Bolger Vision Beyond Print, a 200-employee, $35 million Minneapolis-based commercial printer, recently won the Star of Excellence Best of Show award at the Printing Industry Midwest (PIM) Star of Excellence Awards Banquet. Bolger received its award on April 28 at the University of Minnesota’s McNamara Alumni Center. The Star of Excellence Awards recognizes companies who produce the best in print media and promotes excellence in print communications. The judges praised Bolger’s winning entry for its fine printing execution and finishing techniques.

Bolger’s winning entry, David Yurman MENS, was produced on its one-of-a-kind KBA Rapida 105 ten-color UV perfecting press. The 24-page 8x10.5-inch catalog plus four-page cover called for a print run of 70,000. The four-page cover was blind embossed and foil stamped with satin metallic silver foil on a 100# Carnival Felt New Black Cover stock. The inside 24-pages were printed four-color process on 65# Astrolite Smooth White Cover stock. The KBA Rapida 105 ten-color perfector with dual coaters printed the job in one pass utilizing a hybrid 200 line convention/18 micron stochastic screening technique. The finished catalog was cut, folded, and perfect bound.

The Star of Excellence Awards from the Printing Industry Midwest is an annual printing competition among its members. This year, the organization received 250 entries for 26 different categories. Bolger Vision Beyond Print entered David Yurman MENS in the Product Catalog category of four or more colors. It won the Product Catalog category, the Best of Division category based on Bolger’s number of employees, Best of Class category, and Best of Category. All 26 winning Best of Category pieces were judged and the Bolger entry was chosen as Best of Show.

“The KBA press technology has allowed Bolger to achieve a growing presence in the national high quality print market,” says Paul Pyzdrowski, vice president of print production at Bolger. “The critical factors are a combination of the UV print process, press perfector technology and fine line screening, which have resulted in elevated print performance; with exceptional throughput and a significant price advantage to the customers we serve. And finally, great print technique is a result of understanding all manufacturing components through optimization of the control points, (plates, inks, substrates, and color management) which have contributed to operating the press at an award winning level.”

The only one of its kind in North America, Bolger's 10-color KBA Rapida 105 perfecting press prints and coats both sides of the sheet at once, using UV inks. It also features coating towers after the fifth and tenth units for special effects. Unlike a regular perfecting press, the KBA Rapida 105 maintains high quality on both sides, with no marking and increased register control. Better yet, it cuts make-ready times in half; allowing customers to press check both sides of the sheet at once. To help protect the environment, the press dries ink instantly and requires no VOC's in UV curing. By printing both sides simultaneously and accepting a broad range of paper weights, it eliminates waste.

“When it comes to quality, speed, consistency and cutting-edge technology, no other press can touch the KBA,” says dik Bolger, Chief Executive Officer at Bolger. “KBA is the best press manufacturer that can print five colors, coat and perfect and then do five colors and coat all with UV (in this configuration).”