Monthly Archives: September 2011

Products that Open Doors for Printers

Exciting new opportunities are on the horizon for Mid-State Litho, Inc (MSL) of Flint, MI as MGI’s official state distributor for Michigan. Headquartered in France, MGI is a leader in the European digital printing industry. MGI is a pioneer in the graphic industry, bringing value-adding solutions to a wide range of graphic markets, including commercial printers, plastic card manufacturers, government agencies, packaging firms, in-plant printers, newspaper printers, photo printers and book printers. MGI’s products are unique in their environmentally friendly solutions designed into each piece of equipment. Ozone-free lamps and active recycling programs demonstrate MGI’s commitment to bringing greener choices to the printing industry. MGI continually evolves and innovates to include new technology in all of their designs in order to keep up with the changing graphics market. By combining engineering performance in electronics, IT, micro-mechanics, colorimerty, chemistry and inkjet, MGI promises to remain and grow as a major competitor in the graphics industry and MSL is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with MGI during this exciting time.

MGI’s products line includes the new Meteor DP8700 XL, the most versatile digital press in the global graphics market. The Meteor’s ability to print super format sizes up to 13” x 47” is a market exclusive ability which allows MGI to provide a service no one else can. With MGI there are no click charges. Instead, the Meteor operates more like an offset press. You pay for what you print. Plastic card manufacturing solutions open doors to new markets. The Meteor offers users the widest range of substrate possibilities, including plastics.

Along with the Meteor, MGI also offers the JETcard as a solution for plastic card production. The JETcard features MGI’s cutting-edge inkjet technology and can print in full color at the highest dpi available for an inkjet system. The JETcard is easy to use and can replace up to five different pieces of equipment used in the plastic card production chain. It’s a Litho press, a collator, a lamination press, a die cutter and an encoder/personalization printer all in one. MGI’s PressCard Pro is an industrial production unit for the short run lamination of plastic substrates. The PressCard has the smallest footprint among industrial hot platen lamination units and is approximately the size of a standard refrigerator. The easy to use PressCard can process up to 2,400 cards per hour. Alongside the Meteor, the JETcard and the PressCard Pro, the PunchCard Pro rounds out MGI’s line of plastic card production equipment. The PunchCard Pro is a semiautomatic card punching unit with easy to use semiautomatic feeding. This ultra-compact unit’s low cost of acquisition makes it a great solution for any plastic card production printer.

MGI’s line of UV coating solutions include the amazing JETvarnish which has changed how the graphic industry views spot UV coating. The JETvarnish provides a digital solution to the UV spot process, allowing for more personalization and less cost to printers. No solvents, no ozone and the varnish’s self-cleaning features at the press of a button make JETvarnish the environmentally friendly choice for the spot UV industry make for fast shop clean up.

MSL Teams Up with MGI, Inc.

Why MSL teamed up with MGI: As you may know, MSL has recently become the exclusive MGI distributor for the state of Michigan. We thought we’d share with you some of the reasons why everyone here at MSL is so excited to be able to have MGI’s products available for you and your business.

MGI, headquartered in Paris, is a family owned and operated business founded by three brothers in 1982, who continue to run MGI today. MGI is a world leader in digital printing and finishing equipment and continues to bring groundbreaking solutions and a fresh approach for the graphic industry. MGI consistently meets and exceeds the printing industry’s high standards and expectations, especially in environmentally friendly processes and products. Ozone-free lamps and active recycling programs are just a couple of the ways MGI has demonstrated their commitment to becoming a prime example of an eco-friendly company in the printing industry. MGI will soon be exhibiting their equipment at Cartes & IDentificaition 2011 expo in France. CARTES & IDentification is the world leading event for digital security and smart technologies. At Graph Expo 2011, MGI took home two Must See ‘Em Awards for the Meteor and their JetCard.

Perhaps the key to MGI’s success, and one of the biggest reasons MSL has partnered with MGI, is their ability to bring versatile printing solutions which widen the range of possibilities for print shops small and large. Equipment which combines several machines’ capablities into one, while still providing high quality work, makes MGI an appealing partner. With them, MSL is able to offer our customers more options than ever.

MGI’s Meteor digital press allows printers to print on a wide variety of substrates, giving clients the tools they need to grow. Go beyond just paper; PVC, polycarbonate, Teslin, Yupo and canvas are just a handful of the many other substrates the Meteor can print on. Wondering what the ability to produce plastic cards could do for your business? The Meteor can print on plastic, giving you the option to market keycards, ID badges, plastic labels and many other high-margin items. Along with the Meteor, MGI’s PunchCard Pro and PressCard Pro round out a print shop’s plastic card production capabilites. The PressCard Pro unit is dedicated to short run lamination of plastic substrates. This compact hot lamination press is fully automated and will operate with a fast cycle speed. The Punchcard Pro is a semi-automatic card punching unit capable of punching 8,500 ISO CR-80 plastic cards per hour in layouts ranging from either 21 or 24 cards up. Ultra-compact, the PunchCard Pro’s round-edge cutting produces a simple and elegant product with high added value. You can easily offer short runs of high-end cards with rounded corners to all your customers.

Here at MSL, we believe that MGI is the company to watch as the industry changes. It’s the company we want to be linked to, and they are the products we want to bring you.

Kick-Off Party!

The Digital Freedom Tour: While MSL prepares to travel throughout Michigan on our Digital Freedom Tour, we want to get the tour rolling with a kick-off party. The party will start at 11am and go until 6pm on Wednesday, October 19th and Thursday, the 20th. The Kick-Off Party will be held at Mid-State Litho at 5459 Fenton Rd. Flint, MI 48507. You can find directions on our website’s contact page. Bring your appetite because food and drinks will be provided.

MSL’s Digital Freedom Tour features MGI’s Meteor DP8700 XL digital press; The most versatile digital press in the global graphics market, the Meteor DP8700 XL offers new freedoms to printers which will benefit any operation:

Free from click charges: Keep the profits you’ve earned with freedom from clicks.
Free to print in large, versatile formats: Print sheet sizes up to 13 x 47 inches!
Free of environmental risks & hazards: Show your customers what you’ve done to take care of the environment and share with them the ability to market that fact.
Free to print laser safe digital work: Your customers will feel satisfied and confident in the high quality, oil-free work the Meteor provides.
Free to print on envelopes: Print high-quality envelopes of all sizes for universal branding. Be the entire solution.
Free to explore new substrates: Bring customers new opportunities and become their partner in success with new and unique applications

Also featured at the Kick-Off Party will be Dry-Lam’s 3220 Automatic Laminator, Graphic Whizard’s Creasemaster and Microcoater 530, Rena’s T-750 Tabber & XT 3.0 Imager, plus more vendors and equipment to be announced soon. Look for your invitation coming by mail and email. Please RSVP to krista@midstatelitho.net or call 800.343.4231.

How Graph Expo Affects Your Business

This years Graph Expo proved to be a successful one. MSL came home with renewed optimism for the graphic industry’s future after a few tough years. Exciting new products and widespread interest in modern equipment, applications and processes have shown attendees that our industry is headed in the right direction. We were happy to see the many familiar faces of our customers, colleagues and friends. We’ve also made many new connections and have more announcements we’ll share in the near future.

This year’s expo featured a continued emphasis on digital printing as the future of the graphic industry. MGI’s booth drew large crowds of print providers interested in seeing the versatile new machine that debuted at the show. Attendees witnessed Standard’s continued growth as demonstrated by their premier 6,000 sq/ft booth near the main concourse.

How Graph Expo, and other similar graphic industry expos, affect major printers might seem apparent; However, how smaller operations are influenced may be less obvious. Industry expos give MSL a chance to review where the printing industry is heading, and perhaps even more importantly, where it is not. What this means is that we are enabled to give all of our customers, even the smallest operations, the best advice possible to grow your business. Your aim is to grow your business and to stay competitive in your market. While your business may not be ready to purchase the latest and greatest equipment the industry has to offer, with MSL’s expert advice you can be sure we’ll help lead you in the right direction and you can feel confident in that advice. Expos give MSL the big picture of the printing industry, and it’s a picture we want to share with you.

The picture is clear: digital printing will continue to play a large role in the industry; consumers will keep looking for greener business practices and want to feel assured their own businesses are supporting environmentally safe products; variable data printing is getting easier and the price of VDP software is lower and more affordable for smaller operations; and as the business continues to change, print shops are going to need employees with different skill sets, who are computer-centric and can handle the technical aspect, not just the design aspect.

Want to know what the next step is for your business? Call MSL (800.343.4231) and we will happily discuss how your business can step towards fulfilling these aspirations, with little steps or big leaps, based on your business’s needs.

Get Ready for Graph Expo 2011

Are you ready for Graph Expo 2011? Here are a few tips and details to help you make the most out of your Graph Expo visit.

MSL’s Vendor Booth Numbers:

MGI #3619
Standard Finishing #617
Challenge #2444
MBM #2058
NeoPost-Rena #4002
Mitsubishi Imaging #841
Graphic Whizard #2627
Petratto #4032
Dry-Lam #4449
OKI Data Americas #4627
Satori Software #4419
Xitron #337

Don’t forget to check out Graph Expo’s various seminar options! A complete listing is available at Graph Expo’s website. A number of free presentations are also offered at the expo. Graph Expo’s seminars can be a great source of information for any graphic and printing industry professional.

Graph Expo is the largest expo of it’s kind in the United States. As you can imagine, it can be pretty overwhelming. Aside from MSL’s vendor’s booth numbers we’ve provided, we’d also like to share Graph Expo’s own vendor search tool and map for your convenience. Follow the links and use them to help you make the most out of your trip.

As always, MSL team members will be available at Graph Expo. A list of MSL sales team members and the number where they can be reached is provided, along with a map indicating which counties they cover.

MSL Graphic Express

Mid-State Litho's Tips, Tricks, and News for the Printing Industry