SUPDMC Conference

About 60 in-plant managers from college and university in-plants around the country headed south for the 26th annual SUPDMC conference.

by David Tisdale

University and college printing centers are facing changing technology demands and the need for more skilled workers in the industry.

Those were among topics examined at the 26th annual Southeastern University Printing and Duplicating Managers Conference (SUPDMC), held recently at the Grand Casino, in Gulfport, Miss. About 60 participants from across the country took part in the event, which was hosted by the University of Southern Mississippi.

The conference was kicked off with a poolside opening reception featuring a steel drum band. Another highlight was the dinner boat cruise along the Gulf Coast.

Conference sessions focused on the effects of the Internet on the printing industry, copier management programs, digital prepress, offset vs. digital printing, and many other topics. There was also a vendor exhibition, plus tours of the University of Southern Mississippi's in-plant and of a local envelope converting plant.

Digital Printing On The Rise

The digital printing session proved to be a timely topic, as the technology is becoming more commonplace.

"Everything is going digital," said conference participant Roland Falana, general manager of office products and services at Duke University. "And the technology is affecting printing and copy work."

He said digital printing is making printing operations more efficient by reducing production time and is improving the overall quality of print work.

"It will have a tremendous impact on the printing world in the coming years," Falana said.

Copying operations are also becoming more efficient, he said, noting that the standard copier has given way to newer, more multi-faceted machines that no longer simply reproduce material, but offer another way to communicate.

"For example, you can send e-mail from a copier if it's configured correctly," Falana said.

But as this technology changes and improves, Falana knows the industry will need to have skilled employees who can operate the equipment.

"It will require specialized training," he said. "Now you're finding that, in this industry, computer skills are important."

Gray Toney, director of publication and printing services at the University of Southern Mississippi, said the conference was a good way to communicate with other university and college printing center directors about changing technology, and the issues and challenges facing the industry. At the vendor exhibition, participants got a chance to look at some of this new technology for themselves, as they did when Toney led a tour of his in-plant.

Offset Not Going Away

Toney agreed with Falana that the printing industry will have to adapt to the changes that will come with digital printing, but he doesn't believe that offset printing will fall by the wayside.

There is still a market for offset printing, he stressed, as long-run printing jobs will likely continue to be produced by offset printing in the foreseeable future.

"It's an ever-changing industry," he said. "More short-run printing jobs are getting away from offset and moving to digital printing. But there's a market for both. It's like when the television came along; radio didn't just go away."

SUPDMC 2002 will be hosted next October by Broward Community College, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.