Duplicators Reenergize UT-Martin In-plant

The purchase of two Riso V8000 digital presses has given the University of Tennessee at Martin Digital Printing Services a new lease on life.

A few years ago, the in-plant seemed to be in trouble. Its machinery was very old and some of its presses were broken.

“Life expectancy for the print shop looked very dim,” says Susie Nanney, director of Information Technology Services Computer Store and Digital Printing Services.

In the summer of 2005, the university’s Information Technology Services began managing the print shop and transformed it into a digital workplace, rebranding it “Digital Printing Services.” That fall, the in-plant added its first Riso V8000 digital press, powered by Zykros technology, which allows the printing of two colors in one pass.

“The speed and quality from this machine was amazing,” Nanney says. “We run all of our letterheads, business cards, envelopes and commencement programs through the V8000 along with NCR forms. The toner machines that we had reviewed just did not match up to the quality and color that we expect here at UT Martin.”

The employees of Digital Printing Services were so pleased with the first machine that they made room for another.

“Both machines now stay very busy,” Nanney says. “Since then we have also purchased the [Riso] HC5000 business color machine and are very pleased.”

The print shop was remodeled and designed to house the new digital equipment along with a customer service counter and five individual work spaces. Nanney says the print shop—run by three full-time employees and seven student employees—plans to purchase a large-format printer in the near future to expand its services.

“It has been wonderful to see new life put back into this operation,” she says.