Finishing & Screen Printing

New Heidelberg Stahlfolder Captivates California Print Shop

Thursday 12. June 2008 - It may not be magic, but a transformation has occurred at Wizard Graphics in Chico, Calif. in the last several months.

Efficiency, quality and customer satisfaction are at an all-time high at Wizard Graphics in the wake of a complete prepress system overhaul and the addition of a new Heidelberg Stahlfolder USA B26 folder. The company’s old prepress equipment was replaced in the fall of 2007 with a Heidelberg prepress system, and Owner Merlin Newkirk now boasts about the system’s success. “We have been so highly impressed with Heidelberg’s prepress system that we wouldn’t look to any other company,” he said. Now, here is where the real magic happens. Newkirk’s son and production manager, Matt Newkirk, attended a print show in Egypt in 2007, where he met with Heidelberg representatives and experienced the Stahlfolder first-hand. After traveling to several shops in Cairo, Newkirk was so impressed with Heidelberg’s advanced Stahlfolder technology that he insisted that Wizard Graphics invest in one as soon as possible. When the shop’s old folder died a few months later, Newkirk summoned Heidelberg and installed a new Stahlfolder USA B26 in January 2008. “We are very impressed with the folder,” Marlin Newkirk said. “The productivity enhancements with continuous feed are incredible. Heidelberg has changed our thinking on feeding short runs – we always were told that pile feeds were best for short runs, but now we are able to just load several jobs at a time onto the continuous feed and the Stahlfolder takes care of them all in succession.” Just after the folder arrived, Wizard Graphics put it to the test with a 90,000-piece mailing for the county that was budgeted to take two and a half days. Imagine their surprise when the mailing was complete in less than four hours on the new Stahlfolder. As an Internet-based company, Wizard Graphics is focused on high customer satisfaction. “Our customers want quality results, and with the preslitter on the folder that helps us score on the fly, we can ensure the best results on all kinds of jobs,” Newkirk said. Newkirk also praises Heidelberg’s service technicians, noting that service experts will stop by their shop, which is well off the beaten path in Chico, Calif., just to ensure that the folder is still in good condition. Wizard Graphics receive orders from around the nation, and the family-run business trusts Heidelberg results to fulfill the wishes of its customers.