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Joe Del Vecchio, longtime pressroom manager at Mercury Print Productions, holds the original 2004 case study documenting Mercury as one of the first commercial printers to install a GFI automated ink dispenser. Next to him is Dean Hitchcock, Mercury’s new offset press manager. 

Plymouth, Ind. – When Mercury Print Productions was the first to install GFI Innovation’s OPL Series paste ink dispenser in 2004, the Rochester, New York-based company was already known for embracing innovation. Two decades later, their dispenser is still going strong and producing impressive results.

“Their machines have proven to be rock-solid over the years. We’ve replaced computers and upgraded the software, but the core system just keeps going,” said Joe Del Vecchio, the longtime pressroom manager who recently transitioned to semi-retirement after 31 years with the company.

“We were the very first printing company to put one of these dispensers on the floor. At the time, we were doing a tremendous amount of color mixes. Mixing by hand meant pulling inks, weighing them on a slab, and spending hours blending. It took a full-time technician and the dispenser changed all that.”

A Pioneer in Automated Ink Dispensing

Founded in 1969 by Valerie Mannix as a family-owned business that began in the basement of her home, Mercury had grown steadily through six facility expansions before consolidating into its current 400,000-square-foot headquarters. The leap Mercury took 21 years ago in ink dispensing technology would not only transform its own pressroom, it would also mark a milestone for the entire industry. 

The original first-generation OPL dispenser developed by GFI was a bold experiment. The concept of automated paste ink dispensing had been proven in liquid ink systems, but paste inks required new technology to handle their heavy viscosities. With its entrepreneurial roots, DelVecchio said Mercury was willing to take the big step forward.

“We wanted to see what it was all about. The idea of being able to plug in a formula, hit the start button and let the machine do the work while our people focused on other valuable tasks, was a no brainer.”

Early on, there was some skepticism. Operators questioned its accuracy and supervisors wondered about ROI, but the results spoke quickly. The first case study GFI published on Mercury back in 2004 documented an 88% reduction in special ink batch costs, a 75% cut in mixing time, and thousands of dollars saved in labor, cleanup, and wasted ink.

“The real turning point was realizing how accurate it was,” noted Del Vecchio. “We thought the original machine was good, but every generation since has gotten better. Today we’re hitting tolerances down to two-thousandths of a pound, with nearly 100% accuracy. That’s not something you can do by hand.”

Accuracy, Efficiency, and big benefits

Mercury has since upgraded to GFI’s MX6 dispenser and continues to use it weekly. Although the company’s business mix has shifted toward educational printing, which is longer-run web-printing work that often relies on vendor-supplied inks, the dispenser remains indispensable for spot colors, short-run specials, and urgent replenishment needs.

“One of the nicest benefits is that if we order 100 pounds of a color from the ink company, and halfway through the run we need another 10 or 15 pounds, we don’t have to wait for delivery. We just make it ourselves and it matches perfectly,” explained Del Vecchio.

He said GFI’s technology also plays a role in operator training and workforce development. This is especially helpful since with today’s labor challenges, most new hires arrive with little or no prior pressroom experience.

“Anybody who comes in and sees the dispenser for the first time is impressed,” acknowledged Del Vecchio. “It’s easy to learn, it saves time, and it makes their job better. New operators with print experience always say, ‘I wish we had one of these where I used to work.’”

Ink inventory management has been another area of impact. By mixing on demand, Mercury has reduced their tendency to over-mix, cutting down on leftover cans of custom colors.

“We still like to have a little extra so nobody is waiting, but it’s far less than before,” said Del Vecchio, adding that equally important was how the system has freed up staff. Instead of dedicating people to weigh, mix, and clean, helpers were reassigned to press prep and stock handling, improving overall productivity. “The dispenser gave us the flexibility to use our people where they added the most value.”

Dependable Support

Today, Mercury’s durable ink dispenser receives regular software updates and occasional remote troubleshooting from GFI’s service team to keep it running smoothly.

“We can send a help request right through the software, and usually someone is dialed in within minutes,” says Del Vecchio. “That’s a great benefit to have and you don’t lose time.”

Looking back, he takes pride in Mercury’s pioneering role.

“We jumped in early because we knew it would make us more efficient,” he reflects. “For printers that are mixing a lot of special colors, I don’t know how they operate without a GFI dispenser on the floor.”

As Mercury continues to expand its educational printing niche and invest in web and digital technologies, the ink dispenser remains part of its DNA of innovation. From its humble beginning as a basement startup to its state-of-the-art facility, Del Vecchio says Mercury has always been willing to try something new.

“Being first with GFI wasn’t just about ink. It was about proving that innovation and customer commitment go hand in hand. And after 21 years, it’s still paying dividends.”