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A monthly recap of news & information for Southern Lithoplate customers.

News Brief:

Jan. 17, 2011 Vol. 2, Issue 1

Turnkey CtP Solutions Aimed at Newspaper PrintersSouthern Lithoplate has expanded our partnership with industry leaders to create the most complete and affordable newspaper CtP solutions. Because every newspaper has unique requirements, Southern Lithoplate provides total solutions for both thermal- and violet-based CtP solutions. All systems feature platesetter, DTC Tiff catcher, workflow, plates and processor, backed by 24/7/365 service and support. Upgrade options expand and enhance the capabilities.

• Southern Lithoplate’s highlighted turnkey Thermal CtP Solution bundles VIPER 830® thermal plates, Screen PlateRite News 2000S+ platesetter and Presteligence NewsXtreme LITE newspaper prepress production software.

• The highlighted Violet CtP Solution combines the Replica™ HSV violet photopolymer digital plate, an ECRM MAKO NEWS or MAKO NEWSmatic 60 violet imaging system and NewsXtreme LITE.

“Customers gain the efficiencies they seek by choosing a true turnkey solution at a very affordable price,” notes Bob Behringer, President and CEO of Presteligence. “Total solution bundles afford the best value in CtP workflows. Customers come away with everything they need up front: a system that delivers high-quality plates to keep the presses rolling with reduced acquisition, consumables and service costs. You enjoy the lowest cost of ownership plus the reliability and ease of one-stop shopping without any of the finger pointing that often accompanies buying system components from multiple vendors.”

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Section 179 Improvements Spread Holiday Cheer for Equipment Buyers

You’ve no doubt read about U.S. Tax Code Section 179 on the media site WhatTheyThink. Section 179 allows you to fully expense tangible property in the year it is purchased. Taking advantage of Section 179 deductions boosts many newspapers’ and printing companies’ cash flow and profits.

Lawmakers periodically tweak the provisions to encourage business investment. The 2010 Small Business Jobs Act — with strong support from the Newspaper Association of America and Printing Industries of America — made this option more appealing by hiking the amount you can immediately write off to $500,000 for the 2010 and 2011 tax years.

In December, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 included full expensing for plant and equipment. The one-time bonus first-year depreciation of 100% (raised from 50%) applies to investments made after September 9, 2010, and placed in service through December 31, 2011. You can claim an immediate federal tax deduction for the full cost of new equipment purchases that exceed the $500,000 deduction limit instead of spreading the depreciation expense over several years. As a direct write-off against current year revenues, the bonus depreciation lowers business taxes.

Ultimately, these tax benefits could help finance your upcoming equipment purchases. Now is the best time to convert from analog to CtP production.

More Newspapers Abandoning FilmInstallation data speaks volumes about the inexorable migration from conventional negative imaging to CtP. Whether motivated by the need to replace aging legacy equipment, enhance print quality or achieve greater production speed and efficiency, adopters of Southern Lithoplate digital newspaper solutions were extremely active in 2010.

“After researching violet and thermal technology, we decided that Southern Lithoplate has a good running thermal plate in the VIPER 830® and the Screen PlateRite News 2000S+ has the best track record for reliable plate output,” states Larry Simpson, Production Manager at the Daily News in Bowling Green, Ky.

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The Daily News, one of eight newspaper operations recently implementing thermal CtP solutions from Southern Lithoplate, replaced 12-year-old imagesetting equipment to help produce one daily newspaper, two shoppers and various tabloids.

“The first thing we noticed was the VIPER plate requires less water and ink than an analog plate,” Simpson says. “The dot retention is impressive. The VIPER holds 1% to 2% dots with ease. It’s also a tough plate. We could run 200,000 or more impressions if we wanted to without post-baking.”

Several print sites chose violet CtP technology in order to meet increasing production demands. Among them was Newspaper Service Co., Inc., which completed the two-year conversion to digital prepress at seven locations that print 10 newspapers. Cody Richard, Production Manager, says the ECRM MAKO NEWS with Replica™ HSV plates proved the logical decision.

“When you put a pencil to it, CtP pays for itself,” Richard explains. “We don’t have the expense of maintaining antiquated imagesetters, processors and plate burners. We achieve speed savings more easily. Our overall quality has improved as well. That’s number one. We have 20% fewer errors since switching to CtP.”

New Frontiers for Service Team in 2011Southern Lithoplate’s technical services team never met a problem it couldn’t fix. From RIP to prepress to the pressroom, when help is needed, you have access to immediate assistance 24/7/365.

The scope of Southern Lithoplate’s service and support will continue to keep pace with expanded technology offerings and customer needs. Integrated prepress and pressroom support extends from pre-site to installation to preventive maintenance and ongoing maintenance support and repair of platesetter, processor and imagesetters with more certifications to follow. Southern Lithoplate offers ink saving programs, color management solutions and pressroom fingerprinting. Along with the Strategic Alliance Partners, Southern Lithoplate quickly resolves hardware and software issues. Bottom line, Southern Lithoplate works in tandem with you to ensure a cost-optimized quality prepress and pressroom operation.

Round-the-clock availability remains the cornerstone of the service platform. A Certified Technician that knows your business is always on hand for 24/7 telephone support. These Certified Technicians also are located around the country to support your needs with planned preventive maintenance and/or respond to emergency break/fix needs. “Integrating the best certified field technicians from our acquisition of Konica into our established Southern Lithoplate team has tripled our field service team,” says Brandon Casson, who directs the technical service

organization. “Partnered with our professional inside service and parts managers, Southern Lithoplate’s talent and dedication to newspapers is unmatched by any other plate company in North America. As the world continues to change, there is one constant in the marketplace our customers can trust in: Southern Lithoplate will be here for you.”

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Southern Lithoplate, Inc.Mailing AddressP.O. Box 9400Wake Forest, NC 27588

Physical Address105 Jeffrey WayYoungsville, NC 27596

Phone(800) 638-7990 tel(919) 554-0786 fax

Onlinewww.slp.com info@slp.com support@slp.com

Sun Never Sets on This Guy Named JoeIn 1944, Allied forces landed in France and liberated Paris, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won reelection to a fourth term and the MGM fantasy A Guy Named Joe played in movie houses. People in Greeneville, Tenn., fondly recall 1944 as the year that teenaged Joe Officer joined The Greeneville Sun.

Although coworkers kid Joe, who started at the Sun at age 14 and has his 82nd birthday coming up in July, about his youthful looks, they’re more likely to praise his unflagging contributions to the paper. Joe became a compositor back in the old “hot metal” days in newspapers. A two-year hitch in the U.S. Army during the Korean War interrupted his newspaper career. Once the Sun transitioned to offset printing in 1967, he helmed the graphic camera room. The advent of CtP found Joe again assuming new responsibilities in the platemaking room.

Over the years, Joe has earned the nickname “Mr. Fixit.” Co-workers frequently rely on him to repair everything from major pieces of equipment, some of which he has never personally operated, to rebuilding 35 mm single lens reflex cameras.

Joe Officer is proof that doing what you love keeps you young. Or maybe 80 actually is the new 40.