Offset vs. Digital: Offset Prevails at Millersville
THE QUESTION of whether or not to replace an aging offset press with a digital printer has nagged many in-plant managers. So when Millersville University hired a consultant last fall to analyze the five-employee Printing & Duplicating operation, it was no surprise when he recommended the shop decommission its sheetfed presses and go digital.
What is a surprise is that, half a year later, this southeastern Pennsylvania in-plant just finished installing, not a NexPress, but a five-color, 19x26˝ Adast 755CP offset press. The decision to stick with offset—what’s more to upgrade from a two-color to a five-color press—was a complicated one, explains Barbara Buchanan, manager of University Services.
“We spent a considerable amount of time and effort looking at various major digital products,” she notes. “The actual equipment cost was not really prohibitive, but when you start looking at the consumable cost, you get into an arena that has a lot of variables in it.”
After studying the actual costs involved, the in-plant saw a problem.
“It became apparent to us that we were going to be looking at some significant costs in maintaining the toner products, or the liquid ink products for the HP, if we went that route,” Buchanan says.
After seeing these findings, the university’s associate vice president agreed the in-plant couldn’t afford the cost of going digital. It was time to look into offset options.
Fortunately, Printing & Duplicating Supervisor Marlin Keim had gotten a head start. While researching digital presses, he had also gotten prices for new and used offset equipment, just in case. He learned about a used five-color Adast press for sale in northern New Jersey. So the in-plant sent a few people to look at it, including its press operator. The press seemed just right.
The shop had been tracking its impressions for many years, so it had ample data to justify the larger press, Buchanan says.
“Having those records really proved extremely helpful to us to justify looking at a four or...five-color press,” she says. “Fortunately the administrators that we have here now are in favor of spending money that has been in a holding account for quite a while.”
After going through the bidding process, and trading in its two-color Ryobi 582H press, the in-plant installed the Adast in July. Being able to do four color in a single pass has cut job time considerably, Keim notes, and the fifth unit allows a spot color or coating to be added.
Chemistry-free CTP Replaces Darkroom
The in-plant also replaced its violet platesetter, a Heidelberg Prosetter, with a chemistry-free Presstek Dimension 425. The four-up CTP system images up to 11 plates per hour at 2,540 dpi. Keim says the shop wanted to get away from having to use chemistry and a darkroom to make plates. Now the in-plant has knocked down the wall to its former darkroom and created more space.
“All the lights are on and the only thing we’re dealing with in there is water,” remarks Keim. “It doesn’t smell like somebody died back there any more.”
Completing a trio of acquisitions, the in-plant has added a new Duplo Ultra 205A UV coater, an automated, self-cleaning system with an intuitive touch screen LCD. It will be used to coat posters and other prints produced by the in-plant’s Canon devices.
- Companies:
- Duplo USA
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 180 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
