TECHNOLOGY : Sir Speedy to Offer Fast, Cheaper Process for Printing in Color

Sir Speedy Inc., the franchiser of printing and copying centers in Laguna Hills, has introduced a new technology that it says can reduce the costs of printing color material, the company said.

The technology, which is developed by a subsidiary called Digital Quickcolor Inc., is appropriate for the quick turnaround of color materials printed in quantities of 500 to 5,000 units, Sir Speedy says.

Don Lowe, president and chief executive of Sir Speedy, says Digital Quickcolor’s technology can produce 500 color pages at a fifth of the cost of normal laser copiers.

The process uses four simple computerized production steps that take the place of 11 complex, labor-intensive steps in conventional color printing. It takes about half the normal time, according to Lowe.

Digital Quickcolor, in developing the technology, takes advantage of a system developed by Presstek Inc., in Hudson, N.H., that creates printing plates quickly and registers them accurately by using computer-imaging technology.

The new printing technology will be available at about 50 of Sir Speedy’s 900 printing centers within the next six months.