Introduction: a new approach
In the competitive world of commercial printing, Dreamworks Graphic Communications set out to be different from day one. The business started in 2009, at a time when many long-established offset printers were failing and folding. The small team that created the company knew that they would have to have a new approach, in order to be able to survive and prosper in the adverse marketplace of the time. They have since carved out a niche for Dreamworks at the higher end of the market, producing extraordinary work with a range of specialist effects and techniques, to really push back the boundaries of creativity in print.
Based in a 45,000sq. ft. facility in Glenview, Illinois, the Dreamworks team have invested heavily in the latest technology from the outset. Joe Engwall, VP Operations, sets the scene: “Dreamworks started out in 2009, we took over a company that was floundering and basically have replaced every single piece of equipment since we started, with the idea of being able to take on any kind of specialty work, any kind of substrate that’s out there… and be able to handle it very well. We really are not afraid to take on any kind of project. We can do pretty much anything, whether it be grits, rough touches, UV coatings, water-based coatings, metallics, strikethroughs… you name it, it doesn’t faze us.
“We challenge ourselves every day to be the best out there… we surely aren’t the biggest, but our quality can go up against anybody, and the people that we have here thrive on that. They really want to do the best type of work in the industry, and UV is a huge part of that.”
Choosing UV and GEW
Early in 2024, Dreamworks invested in a refurbished Komori LS40 press and had a GEW UV curing system retrofitted to the machine, to ensure that it could handle the specialist work they had planned for it. Engwall has had experience of working with UV curing systems in the past, as he has an existing UV system in operation on an older Komori press. He explains why they decided to shift over to GEW for the latest installation: “Adding the 8-colour with the cold foil and the GEW UV system has been a huge asset for us going forward. I was pretty loyal to the other UV system that we had, and it had worked fine for years and it still does, but when I started looking at GEW, I liked quite a few things about the system that were operator friendly for one, and consumables that I need being available quickly with GEW’s place in Cleveland, Ohio… that was another big thing.
“So then I demoed and I liked what I saw, and talked to people about it – and people were very high on GEW, people that I respect, and that was what sold me.”
UV system configuration
The GEW system has been configured for maximum flexibility: each UV lamp is interchangeable and can be moved to any of the print stations, as Engwall describes: “The way our UV system is configured is, it’s on an 8-colour LS Komori, we have a docking station on every unit, we have four UV lamps for the eight units and then we have our end of press lamps.”
The adaptability of the configuration is put to the test on a regular basis, due to the diversity and complexity of the jobs put through the press. Dan Keylard, Lead Pressman, outlines some of his typical work: “We run all sorts of different kind of custom printing from just regular C1S board to 3D lenticular plastic, we run all sorts of foil, we do UV strikethrough which is dull gloss combinations, but we do all sorts of stuff.
“During the foil process you need a couple of lamps… the first unit puts down a foil adhesive ink, then the foil is applied and the foil sticks to that ink, and we have an interdeck lamp right on that unit, cures it. Immediately after that, four colours are put down and then we lamp right at the yellow, and then we put a dull varnish over the yellow inline, and then from there it goes through the coater, puts the gloss on, and then we have the three bulbs at the end, and cures everything. That would be a perfect example of a custom job that you cannot do with conventional ink.”
Why it has to be UV
He goes on to highlight the imperative need for the UV system: “The jobs we do, you can’t do them conventional. Because of the order that we put ink down and foil goes on top… it all has to be cured inline before more ink goes on top of it, and you have to do everything inline so you get the job. You can’t be doing stuff in multiple passes on a job. It’s all because of UV that we get the work we get.”
When researching which curing technology would best suit their needs, Engwall opted for GEW’s E4C lamps, which are the conventional UV Arc type. Whilst LED is becoming the predominant technology for sheetfed installations, Engwall is clear on his reasoning for choosing UV Arc: “We went UV versus LED for the amount of coverage and the difficulties of some of the techniques that we use, whether it be heavy grit coats, heavy rough touches, strikethrough varnishes… just the saturation in general. The UV side of it definitely is better.”
Flexibility: print with or without UV
Certain of Dreamworks’ simpler print jobs are still produced conventionally, and UV curing is not required. The curing systems are integrated so that the presses can be run with or without UV, as Engwall describes: “Would I love to run every job UV? I would, just because I know it’s going to be smooth, seamless. I have no concerns of marking or drying or offsetting or picking, or anything along those lines. But conventional still has its place in this industry also, you know, and it’s a little more economical to run things conventionally than UV. You know, we can go back and forth, conventional and UV, on our two presses.”
Retrofit and installation
Engwall was initially unsure whether a UV system could be successfully installed onto the LS40 Komori, as he explains: “With it being a retrofit on an older LS press, I was a little concerned in the beginning. There was a lot of thought and engineering that went into converting this. There was many drawings back and forth, but it turned out that GEW have engineered it just fine.
“Everything went in how the drawings had intended it to be, so I was very pleased about that, you know we didn’t have to do too much retrofit once it actually got on the floor. The way the system is built, you can tell there’s been a lot of good people engineering this equipment, and then the people that came to install it did a fantastic job. It did exactly what I needed from job number one.”
Technical support
A further consideration for the Dreamworks team was the level of after-sales support they could expect, once the UV system was up and running. GEW, with its USA hub in Ohio and its promise of rapid, nationwide technical support, was a front-runner in this regard. Dan Keylard describes his day-to-day experience of this service, in reality: “The support from the GEW team’s been good, there’s normally someone close in the area, and they send someone over right away, or they’ll even just stop in, friendly stop in to see how things are going, since it’s been a new system. Yes, it’s all been good.”
Ease of use
He goes on to outline some of the benefits he sees with the new UV system: “What I really like about this compared to my old system is that it’s just very reliable and it’s pretty user-friendly, the touchscreen, to operate them, turn them on and off, and changing the interdecks around… really easy, really user-friendly. Our work right off press can be, you know, you can cut it right away, you can band it, strap it up, send it out, you know, everything’s good and dry to touch, right off the press.“
Summary: what UV brings
Joe Engwall concludes by summarising his thoughts: “UV has revolutionised what you can do with substrates, we work with just about every substrate under the sun, whether it be vinyls, clears, canvases, paper, coated, uncoated, any finish that’s out there that you can put something on, we would say ‘yep, no problem, we can do that’.
“The more and more we use UV technology, and put things out there like our calendar promo piece… it has so much in it, that you can show people what UV technology can bring to the table – and that part of it alone is enough to land any new customer.”
The case study video – watch it here:
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Learn more about how GEW supports sheetfed printers, here.
