New Digital Press Strengthens Ohio Northern University

With parts for its two aging Hamada presses getting scarce, Ohio Northern University Printing Services was at a crossroads. Jobs that the five-employee in-plant couldn't handle were being printed by local vendors, but turnaround times and quality were not always ideal.

Manager Anita Stanley knew that if the Ada, Ohio-based in-plant wanted to bring that work back in-house, it would need new equipment. But she wasn't sure which direction to go.

"I initially started out looking at a DI press, but quickly realized that DI technology wouldn't allow me to offer the new range of services I wanted to provide the university with, including variable data and the ability to print short runs of four-color work quickly and cost effectively," says Stanley.

With production digital presses like the Xerox iGen4 out of the shop's price range, she began looking at other options. Her search led to an MGI Meteor DP-60 multi-substrate digital press, which the in-plant purchased from Graphco, its long-time distributor. Stanley was impressed by the quality of the Meteor's output and that it would allow the shop to offer new digital applications, such as sheet sizes up to 40˝. It would also let the in-plant print short runs of four-color envelopes, so customers would no longer have to put address labels on them by hand.

"That was a big, big plus," Stanley says.

Being able to print envelopes in-house, she adds, would also enable mail to be posted from Ada, instead of from the towns where its print vendors were located.

"We like to have an Ada post office indicia on there," she says.

Another advantage that the Meteor offered was its relatively small footprint and the fact that it didn't require any major facility modifications, such as additional power, HVAC, water, floor reinforcement or external venting. This was a key in gaining approval to acquire the press because no additional funds needed to be requisitioned.

Getting the Meteor also allowed the shop to eliminate chemicals and plates, as well as press makeready time, resulting in a much more streamlined and environmentally friendly workflow.

A Busy Operation

Founded in 1871, Ohio Northern University is a private university located in rural Ohio, between Toledo and Columbus. It enrolls about 3,600 students and employs 700 faculty and staff. ONU Printing Services provides printing for all academic departments, the Office of the President, Admissions, the Board of Trustees and development activities.

The in-plant's typical applications include postcards, posters, invitations, envelopes, business cards, brochures, letterhead, fact sheets and a host of direct mail projects for Financial Aid and Admissions. Variable data postcards are one of the shop's key applications, with typical batch sizes of 1,000 to 12,000.

Aside from the new digital press, the in-plant has two black-and-white and two color digital printers, which it uses for smaller runs. Its Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C6000 serves as a backup for the Meteor.

One project printed on the Meteor DP-60 involved producing a mailing of 13,000 full-color, variable data postcards for a region-specific event that Financial Aid was hosting, with a turnaround time of just a few days. Not only did the project go without a hitch, RSVPs started coming in immediately and Financial Aid was able to easily fill all the allotted slots for the event.

ONU's administration has been very enthusiastic about the addition of the Meteor DP-60. Not only are projects completed quickly and with much higher quality than they had been previously, but now the majority of jobs can be produced in-house.

"By keeping their work in our facility, we can maintain an aggressive pricing structure that still makes it a win-win for the college and eliminates any added costs as a result of having to outsource the work," notes Stanley. "Thanks to the Meteor, I've been able to handily follow through on the promises I made to the administration when I asked them to approve this press."