern market.

The patented sheet straightening registration mechanism allows the machine to have the best image position accuracy in its class. The EFI Fiery RIP brings features like variable-data printing and image position adjustment. The American made feeder and conveyer, produced by Steamfeeder are familiar and trusted by those in the industry. The DP100GA is a smart and simple choice.

You know the print industry is changing, at MSL we’re following this curve and bringing you the technologies that will keep you profitable as you compete with an ever changing demand from your customers.

We have a broad line of products that take content from the digital world and put it on paper. We can print full color envelopes, we can address those envelopes from a database file, and we can offer the finishing options that make you stand out from the competition.

Visit us at 5459 Fenton Rd. in Flint, Michigan to see what the graphic arts industry has to offer. We will have live demonstrations of the equipment listed below.

Tax code is about as dry as any topic can be, but in this article we’ll simplify and offer some quick explanations to some of the incentives Uncle Sam if offering businesses this year. Most of us are familiar with the 2008 Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 because those who qualified received checks from the government. What many are unfamiliar with was Section 179 which is a stimulus for businesses. It offers incentive for American business to make equipment upgrades and purchases. This Section 179 has been extended to be available to qualifying organizations in 2009

In summary, Section 179 allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment purchased or financed during the tax year. That means that if you buy (or lease) a piece of qualifying equipment, you can deduct the FULL PURCHASE PRICE from your gross income. This is essentially accelerated depreciation. Before the stimulus act, depreciation happened over 7 years. Each passing year you would deduct a fraction of the cost of your equipment from your gross income, thereby marginally reducing your taxes over time. Section 179 gives you all of that deduction from your gross income in one shot. The accelerated depreciation allowed by Section 179 of the 2008 Economic Stimulus Act can reduce the gross cost of equipment purchases by as much as 30%.

Example of Section 179 Tax Benefits (Courtesy of section179.org)

There are some limitations to Section 179. No more than $250,000 can be written off in 2009 and no more than $800,000 of equipment can be purchased in 2008 to qualify. However, in 2009, businesses that exceed the $250k deduction limit can take a bonus depreciation of 50% on the amount that exceeds the limit. And then also take normal depreciation on the rest.

This general info should help give you some information on Section 179. Tax code can be confusing and its important to understand these incredible incentives. In times of economic slowdown its vital to take advantage of every bit of savings we can. MSL recommends you consult your own financial adviser or CPA for advice.

For more information on this topic please visit section179.org

What makes the Digial Duplicator unique? When you send a job to the SD700 it burns your image to a master. That master is then used to reproduce its image onto each sheet. With each master costing roughly 50 cents and the absence of click charges. You can make incredibly cheap reproductions for about 1/3 of a penny each.

The Standard SD700 Digital Duplicator is the culmination of a long evolution of duplicators. The SD700 prints at a true 600 x 600 DPI. An Adobe Postscript 3 print controller can accept jobs from a computer on the network. The straight paper path between the color cylinder and full-diameter impression roller lets you feed a vast array of stocks and materials. The Standard SD700 brings many capabilities while maintaining the ease-of-use desired by today’s graphics market.

The SD700 incorporates an internal plate-making process that keeps the price per copy well below a third of a cent. Digital Duplicators don’t have the headache of click charges so bring profit back to that category of job that has become a grind to get done. You won’t regret trying out this new equipment that can be profitable in any kind of operation or organization.

SD700 Specifications

Printing Speed: 60 – 120 sheets per minute (135 max. up to max. sheet length of 14”)

Resolution: 600 x 600dpi

Paper Size: 2.8″ x 5.8″ to 12.8″ x 17.6″
Paper Weight: 13 lb. bond to 110 lb. index (47.1 to 209.3 gsm)

Image Area: 11.4″ x 16.6″

Tray Capacity: 1000 sheets (20 lb. bond)

Master Roll Capacity: 200 masters/roll (up to 270 short masters)

Master Roll Eject Capacity: Up to 100 masters

Power Source: 120V, 60Hz, 4.5A

Power Consumption: 280W

Weight: 228 lbs./245 lbs.
Dimensions: 55.9″ x 27.8″ x 26.5″

Dimensions with Cabinet:: 55.9″ x 27.5″ x 40.2″

Every four years Graph Expo goes international and becomes Print. This year Print 09 was the largest graphics industry trade show in America. At the McCormick Place in Chicago, IL there were 71,500 square feet of Mailing & Fulfillment and 460,000 square feet of Print & Finishing booth space filled with exhibitors.

Vendors showed new equipment, new technologies, and were available to answer questions. Print is where to go to learn about what’s new in our industry and where to become educated about future equipment purchases. MSL was on-site to help with demos and to answer questions. We thank thoseTake this opportunity to break away from the daily grind and kick the tires of all the latest the industry has to offer.

It’s been 25 years since Mid-State Litho Inc. was founded by Doug Barrett in June of 1984. The company has a long history of working closely with the Graphic Arts Industry. It began in the back shed rebuilding single color duplicators and with some well deserved success and a touch of luck the company outgrew two buildings in no time. MSL has now expanded far beyond the single color duplicators into many other aspects of the trade; finishing, prepress, and now mailing.

Mid-State Litho has done much for our state of Michigan. We’ve hosted seminars attended by college students in graphic arts programs, displayed cutting edge equipment at places like the Michigan Career Technical Institute, and we’ve helped to save our state taxpayers resources by helping to place large highly-efficient equipment in state run institutions. We take great pride in our home state of Michigan and look forward to many more years of servitude.

We wish to thank all of our customers who have stood by our side over the years. We consider you all to be partners in this business. Helping each other for the greater good is something that all business people should strive for. Through thick and thin, Mid-State Litho will be here to help.

MSL is proud to announce an update to one of our most successful product lines. Silver Digiplate, the critically acclaimed polyester plate material for computer to plate systems, has been altered to provide greater performance in the press room. SDP-FRm175 will be replaced with SDP-FRS175 without any changes to pricing. Device compatibility will be the same though users are encouraged to double-check exposure values when transitioning to the new plate material.

With SDP-FRS you will see improved water receptivity and a better carbon black to improve image strength. This means plates are easier to print on press and have stronger printing characteristics and run lengths. Wider water tolerances translate into optimized water retention as well as better ink and water balance. The optimized ink handling attributes will reflect on improved roll-up and ensure stable ink density throughout the print run. Additionally in your computer to plate system you can expect to see a greater chemistry lifespan. Those who are used the look and feel of the former SDP-FRm175 material will notice a gold tone to the silver image area on the plate. This color change is due to a modification of the hydrophili polymer and will not have any negative impact on plate performance.

Specifications of SDP-SRM175

• Color Sensitivity: Red Laser Diode (630nm to 680nm)
• Applicable Light Source: Red Laser Diode, He-Ne Laser
• Base: Polyester Film
• Thickness: Approximate 200µm
• Run Length: 20,000 impressions*
• Dot Range (Line Screen): 3 to 97% (175 line/inch)*

(*) Depending on the conditions of the platesetter and press. Exposure conditions, processing conditions, and printing conditions for SDP-FRS are almost the same as that for current SDP-FRm. But as with any lot number change, customer should always verify exposure settings or have a factory trained technician calibrate output and set exposure.