Attendees gathered for informative sessions and deep conversations.
This week in Costa Mesa, California, more than 60 higher-ed and K-12 in-plant managers from across the U.S. and Canada have been gathered for the Association of College & University Printers (ACUP+) conference.
With temperatures only reaching the mid 60s, it’s been a bit chillier than most were expecting from southern California, but the camaraderie has been warm enough to make up for it. All week, in-plant managers have been deep in conversations, offering each other advice and talking about developments in their shops. They have also been busy browsing the wares on display in the vendor exhibit area where 37 vendors have set up displays.
Several educational sessions headed by various in-plant managers have focused on running an in-plant business. Managers covered everything from pricing strategies, to funding models, to securing more space. Other topics this week included production inkjet, mail presort, MIS storefronts, marketing, social media, sustainable printing, stickers, and variable data.
Ken Macro gave the opening keynote at the 2025 ACUP+ Conference.
On Monday morning, Cal Poly Professor (and former in-plant manager) Ken Macro kicked off the conference with one of his signature high-speed, humorous keynote presentations that enlivened the room. He noted that in the next five to 10 years, there will be five generations working together: the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millenials, GenZ, and the incoming GenA. Macro went over the different characteristics of each, their preferred communication methods, their views of the world, and other traits. Understanding how other generations think and work, he stressed, will help us all get along better and respect one another.
IPI Editor Bob Neubauer presented the latest research on equipment buying trends at in-plants.
On Tuesday morning, IPI Editor Bob Neubauer gave a keynote on “The Future of In-plant Growth and Innovation,” during which he debuted data from the latest IPI research on equipment buying trends at in-plants. Among the findings he revealed: Nearly half of in-plant survey respondents say toner printing volumes have increased compared with two years ago; apparel printing is a growing service at in-plants, evidenced by the fact that direct-to-film printers one of the top five planned investment; and cut-sheet production inkjet presses are now in place at 15% of respondents’ in-plants, and 7% have plans to add them. (Download the research results here.)
The SAUSD in-plant.
Wednesday, after the ACUP+ Membership Meeting, the group took a school bus ride to Santa Ana Unified School District's large and extraordinary in-plant. Perhaps most impressive was the apparel printing section, featuring both DTF and DTG equipment and five embroidery machines. The shop also boasts numerous flatbed and roll-fed wide-format printers, plus automated cutters, laser engravers, label printers, inkjet printers, Canon and Ricoh digital presses —and all this is being run with a staff of 10. It was a very remarkable in-plant.
Wednesday afternoon, several hands-on demos immersed attendees in heat transfers, banner finishing, vehicle wraps, sublimation and window/wall/floor wraps. That evening, the awards dinner honored the winners of ACUP+ Awards.
Watch for a full report on ACUP+ 2025 in the weeks ahead.
2025 ACUP+ Conference
2025 ACUP+ Conference
2025 ACUP+ Conference
SAUSD's in-plant
SAUSD's in-plant
SAUSD's in-plant
2025 ACUP+ Conference
2025 ACUP+ Conference
2025 ACUP+ Conference
2025 ACUP+ Conference
2025 ACUP+ Conference
2025 ACUP+ Conference
2025 ACUP+ Conference
2025 ACUP+ Conference
ACUP+ Conference Wraps Up in California
Attendees gathered for informative sessions and deep conversations.
This week in Costa Mesa, California, more than 60 higher-ed and K-12 in-plant managers from across the U.S. and Canada have been gathered for the Association of College & University Printers (ACUP+) conference.
With temperatures only reaching the mid 60s, it’s been a bit chillier than most were expecting from southern California, but the camaraderie has been warm enough to make up for it. All week, in-plant managers have been deep in conversations, offering each other advice and talking about developments in their shops. They have also been busy browsing the wares on display in the vendor exhibit area where 37 vendors have set up displays.
Ken Macro gave the opening keynote at the 2025 ACUP+ Conference.
On Monday morning, Cal Poly Professor (and former in-plant manager) Ken Macro kicked off the conference with one of his signature high-speed, humorous keynote presentations that enlivened the room. He noted that in the next five to 10 years, there will be five generations working together: the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millenials, GenZ, and the incoming GenA. Macro went over the different characteristics of each, their preferred communication methods, their views of the world, and other traits. Understanding how other generations think and work, he stressed, will help us all get along better and respect one another.
IPI Editor Bob Neubauer presented the latest research on equipment buying trends at in-plants.
On Tuesday morning, IPI Editor Bob Neubauer gave a keynote on “The Future of In-plant Growth and Innovation,” during which he debuted data from the latest IPI research on equipment buying trends at in-plants. Among the findings he revealed: Nearly half of in-plant survey respondents say toner printing volumes have increased compared with two years ago; apparel printing is a growing service at in-plants, evidenced by the fact that direct-to-film printers one of the top five planned investment; and cut-sheet production inkjet presses are now in place at 15% of respondents’ in-plants, and 7% have plans to add them. (Download the research results here.)
The SAUSD in-plant.
Wednesday, after the ACUP+ Membership Meeting, the group took a school bus ride to Santa Ana Unified School District's large and extraordinary in-plant. Perhaps most impressive was the apparel printing section, featuring both DTF and DTG equipment and five embroidery machines. The shop also boasts numerous flatbed and roll-fed wide-format printers, plus automated cutters, laser engravers, label printers, inkjet printers, Canon and Ricoh digital presses —and all this is being run with a staff of 10. It was a very remarkable in-plant.
Wednesday afternoon, several hands-on demos immersed attendees in heat transfers, banner finishing, vehicle wraps, sublimation and window/wall/floor wraps. That evening, the awards dinner honored the winners of ACUP+ Awards.
Watch for a full report on ACUP+ 2025 in the weeks ahead.
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.