Louisville, KY (May 1, 2003) -- The Merrick Printing Company, Inc. has installed a new KBA Rapida 105 41" seven-unit sheetfed press including tower coater and perfecting capabilities.  The new press was purchased from KBA North America of Williston, Vermont.

The new KBA Rapida 105 41" press features a perfector after the second unit, allowing either two-over-four printing or straight six-color printing plus coating in one pass.  It also features a fully-automated make-ready system, a tower coater, and eight-foot extended delivery.

The fully-automated make-ready system includes automatic plate hangers, an automatic roller washing system, and automatic blanket washers.   Press personnel can be working on other aspects of their job while the press assists in automating the make-ready tasks.  The tower coater is permanently positioned on the press and thus is faster than a traditional blanket coater which requires assembly and setup.  The eight-foot extended delivery houses an advanced drying system with air knives which extract water out of the coating to expedite drying, resulting in a quicker turnaround of the finished product.  This press has a microphone system throughout for safety purposes.

"We have been doing business with KBA for more than 30 years and they've always supported us in achieving our high-quality objectives," says David Merrick, president of The Merrick Printing Company, Inc.  "This new press is an enhanced version of our existing KBA press fleet offering faster speed, more capabilities, faster make-ready, and improved efficiencies.  This is our first multicolor press with perfecting as well as our first press with a tower coater."

The Merrick Printing Co., Inc. is a full-service commercial printer providing premium print and electronic communications products.  Through its subsidiary, DPI - Digital Print Impressions, Merrick meets the on-demand program needs of customers who want high-quality, short-run color and black-and-white jobs, which save time and money.  Both Merrick and DPI offer variable data services and utilize a fully electronic workflow with state-of-the-art equipment.