New Equipment, New Possibilities

At Hillsdale College, in Hillsdale, Michigan, the in-plant’s evolution from a “copy shop” to a full-service print and mail operation began back in 2012, when the operation started adding new equipment and personnel. Over the past 18 months, much of that initial equipment was upgraded. And now the five-employee operation is looking to expand again.

“Plans are in motion to move the Print & Mail department into a new building with greater production floor space, larger inventory storage capacity, and better shipping and receiving capabilities,” says Deb Johnson, manager of Print & Mail. “We are excited about the move and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our production workflow and process improvements.”

Founded in 1844, Hillsdale College is a small, Christian, classical liberal arts college that operates independently of government funding. Half of the 1,563 undergraduates on its 400-acre campus in southern Michigan are male, and half are female.

The in-plant runs as a cost-only operation, Johnson says, with departments only getting charged back for paper, press clicks, and ink. And while the operating budget is less than $500,000, she and her team fill a lot of roles.

Cathy Smith (left) stands at the wide-format cutting table while Kristen Slabaugh runs the Kirk Rudy Firejet.

“We have just over 5,000 sq. ft. of in-plant space,” she says. This includes offices, inventory, on-campus mail and parcel receiving, printing, finishing, metering, and staging for USPS delivery.

Digital Print Advancements

To handle the school’s print needs, the in-plant installed two Xerox Versants in 2021, but by 2023 they really “began to push them past their duty cycles,” she notes.

“We replaced the two Xerox Versants with one Xerox Iridesse and one Konica Minolta [AccurioPress] C12000,” Johnson says. “We chose the Xerox for its five-color capabilities, and the KM for the in-line trim unit and high production capacity. Both machines have excellent color management, enabling us to increase production without sacrificing quality.” Diversifying the shop’s equipment, she says, has increased its production capabilities and efficiency without sacrificing quality or down time.

Linda Coleman runs the Xerox Iridesse at Hillsdale College Print & Mail.

Significant Bindery Upgrades

In the bindery, Johnson notes that over the past four years the in-plant has made significant investments, especially as its production volumes have steadily increased. In 2019 the in-plant installed the Horizon CRF, followed by a Horizon Perfect Binder in 2021. But as new applications kept coming in, and the new digital presses created even more opportunities, Johnson notes that the shop needed to add something new.

“The topic of booklet production kept coming up,” she says. “There are a lot of fantastic machines out there, but one sticking point was the ability to square edge fold. We ultimately settled on an offline Morgana Plockmatic (BM5500) booklet maker. While it does mean we need to move product from the presses to the booklet maker, moving this phase of production offline has increased the productivity of both the Iridesse and C12000 by allowing us to print on both presses and finish independently.”

Wide-Format Expansion

The wide-format side of things wasn’t neglected either. Johnson and her team spent two years researching to understand the pros and cons of roll-to-roll and flatbed printers.

Wall graphics produced by Hillsdale College Print & Mail.

“We collaborated with our colleagues to document the increasing demand for such work across campus, and to project the cost savings of producing the projects in-house,” she notes. “Supportive senior leadership reviewed our estimates and equipment proposals, and authorized the purchase of a Mimaki UCJV-330 UV roll printer, Graphtec FC9000 [cutter], and Fayon laminator.”

Johnson was able to see the Mimaki and Graphtec machines at PRINTING United Expo 2024 in Las Vegas, and she says that was extremely helpful. She talked with experts about the equipment and had her questions answered.

The in-plant went into the purchase expecting a three-year ROI – but wide-format proved much more popular than anticipated.

“It took roughly two months to get comfortable with the wide-format equipment, and only 10 months to pay the entire machine off in ‘savings’ to the institution. To say we were thrilled to realize this ROI in such a short amount of time is an understatement.”

The in-plant now offers stickers, wraps, vehicle graphics, wall graphics, window graphics, and floor clings. Johnson earned her PDAA certification in Architectural Films, Windows, Walls, and Floors from PRINTING United Alliance, and the work has been non-stop ever since.

“It’s been a huge learning curve for the team, but it’s also been great fun and something we really enjoy,” she says.

On the mailing side of the equation, the in-plant has also seen volumes increasing to the point where the shop made investments there as well. Once again, Johnson’s decisions were aided by her attendance at PRINTING United Expo, where she watched demos of the Kirk Rudy FireJet 4C inkjet envelope printer and asked questions.

Kristen Slabaugh runs the Kirk Rudy Firejet.

“In October 2024, we installed a Kirk Rudy FireJet,” Johnson notes. “In the past, we ordered each department’s envelopes pre-printed and addressed them on a [Pitney Bowes] DA95 envelope printer. After comparing off-campus vs. on-campus production costs, it was determined that rather than ordering and stocking 20-30 different … sizes and return addresses on and off campus, we could purchase and store standard blanks, print in-line during the address phase, and significantly save on space, time, and money.”

She continues, “We have almost completely switched over to a blank envelope program, further reducing our space requirements and production delays. We now print full-bleed, full-color, on-demand envelopes and avoid paying higher prices for short runs.”

Overwhelming Response

Just having new equipment, better quality, faster turnaround times, and new applications are all great reasons to invest in new equipment, but Hillsdale College has also gotten positive feedback from across the organization.

“Our customers are thrilled with the quality of the new machines, especially the wide-format projects,” Johnson says. “Our Athletic Department was in the process of several new beautification initiatives. It was shopping around for wall wraps, ceiling wraps, cabinet wraps, and other decorative accents for our sports complex, and the combination of cost-savings and exceptional quality provided by our Mimaki has proved to be a big win for the institution.”

Kristen Slabaugh runs the Mimaki wide-format printer.

And beyond that, every department has gotten on board with trying out new applications and bringing their ideas to the in-plant, Johnson notes. “Most are super excited about the items we can produce, and some still don’t know we can do it. We have wanted to do a campus-wide open house and showcase our equipment and projects, but our space is just not big enough to hold a great open house. We hope to be able to be moved by September, with an open house soon to follow where we can showcase all of the new capabilities in the new space.”

That said, she has had meetings with all the department heads to highlight the new machines and their capabilities, so the word has been getting out. The in-plant has even printed special promotions to hand out to faculty and staff, such as a “Christmas sticker” to show off some of the new capabilities the shop can offer.

Hillsdale College is a great example of how investing back into an in-plant can pay huge dividends, Not only can Johnson and her team offer customers better products with faster timelines, the ability to expand the in-plant’s offerings is also saving customers money from their own budgets. The Print and Mail team isn’t going to have to justify their in-plant’s existence any time soon — they are already proving their value every day just by ensuring customers have what they need, when they need it.

Despite all the new hardware, though, Johnson makes it clear that her team’s dedication is the main reason the shop is thriving.

“I owe all the success of this in-plant to the operators. Not one person – including myself – had a printing or mail background. We had to learn it on the fly, and we have all embraced the challenge to push ourselves to be great and learn new things,” she says. “The ‘Git-Er-Done-Gritty’ attitude is what has made this in-plant a success – so much so that we added ‘Gritty’ to our list of team core values. These people make coming to work every day a pleasure.”