How To Evaluate Your Shop

"Focus on the customer," adds Thackston, of T/R Systems. "If the vice president of sales feels personalized color proposals can help win more business, upper management certainly will listen."

In-plants should do extensive research before approaching management about a digital color device. That's how Meredith Corp., of Des Moines, Iowa, won its customers. The company bought an IBM InfoColor 70 to print prototypes and marketing materials. To compare cost and turnaround time on the InfoColor 70 with other pieces of equipment, Meredith Director of Digital Content Management Bob Furstenau put together the following figures. They represent the costs and times for printing 10 copies of an 11x17˝ piece: