To Bob Morton, President, Best Graphics, Inc. --

Here's a bit of background on our purchase of the new Best Osako 368AS saddle stitcher: First of all, because we do both sheetfed and web printing, we were looking for something that was web-friendly, something that will handle tabloids efficiently, and can run with or without a lap. The Osako doesn't require a lap on the tabloid. Our previous stitcher was a bottleneck in terms of handling forms off the web. The Osako runs front, reverse or with no lip with no problems.

We were reluctant to go with what was for us a new brand, because our customers are extremely demanding. We have one customer who has rejected a whole run if a single piece was imperfect. It was essential that I have total confidence in any machine we would purchase.

Every manufacturer makes claims, but I feel I have to evaluate any major piece of equipment in action. So before buying the Osako 368AS, we took some hard-to-run signatures and visited an installation in New Hampshire. Running some of the toughest jobs we had, faster and without a hitch, that was what sold us. The Osako really shined. My guys came back just raving about it. We also purchased a waste removal system and a stacker to complete our immediate needs.

The machine is very operator-friendly and we train people with no trouble at all. Setups are a lot quicker with the automated touch screen. The automation sure is niceÉ it makes everything easier to use and quicker. My operators love the Osako.

We have found the Best Osako to be more operator-friendly and easier to work with than our previous machine. Collating stations are much easier for the operator to get to. Everything runs smoothly and snag-free. The bottom line is, we get much more and better output than before.

The machine runs faster and just doesn't jam. We are able to feed signatures at a higher production speed for virtually every type of signature we run.

Also, the mis-stitch detection feature and scanner for misaligned signatures are great quality control features.

We didn't run a second shift before... but because the machine is so operator-friendly and easy to run, we have no second shift issues. We have our more skilled, first-shift operators set it up at the end of the day shift, and the second-shift operators just more or less tend the run.

Bob, you made such a good deal for us, we felt like now was the time. We traded in a Muller-Martini and a 3-knife trimmer and you really went to bat for us on installation and support.

Sincerely,
William J. Ragsdale, Jr., CEO
Martin Printing Company, Inc.