FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2004

Graphic Printing Information Resource Center Debuts on SGIA.org

FAIRFAX, VA—A major new addition to SGIA.org, the premier web site of the specialty graphic imaging industry, focuses on providing useful resources and information to printers whose work revolves around graphic production.

Similar in scope to the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association’s Garment Decorators Resource Center, SGIA’s latest online offering — a Graphic Printing Information Resource Center — extends a wealth of information on screen printing inks, substrates, art and screen issues, color management, instrumentation and process control, curing and drying, plant layout, finishing, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

“Printers will be able to learn about new or different applications for various substrates, as well as new substrates for current applications,” says SGIA Technical Associate Denise Breard, who’s coordinating the new web site supplement on SGIA.org.

“For example, when consulting with a client on whether polyester or polycarbonate may be more useful for a particular product, the printer will be able to easily access advantages of each—so the client will be able to make a more informed decision.”

Similarly, printers will be able to compare various specialty ink systems to select those with the most beneficial features that meet the production needs of a given plant.

“Do your employees have questions about when and how to use thinners, retarders, flow controls, anti-static agents, and bubble breakers? Or when to use a degreaser with a wetting agent? Do your staff artists know how to determine the finest printable dot for a given press? Maybe they have questions about angles, GCR and LPI?” Breard asks.

Responding to questions, posting articles and offering advice at the new Resource Center will be “technical advisory” Mike Young, along with other industry experts.

Short articles — ranging from RFID to effective use of specialty substrates and special products, additives and modifiers —address these and other topics of current interest at SGIA.org’s Graphic Printing Information Resource Center.

Additional features of the Association’s new online Graphic Printing Information Resource Center:

• Screen technicians and staff will benefit from guidance on frame selection, stencil selection, mesh preparation and reclaiming, exposure determination and control, and prevention of premature screen breakdown.
• Features on plastics identification will be useful for printers who deal with a variety of unknown plastics provided by customers.
• Frequently Asked Questions and Procedures sections will provide valuable resources to all screen makers.
• An On-Press section will address such issues as what can happen if certain adjustments are made on printing presses.
• Instruments and diagnostic tools providing four-color process graphics for printers are a significant component of the new resource section, detailing how to implement changes that have the greatest immediate impact on the quality and quantity of completed work leaving the shipping dock.

Among the Graphic Printing Resource Center’s most valuable tools, however, will be a series of self-audits for managers and printers to conduct on their own premises.

“These tools will facilitate examination of each key department with an eye toward identifying and clearing production bottlenecks,” says Breard, “as well as communication issues that may interfere with the smooth operation of print facilities.”

The results, she adds, “will serve as a guide to correcting current or future problems, along with enhancing productivity.”

Visit SGIA’s Graphic Print Resource Information Center online at SGIA.org. For more information, contact Denise Breard at Association headquarters. Phone: 888.385.3588. E-mail: dbreard@sgia.org.

SGIA- Specialty Graphic Imaging Association
10015 Main Street
Fairfax, VA 22031-3489
Phone: 703-385-1335
Fax: 703-273-0456
E-Mail: sgia@sgia.org
Website URL: www.sgia.org