Digital Printing-Toner - Cut Sheet (Color)

DESPITE THE rise of digital color printing, in-plants still have a pressing need for good black-and-white printers. These devices form the backbone of many an in-plant. In-plants can sink or swim depending on which printer they choose, though. To help you make the right choice, here are some tips from in-plant managers who have gone though the selection process. First Tip: Know what you’re getting “We did a lot of research,” says Bev Lucas, “and determined what features we needed, and determined which equipment would fulfill our requirements before we contacted vendors.” As manager of Printing Services at Bellevue Community College, in

DESPITE THE tough competitive environment of the past few years, there are still many printers who haven’t seized on new ways to increase their profitability and profits. Studies have shown that print service providers who offer value-added services such as fulfillment, design/creative, digital asset management and/or full color personalized mailing are still in the minority. Change is afoot, however, and for good reason. According to Ralf Schlozer, associate director at Info­Trends/CAP Ventures, a digital print and document technology analyst, 23.6 percent of all digital print jobs currently contain variable data. He predicts that the growth of variable data printing (VDP) will be driven

ALL COPIER manufacturers are now offering hybrid color copier/printers that any company can afford. These products, suitable for business-quality color applications, generally produce less than 40 pages per minute (ppm), with even faster units promised by the manufacturers for 2006 and 2007. Canon, Xerox, Konica Minolta and Ricoh (also offered under the Savin, Lanier and Gestetner labels) have been the hybrid copier/printer manufacturing leaders to-date, but Kyocera Mita, Toshiba and Sharp have also offered hybrid products of merit. This article will explain the reasons for the hybrid copier/printer revolution and what the advantages and challenges are to consumers going forward. Color Hybrids Defined

Four managers detail how they ended “free” student printing, cutting waste and saving money for their schools. Sandy Griffin Copy Center/Communication Services Administrator St. Louis College of Pharmacy Robert Mascarenhas Manager, IT Support and Printing Services University of Technology Sydney, Australia Don Harty Manager, Printing Services University of North Carolina Wilmington Newell Fogelberg Director of Imaging Services University of Colorado Boulder AT MANY universities, students in the computer labs are still allowed to print as many pages as they want—at no charge. This has led to tremendous waste. But in-plants who seek to change the situation are met with resistance from groups who

In-plants are acquiring digital color presses like the iGen3, NexPress 2100 and HP-Indigo 5000 in increasing numbers. Is this the right time for you to make the investment? By Eric W. Martin CONSUMER LUST for high-definition TV is driven by digital technology. If studios and sports broadcasters can deliver a higher-quality image than ye olde cable provides, people are more than willing to shell out the money to see the result. Printing works the same way. As digital technology is adopted and improved upon in color printers, users gain the ability to print better quality images at higher speeds and lower costs with

Monochrome printers provide cost, productivity and flexibility benefits that color printers can’t touch. AS DEMANDS for color printing continue to increase, many wonder about the fate of black-and-white-only printers. Most industry experts say not only will they still be an integral part of a printing operation, they will include more features and improved workflow functions. Paula Balik uses the analogy of a stove and microwave oven. “If you’ve got a microwave now, should you get rid of your oven or does it specifically have applications that make your kitchen efficient?” poses Balik, worldwide product marketing manager for Kodak’s black-and-white printing systems. “That’s what

Full-color variable data printing is not an "if" technology, but a "when." So ask yourself: "What happens if I don't?" And, "If I don't, who will?" By Vic Barkin MAYBE YOU'VE heard this one: A customer walks into your office and says, "We need 50,000 full-color variable data brochures by Friday!" O.K., maybe you haven't. For the past decade, full-color personalization has been proselytized as the printing technology of the future. The vision of millions and millions of pages being produced digitally, in full color, at rated speed, for an audience of one, has been the proverbial pot of gold at the

As we approach 2006, this is an opportune time to assess how well your in-plant is serving its constituencies, and to lay out strategies for helping your enterprise achieve its objectives. By Frank Steenburgh Across the board, the printing industry has experienced tough times over the past several years. This has largely been driven by the impact of the Internet and the availability of an array of alternatives to print as a business communications medium. As would be expected in a period of tumultuous change, the industry continues to experience significant consolidation. In the commercial printing segment alone, according to PIA, the number

Close analysis shows the real cost of your new multifunction device may lie in the toner—especially when the vendor estimates lower toner coverage on a page than you'll actually get. By Kathy Tadlock A recent marketing campaign by a vendor selling cross-over multifunction equipment brings to light some marketing tactics that make fair comparisons among multifunction machines difficult. In a tight and competitive multifunction market, this vendor has taken a different approach that does not bring all costs out in the open. The print vendor quotes a low price of $4,000 for a 45-image-per-minute multifunction printer with duplexing, scanning/copying capabilities and a finisher. The

The in-plant manager must be the one to initiate the process of consolidating copier/RFD contracts. By Carol Brzozowski Renegotiating copier contracts is not a solo project. In-plant managers will quickly find they need the help of the Information Technology (IT) and purchasing departments. But it's important that the in-plant manager spearheads the effort. "IT people may know networking, but beyond that, they typically don't have any interest in this," says Chuck Fahnestock, copy coordinator at Wright State University. "Vending people may be adept at handling coin-operated and public walk-up machines, but they probably don't want to do anything more than contract with somebody