Four Heidelberg presses at 221 Auburn Street
Offset Printing in Pittsburgh
Four 40-inch sheetfed presses running 4 to 8 colours plus coating, on our own floor in East Liberty. The kind of work that wants a big sheet, an exact colour and a proper finish.
What offset is for
When it is worth putting a job on a big press
Offset earns its place on work where the sheet is large, the colour has to be exact, or the finish is part of the message. A 28″ × 40″ sheet carries more pages per pass, which keeps longer runs efficient. In-line coating means the varnish or Soft Touch goes on while the sheet is still moving, rather than as a second operation somewhere else.
It is also the press to reach for when a brand colour has to be that colour. Custom ink is blended on site by Wikoff using EcoLogo certified inks, and our presses are G7 Master Qualified, which is a measurable standard for grey balance and tonality rather than a claim about how careful we are.
For shorter runs, versioned work or anything needing personalisation, our digital presses will usually be the better answer, and we will say so.
The presses
Four 40-inch Heidelbergs
Having four means a job can move to whichever press fits it, and a long run can be split across more than one when a deadline needs it.
Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102
8 colour + aqueous coating tower
Autoplate, CP2000, infrared dryer, CIP3, Inkline and extended delivery. Takes stock up to 40 pt board, so it doubles as our packaging press.
Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102
6 colour + aqueous coating tower
Two of these. Six units plus coating means a fifth and sixth colour - a PMS match, a varnish - without a second pass.
Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102
5 colour with perfector
The perfector turns the sheet mid-press, so both sides print in one pass. Fewer passes means less handling and less time on the floor.
Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102
4 colour with perfector
Process colour both sides in a single pass, with an infrared dryer so the stack is ready for bindery sooner.
Coating and finishing
Finished here, not sent out
Aqueous coating goes on in line — flood, spot or Soft Touch. Everything after that happens in the same building, which is usually where schedules are won or lost.
Die cutting
On a Bobst 102-E autoplaten, for pocket folders, custom shapes and anything that is not a rectangle.
Folding and scoring
Hinge scores on perfect-bound covers, gate and roll folds, and scoring heavy cover stock so it turns without cracking.
Saddle stitching
The most common binding in our portfolio by a distance, from 8-page self-covers up to 50-page books with inserts.
Perfect and case binding
For heavier page counts - the PPG trends book above runs 132 pages perfect bound.
Foil and laminate
Foil stamping and lamination, including Soft Touch, where a cover has to feel like something as well as look like it.
Drilling and perforating
Three-hole drilling for binder work, and perforations for reply cards and tear-offs.
Real jobs
Printed on these presses
Specifications as they actually ran, not as a brochure describes them.
Carnegie Mellon University, College of Fine Arts Magazine
- 40 pages + 10 page insert + 4 page cover
- Saddle stitched with a No. 9 remittance envelope
- Text: 80lb McCoy Silk, 80lb Classic Techweave (Solar White)
- Cover: 100lb McCoy Silk with Soft Touch coating
PPG Architectural Finishes, 2020 Global Trends Book
- 132 pages + 4 page cover
- Perfect bound with hinge scoring
- Cover: 100lb PPG Gloss Cover
- Text: 100lb PPG Gloss Text
Centria Intercept Brochure
- 24 pages + cover
- Saddle stitched with 3-hole 5/16″ drilling
- Cover: 100lb Sterling Gloss Cover
- Text: 100lb Sterling Gloss Text
Paper
Stock we run every week
Across the jobs in our portfolio the recurring names are McCoy Silk and Matte, Sterling Gloss, PPG Gloss, Cougar Opaque and Endurance, in text and cover weights from 80lb upward — and, at the other end, board up to 40 pt on the eight-colour press.
We are FSC chain-of-custody certified, so a job that needs to carry the FSC mark can. If you have a house stock you already print on, we will quote it; if you want a recommendation, it helps to know how the piece will be used and whether it has to match something printed previously.
Not sure whether your job is offset or digital?
It usually comes down to how many you need, how many versions there are and what the finish has to do. Send us the job and we will tell you which press makes sense, and why — including when the answer is the cheaper one.
Vision for Print, Mail & Fulfillment in Pittsburgh
From Concept To Mailbox, We Do It All. Let Broudy Be Your Partner.
or call 412.362.6700