Mississippi In-plant is a Quick Study

FOR THE in-plant at the Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU) at Mississippi State University, there's always something new to learn about printing—and something new to print about learning.

The mission of the RCU—a cooperative endeavor of Mississippi State University (MSU) and the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE)—is to "enhance intellectual and professional development of Mississippi students and educators, while applying knowledge and educational research to the lives of the people of the state."

Thus, the RCU must keep up with its customers—sponsors such as the MDE's Office of Vocational Education and Workforce Development, and the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges—as they create and respond to evolving educational trends, standards, requirements and recommendations.

For print dissemination of that instruction and intelligence, the RCU counts on its three-employee in-plant to produce a range of materials. These include newsletters, student organization programs, reports, handouts, test booklets and informational booklets.

Staffed by Print Shop Project Manager Johnny W. Jones, Print Shop Specialist Louis Randle and Mailroom Coordinator Kathy Robbins (with the help of a few part-time MSU student workers), the small, yet speedy, operation is well-schooled in meeting demanding deadlines.

"It's just the nature of our sponsors," Jones explains. "They get their information at the last minute and, as soon as they hand a job off to us, we have to get it out extremely quickly and effectively, even if it doesn't seem like we have enough time."

The shop works collaboratively with editors and artists, as well as with Web, video and IT personnel for multimedia delivery. Average print turnaround is about two days.

The Journey from Offset to Digital

Jones joined the RCU as a press operator in 1985, took a hiatus to teach graphics and printing at a local community college, and then returned to the in-plant in 1995. At that time, the RCU, which was located on the MSU campus, housed a traditional print shop complete with a darkroom, stripping tables and various offset presses (e.g., Ryobi, Multi and Solna) for sheets up to 17x22˝. The facility also operated an Océ analog copier. But as the workflow began to change, Jones perceived a need for a technology change as well.

"We started doing more handouts and other work that required stapling and [more complex] finishing," he recalls. "Our customers wanted faster and faster turnaround. Sometimes it felt like we didn't even have time for the ink to dry."

About two years later, the RCU, along with its in-plant, relocated into a new building near campus. Since the operation was already in transition, a technology upgrade seemed timely. Jones began researching copier/printer equipment, presented his findings and readily received a green light to acquire multiple analog copiers.

"My bosses have always been big on research," he remarks. "If we were able to justify our means, money was not as hard to obtain. So, we bought another Océ and some Canon analog copiers in the late 1990s."

Early analog acquisitions, such as the Océ 3100, worked quite well.

"We would run that old Océ up to 16 or 17 hours a day," Jones remembers. "After so many copies, we might lose a few spots here or there off the masters, but we were able to deliver a quick turnaround that satisfied our customers."

As digital technologies matured, the in-plant began to digitize by degrees. Machines with "scan once, print many" and trayless duplexing features were very attractive prospects. Newer units with increased functionality afforded the RCU a cleaner, more consolidated workflow. Not only could the in-plant ditch its darkroom and stripping equipment, but also streamline its back-end capabilities.

"At one time, we had three huge collators," Jones recollects. "I said, 'Let's get these out and bring in printers with in-line finishing.' We did and became smaller, quicker and better."

The Move to High-speed Equipment

In 2000, the in-plant acquired its first high-speed monochrome digital printer, a Canon image–RUNNER 600, and added color with a Canon CLC 2400, considered a hybrid analog/digital unit.

"We started with a smaller color Canon for our artists," Jones comments. "Then we began adding more Canon and Xerox equipment."

Currently, the shop houses:

• A Xerox DocuColor 6060

• A Xerox Work–Centre M24

• Two Canon image–RUNNER 7105s

• Two Canon image–RUNNER 5055s

• A Canon image–RUNNER 105

• A Canon 4080i

• An IKON CPP650

In-line finishing capabilities include saddle stitching with three-side trim, stapling, folding, three-hole punch and z-folding. The in-plant also has Epson Stylus Pro wide-format printers.

"We went from producing 85 to 90 percent of our work on offset presses to 85 to 90 percent digital output," Jones calculates. Typical run lengths range from 10 to 1,500 copies.

As the in-plant has added technology, it has also reduced its staffing needs. "When we were an offset shop, we had access to eight or nine students, in addition to our three full-time employees," Jones notes. "As we have moved to digital, we have also been able to scale down our help."

The shop operates one shift per day, five days a week, and all of its equipment isn't always running at peak capacity.

"Sometimes it may even seem like there's more equipment than is necessary, but we have to have machines available so that we can move quickly when we're needed," Jones states. "We're like a fire department: It might seem like nothing's going on for a while, but when we get that call, we have to go."

At first, the in-plant purchased its equipment.

"Now we lease," Jones reveals, "which seems to make more sense with digital technology. Typically, we get a five-year lease, which gives us the best breaks [i.e. price and service] and allows us to re-evaluate our operation on a regular basis," he details. "Our [Xerox Docu–Color] 6060 lease will be up in April, so we're assessing our needs now. We have about three years left on our black-and-white units."

Undoubtedly, color will continue to be a hot commodity. Overall volumes are decreasing slightly, due to Web and e-mail communications, but the demand for color is on the rise.

"When I started here in the '80s, we didn't do much color. We'd have to have a print run of 250 to 500 before even considering color," Jones recalls. "Our work is probably 50 percent color currently."

He is also particularly bullish on copiers that can finish what they start.

"The in-line stitchers, stackers and collators have made a huge difference to our operation," Jones attests. "Before, if we were printing a 150-page report, we could only run 30 pages at a time through our 30-bin collator and it would take five runs through to complete the job.

"But now," he concludes, "digital copiers have made life so simple. IPG