Cayuga Press is a
local printing press located in Cortland, New York. The Tuesday before
Thanksgiving we were honored with an invitation to take a tour of the facility.
The company was large and complex but the grand smell of ink could be smelled
throughout the building. Within the printing press one could find
state-of-the-art technology with pre-press technicians. A high end 28 x 40
inch, six-color Heidelberg scanner and an array of the fastest Macs and PCs
allow them to work on jobs with rapid speed and precision. With there new partnership
with Creo (company involved in imaging and software technology for computer to
plate and digital printing) allows them an online proofing system so that
clients can save time and money while making sure their jobs are flawless.
The Cayuga Press
is known for their color printing. The Heidelberg Press comes with advanced
computerized auto plate, auto register, and auto preset functions, and their five-color
Heidelberg and Miller presses offer the right quality at a reasonable price.
They have produced numerous national publications, college pieces (Like SPEAK
magazine), and have won many extraordinary awards. It is amazing that this
printing press is located so close to our campus and so few students even know
of it’s existence.
The Press believes
that “communication between printer and buyer is the key to a successful
product. While [we're] committed to the specific needs of each individual
client, Cayuga Press is also concerned with the global needs of everyone. By
using alcohol free fountain solutions, soy-based inks, and chemicals, [they]
deliver exceptional printing and treat our earth gently.” They also have
remarkable bindery including die-cutting, saddle stitching, gate folding,
shrink wrapping, and more.
Cayuga Press also
has high definition printing. Stochastic (or frequency modulated) screening is
very confusing to understand but the results are plain to see. By varying the
frequency of color dots rather than their size, Cayuga’s stochastic equipment
produces the highest print definition available. Stochastic screening can print in excess of
400 dots per inch (DPI), traditional definition is 175 to 200 DPI. This near-photographic
accuracy means it's an excellent choice for calendars, art books, maps, and
catalogs. Because it does not rely on “screen angles,” stochastic screening
produces highly accurate color registration. The “moiré” (interference
pattern created when two grids are overlaid at an angle, or when they have
slightly different mesh sizes) effect associated with conventional screening is
eliminated. Combining extremely tiny dots used in stochastic screening with
vegetable-based ink means significantly less resources are used to produce
higher quality work. This reduces their carbon footprint!
It is great that
such a tech-savvy, environmental friendly place in located right here in
Cortland. I hope to take advantage of this amazing printing press in some way.
I am glad they have such up to date technology in this cutting edge world in
which we all now live in.
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