Meet the team at Art & Negative in Lanham, Maryland, where the very first worldwide installation of the SCREEN Truepress JET 560HDX took place. First as a supplier of prepress equipment to Art & Negative in the 1980s and now as a provider of high-speed, roll-fed digital inkjet solutions to this SOC 2 Type 2 map to HITRUST company serving multiple clients in healthcare, SCREEN Americas is ensuring data security and advanced personalization while increasing capacity and reducing turnaround time for Art & Negative.

SCREEN Americas announces plans for the first installation of the Truepress JET 560HDX to take place in the 60,000-square-foot facility belonging to Art & Negative of Lanham, Maryland. Prior to the official commercial release, Art & Negative will become an early adopter of the new SCREEN technology.

The Maryland-based printer’s relationship with SCREEN dates back to its inception in 1981 when, as a prepress operation, it invested in SCREEN’s drum scanners. In 2001, the company made the transition from offering prepress production to becoming a full-service commercial printing facility and added mailing and fulfillment services in 2002. Art & Negative invested in the Truepress JET 520HD AD in 2021 and paired it with Hunkeler finishing equipment available from Standard Finishing Systems. Since then, the company has increased its employees from 37 to 49 and experienced a 37 percent growth in business from 2022 to 2023.

Eliminating offset press equipment from its facility has been on Art & Negative’s agenda ever since it invested in SCREEN’s digital inkjet technology, especially since more and more of Art & Negative’s customers are demanding high quality variable work. Just as the Truepress JET 520HD AD allowed Art & Negative to handle high-end requests, the Truepress JET 560HDX will afford the company the ability to produce even more offset-quality-type work quickly. With the addition of the 1,200 x 1,200 dpi-capable new press, Art & Negative plans to eliminate its sheetfed offset press.

“The Truepress JET 560HDX couldn’t get here sooner,” said COO Jason Wilburn. “The press will offer greater versioning and the color gamut will allow for more captivating pieces. We will also be able to use 120-pound stock on the HDX, which we know our customers will love.”

The press is also expected to secure new business for Art & Negative, who has become popular with universities. “We were assigned to print a brochure detailing a university’s presidential tour,” noted Executive Vice President Jim Myers. “I made the suggestion that instead of printing multiple copies containing all 10 dates in the schedule, we could customize the brochure and make 10 different versions plus put personalized mailing addresses on the back. This would have been a lot more cumbersome and expensive on offset, but with the HD, it was a snap!”

The installation of the Truepress JET 560HDX is scheduled for summer 2024.

SCREEN Americas announces the sale of its Truepress Jet520HD to Art & Negative Graphics, Inc. of Lanham, Maryland. The press, which was installed in March 2021, will contribute to the family owned and operated company’s legacy of purchasing SCREEN equipment.

In 1981 Art & Negative Graphics began as a full-service prepress shop and during its early years invested in a Direct Scanagraph SG-608 drum scanner followed by two Direct Scanagraph SG-757 drum scanners by SCREEN. It wasn’t long before the employees of the humble prepress shop found themselves producing 90-100 scans per day for its customers. SCREEN’s Sigmagraph Systems were soon added to its selection of equipment and by 1988, Art & Negative Graphics was operating three shifts per day with 20 employees leading the company to relocate to a 10,000 square foot space in Bladensburg, Maryland.

The arrival of computer-to-plate technology in the industry forced Art & Negative Graphics to reconsider its position in the marketplace and in 2001 it made the transition from a prepress operation to a full-service commercial printer and relocated to its current facility in Lanham, Maryland. In 2002 it began offering mailing and fulfillment services and in 2005 it expanded its operations to include digital printing and die-cutting applications.

Today, Art & Negative Graphics has 37 employees and occupies a 60,000 square foot facility. With high-end clients expecting high-quality work finished expediently, management at Art & Negative decided it was time to advance its automation and make a further investment in the direct mail side of the business. The installation of the Truepress Jet520HD has allowed Art & Negative to produce work much faster with fewer touches to the technology. The firm is also looking forward to the additional opportunities it will have with more complex variable data and to the minimal interaction, its operators will need to have with the press. Art & Negative’s long-range plans include reducing the amount of offset equipment it has acquired over the years and making SCREEN’s inkjet technology the centerpiece of its operation for direct mail.

Easy and direct access to the company’s president, Ken Ingram, was also important to Art & Negative. “We know from experience that our customers are choosing a partner as much as a piece of equipment,” said Mark Schlimme, vice president of marketing for SCREEN Americas. “Our customers make an extensive investment in SCREEN and access to our total organization, from sales to service to operation, very quickly becomes ‘mission critical’ for our customers. We want to be as flat and transparent as possible because in the end it’s all about service.”

SCREEN Americas is proud to have come full circle with Art & Negative Graphics. Just as the one-time prepress company has had to reinvent its business to become a full-service commercial printer, so has SCREEN had to advance its technology to meet the needs of its customers.

About Art & Negative Graphics Inc.

Founded in 1981 and based in Lanham, Maryland, Art & Negative Graphics is a full-service commercial printer specializing in direct mail, mailing and fulfillment and signage.