In-plant Adds Cut-Sheet Inkjet Press

Development Dimensions International (DDI), a global human resources consultancy, has installed an Océ VarioPrint i300 cut-sheet inkjet press in its in-plant, along with a Canon imagePRESS C10000 VP.

DDI works with multinational companies in more than 90 countries to help transform the way they hire, promote, and develop leaders. To help in this mission, its in-plant produces thousands of training packets, programs, and booklets. The ability to print at fast speeds and high volume is crucial to helping DDI keep its thousands of clients informed and armed with the necessary tools to develop strong leaders.

“More than a month after installation, our speed and productivity have increased enormously and we are at nearly 100% uptime,” says Grant Paul, manager of Service Operations at DDI. “Transitioning away from toner-based printers to an inkjet system has enabled us to print higher quality pieces at more than twice the rate of our previous devices.”

To maintain its reputation and meet the expectations of various types of organizations around the world, DDI places significant focus on innovation. It invests twice the industry average in research and development to stay ahead of any changes in the marketplace. As part of this commitment, DDI searched for revolutionary printing technology that would enhance its in-house print capabilities at a lower cost and higher quality. The Océ VarioPrint i300 and the Canon imagePRESS C10000 VP met the company’s criteria with both technologies engineered to handle exceptionally high volume and equipped with a range of applications that are set to offer DDI unparalleled levels of high quality print solutions.

“We offer our clients a tremendous amount of educational materials and research on leadership, which requires us to be able to print a high volume of materials at top quality,” says Patsy Tsao, senior VP and CFO at DDI. “As we sought to replace our printing system, we wanted to provide a better value to our clients and employees by improving the quality of our printed materials, lowering our cost, and reducing turnaround time on projects. Canon has been an excellent partner in the process, and our new system is helping us achieve all of our target metrics.”

The range of innovations powering the Océ VarioPrint i300 are made possible by Océ iQuarius technologies, which allow for robust, high quality print at high speed. DDI can better serve the needs of its customers with a sheet-fed inkjet press that enables large in-house facilities to handle new and more diverse applications – and do so profitably – without compromising speed or quality. DDI is reaping the benefit of increased efficiency and productivity due to the Océ VarioPrint i300’s ability to provide a white-sheet-in, finished-application-out workflow, ideal for meeting shorter run, fast turnaround print requirements. Acquiring versatile printing systems like the Océ VarioPrint i300 helps DDI remain a strong competitor in the marketplace by helping the company to economically handle its own print requirements.

With the Océ VarioPrint i300, DDI benefits from a completely automated workflow and highly intuitive operation that is ideal for companies looking to increase flexibility, expand application mix, take on more digital work, or leverage inkjet versatility. Canon Solutions America’s specialized team of document management consultants, which is focused on customer workflow optimization, secured an end-to-end document workflow solution for DDI by aligning the Océ PRISMA workflow software with the Océ VarioPrint i300. From a paper quantity, shipment, and application perspective, the PRISMA end-to-end software suite is covering every stage in DDI’s document production – from creation to print management to finishing and tracking delivery.

Canon Solutions America ensured the appropriate equipment and systems were configured for DDI’s specific business requirements. The Océ VarioPrint i300, in particular, has helped DDI improve efficiency by conducting full bleed printing inline rather than offline. Additionally, the press allows in-line saddle stitching, a technique frequently used by DDI to bind the thousands of training packets, programs, and booklets produced. These in-line finishing capabilities are vital to help the company take on high-volume projects that can be completed in less time and at a lower cost. Furthermore, the implementation of this versatile press exposed customization possibilities that have encouraged future changes in the company’s standard materials strategy.

In addition to the Océ VarioPrint i300, DDI acquired the Canon imagePRESS C10000VP in an effort to take its business to the next level with a fully functional production print fleet. This press was specifically built for high productivity, high-quality color output and reliability. Its ability to offer an extensive range of digital front ends and in-line finishing makes it ideal for the development of innovative applications across a wide range of media.

Delivering offset-like, vibrant, and stable output quality, the Canon imagePRESS C10000VP is set to transform DDI’s print operations with its inline finishing modules, which include a new professional creasing module for high quality appearance of half folded leaflets and saddle-stitched booklets. According to DDI, the Canon imagePRESS C10000VP delivers a stronger finish than the previously used toner based technology, and with the in-line capability increase they anticipate endless printing possibilities.

“We are proud to help DDI produce high quality work internally in an all-digital workflow,” said Francis McMahon, senior VP, Marketing, Production Print Solutions, Canon Solutions America. “With the speed and versatility of the Océ VarioPrint i300 and the Canon imagePRESS C10000VP, DDI is ready to respond quickly to company demands.”