“It takes a lot of coordination that people do not always see. Everything has to come together perfectly from start to finish,” said the press operator.
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A year ago, J.S. McCarthy Packaging + Print in Augusta claimed a world record for folding carton production, using its new offset press to print 429,000 cartons in 24 hours.
The company recently surpassed its own benchmark, producing 569,220 net sellable sheets in a continuous 30-hour, 26-minute run on its Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 21K Press.
During the strongest 24-hour period of the run, the team printed 460,149 sheets, exceeding last year’s record of 429,000 sheets and reaching an average production rate of 19,173 sheets per hour.
“In 2025, we set out to prove what was possible,” said Jon Tardiff, the company’s president and CEO. “This year, we came back with the right job, the right conditions and a team that was ready to push even further.”
In early 2024, the company installed the press, said to be one of the fastest and most automated offset presses in the world, and the first such machine installed in the U.S.
The press was made by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG in Heidelberg, Germany.
The company started in 1947 as J.S. McCarthy Printers. Today, packaging eclipses its print orders. The company rebranded to J.S. McCarthy Packaging + Print in 2024.
Perfect prep
Preparation for the run was no different than any other high-performance job on the floor. Teams across shifts stayed aligned on setup, staging and material flow to keep the press running consistently at high speeds. From feeder to delivery, every detail had to be right, the company said.
“It takes a lot of coordination that people do not always see,” said Jason Baird, the company’s press operator. “Everything has to come together perfectly from start to finish.”
The Speedmaster XL 106 allowed the team to run at sustained high speeds while maintaining tight color control and print quality. Integrated inspection systems monitored color in real time, while operators continuously checked sheets to ensure consistency throughout the run.
Tardiff credited Heidelberg’s technology for giving operators the ability to achieve high productivity while maintaining standards.
The run consumed more than 210,000 pounds of paperboard, equivalent to five trailer truck loads.
High-tech machines
Founded in 1947, the business has evolved from its roots in commercial printing to the folding carton packaging sector. It delivers customized packaging solutions for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, markets that require strict adherence to safety, regulatory compliance and visual precision.
Over the years, the company has acquired six others to enhance its offerings: Graphic Color Service of Fairfield, Spectrum Printing of Portland, Henry Sawyer Co. of Boston, Wolf Colorprint of Newington, Conn., Printech of Stamford, Conn., and Artco of Canton, Mass.
The company had been owned by the Tardiff family since 2000, and transitioned to an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, in 2019.
It operates from a 150,000-square-foot facility, employing 106 individuals operating 24/7. They include press operators, sheeting crews, logistics coordinators, material handlers and apprentices.
The company has been investing in the growing market for folding cartons with the addition of high-tech machinery. That includes a flatbed die-cutter, folder-gluers and machines that can both mass-produce cut shapes — called die-cutting — and apply metallic foil to substrates such as carton board, called hot foil stamping.“We are always looking for the next opportunity to improve,” Tardiff said. “That is what defines our company.”
