Baldwin Senior Scientist receives PIASC Gutenberg Award

3/3/2003

March 3, 2003

SHELTON, Conn.-- PIASC PRESENTS GUTENBERG AWARD TO INDUSTRY PIONEERS

Printing Industries Association, Inc. of Southern California, announced the selection of three outstanding industry pioneers as recipients of the 2003 Gutenberg Award: Messrs. Julius Domotor (Advanced Litho, San Francisco, CA), Larry Lester (Lester Lithograph, Anaheim, CA), and John MacPhee (Baldwin Technology, Rowayton, CT).

Each was instrumental in developing and advancing the Delta Dampening System (better known to those in the printing industry as "the hickey picker"). This innovative technology virtually eliminates "hickies," those nasty donut shaped marks in the image area of the printed piece.

The story reads as follows.

Julius Domotor began his printing career in Hungary when he was fourteen years old, attending trade school half a day and working in a printing plant the other half. He obtained his pressman diploma in 1953. The spontaneous uprising in Budapest in 1956 to oust the Russian regime, however, interrupted his immediate career plans. Julius participated in fighting and drove an ambulance to transport the injured for medical aid. For this he was jailed. Upon release from jail, he and his fiancé Elizabeth eventually escaped to Vienna and then immigrated to the United States.

In 1961 the Domotors moved to San Francisco where he worked for several different printing companies over the next decade. During this time, he came up with the idea of the "hickey picker," which he patented and named the Domotor (or Delta) roller. The idea was to eliminate hickies by causing an ink form roller to rotate at a different speed than the plate. He made these roller systems in his garage while still working full-time as a pressman. In his off hours, he promoted the invention: he was his own salesman, machinist and serviceman.

In 1970, Domotor spoke at the Los Angeles Litho Club about his invention. In the audience was Larry Lester, graduate of Don Bosco Tech, former print salesman and pressroom foreman, and currently a damping systems salesman for Dahlgren Manufacturing. They soon became partners, with Lester focusing on the manufacturing and marketing of the Domotor (Delta) roller. In 1973, Domotor sold the business and licensed the patent rights of the invention to Baldwin Technology.

At about the same time, Lester joined Baldwin Technology as a Western Regional Manager, overseeing sales and service. There he met John MacPhee, an engineer in the research and development division. Soon they were to become collaborators in the development of the Delta Dampener.

In the interim, however, Lester and his wife Georgiana founded Lester Lithograph in Anaheim. The year was 1980. Their goal was to build a company focused on traditional craftsmanship to service state-of-the-art printers and color separators in the small press format.

At about the same time, Baldwin Technology was researching the possibility of driving a dampening form roller. While looking at a new Epic design for his G.T.O., Lester thought there was a way to drive the dampening form roller. He contacted John MacPhee at the Baldwin Company. They arranged with Epic Products to build a prototype that would be installed at Lester Lithograph. Through extensive elbow work, they made the system work. Their invention was patented as the Delta Dampener.

The Delta Dampener combines (1) a dampening form roller driven at a different speed than the plate to eliminate hickies in accordance with Domotor's concept (i.e., the Delta roller); and (2) an ink receptive roller running in contact with the dampening form (Delta) roller to reduces minor ghosting and better control emulsification. This was clearly a technology breakthrough.

Our co-pioneers, however, have not rested on their laurels.

Shortly after selling his business to Baldwin Technology, Julius Domotor founded a successful printing company-Advanced Litho System, Inc.-in San Francisco. After being in business for 30 years and constantly growing by purchasing and rebuilding presses, the Domotors closed their business, and now they have time for other interests: riding motorcycles, traveling, and perhaps another invention.

Since the invention of the Delta Dampener, John MacPhee has held a number of important positions at Baldwin Technology: Vice President of Engineering, Vice President of Research and Technology, and currently Senior Scientist. MacPhee's contributions to the graphic arts industry and other industries is well-known-evident by over 20 inventions in the nuclear, industrial robot, and graphic arts industries that have been the subject of over 100 patents worldwide.

Besides running Lester Lithograph, Lester has worked as a Litho Consultant for Harris Printing Press, Miller Printing Equipment, Epic Products, Baldwin Technology, and several commercial printing companies in Southern California. Moreover, Lester has been very involved with Printing Industries Association of Southern California. For many years he served on the board of directors of the Sales Management Group. Since 1997, he has served on PIASC's board of directors, and from 1999 - 2002, he held officer positions on the board, culminating as Chair in 2001.

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