Oosterhout, July 2014
- The 228-year old newspaper, the ‘Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’ is currently undergoing an intensive modernisation program, part of which involves the Q.I. Press Controls’ mRC-3D register system.
This summer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is switching from letterpress to offset! This changeover heralds the retirement of one of America’s last letterpresses after many years of dedicated service. Now, a completely new press configuration will start rolling at a new 245,000 sq. ft. production facility. The switch from letterpress to offset is going to be a challenging project. To manage this major changeover, they studied the way the press is operated and perfected this with automated features where possible. When the press is running at full capacity, 4 four-high printing units will be able to print four double-sided full-colour webs across a maximum of six former boards! The Post-Gazette is happy to announce their selection of Q.I. Press Controls’ automatic register control system for their four tower 6 x 2 Goss Uniliner press. The press is currently being installed at their new production facility. The Post-Gazette evaluated several systems prior to selecting Q.I. Press Controls. Lisa Hurm, Director of Operations at the Post-Gazette, said, “After investigating available systems, Q.I. Press Controls met all the needs we were looking for in a closed loop registration system. We are excited about partnering with them on this exciting project in Pittsburgh.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a daily circulation of 167,000 copies, with a Sunday edition of 296,000, including digital editions. According to Hurm, the new Uniliner configuration will now enable them to print all special newspaper sections, including the “comic” section, in-house, which otherwise would have to be outsourced. The transition opens up new possibilities for special publications for readers and well as for advertisers, a segment in which quality prevails. Q.I. Press Controls’ mRC-3D system for closed-loop colour register control will offer consistent high quality. This at minimum waste and maintenance as the mRC-3D detection camera will be equipped with AIMS (Automatic Ink Mist Shield). Manual cleaning of the lens will no longer be required. When necessary, a new section of antistatic crystal-clear film is automatically rolled in front of the sensors.
Q.I. Press Controls US and Goss worked closely with the experienced consultant David Preisser as part of this major changeover programme. It was decided to equip all four Uniliner printing units with an mRC-3D closed-loop colour register system for front-to-back printing, eight in total. Scaling up automation functions at a later stage with the mRC-3D system is an option for the future.
Goss Uniliner
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Goss-Uniliner has a 80 inch web-width and a 21 inch cutoff. The four printing units have been configured for six tabloid pages across and two around. In total, the Uniliner can print 96 pages in full-colour. The 2:5:5 folder can produce a maximum of 2×48 or 1×96 full-colour pages in folded sections. The maximum speed is 80,000 copies per hour in double production.
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