Forget what you knew about digital duplicators. The models of yesteryear have been replaced by fast, high-quality machines. by John Reiling There's no longer much debate about the value of digital technology in printing and imaging applications. That said, it's puzzling that so many in-plants have yet to adopt digital systems in a serious way. What's Your Application? Some applications for digital duplicators
Color jobs have been on the rise for years. To meet the demand, in-plant managers are increasingly turning to color copiers. by Mike Llewellyn Battelle is a Columbus, Ohio-based research and development firm that relies heavily on its in-plant's color copying services. Brian Soppelsa, manager of Publications Management and Production, says his shop had been using a Xerox DocuColor 30 for five years, and has had a Canon CLC 1150 for just over one year now. "They're busy machines," he observes. "We run almost everything off of them—a lot of proposals, reports, presentations and in-house distribution pieces." "Busy" is how most managers describe their
More features. Better finishing options. Lower cost. Manufacturers of black-and-white copiers see these trends and more. by Mike Llewellyn Last year, Drew Bilotta, director of Lockheed Martin Management and Data Systems, oversaw the installation of 150 black-and-white Konica copiers, mostly 7020s and 7030s. "At the end of the day, everything comes down to cost, and that's where they [Konica] had a significant advantage," says Bilotta. He explains that he was able to use a company-wide contract with Konica to leverage the best price. But while keeping costs down is certainly important to copier manufacturers, this is not their only strategy. Their black-and-white copiers
Canon USA has unveiled the CLC 3900 color laser copier/printer, touting its speed and affordability, as well as its outstanding image clarity. By MIKE LLEWELLYN Despite fighting through a tough economic climate, Canon came out swinging at a recent press conference with the introduction of a new addition to its CLC series, the CLC 3900. The 3900 color laser copier/printer "has no direct competition right now," said Mason Olds, director and general manager of Canon's Color Systems Division. "It's an entry-level product for a niche market." Canon plans to market the new copier/printer directly to in-plants because of its versatility, speed and ease
Controlling the input, management and distribution of documents could bring in-plants more business. New systems are the key. by Bob Neubauer These days, printing is only part of the picture for an in-plant. It's becoming increasingly necessary to get involved in other areas of a document's life, particularly the creation, management and distribution stages. Otherwise, in-plants will miss out on a valuable source of new business—something sorely needed as e-mail and the Internet replace traditional distribution methods. Knowing this, vendors are developing imaging systems that give in-plants control over digital storage and distribution, in addition to printing. Two such devices were recently
Despite the push for color, the future for black-and-white printing looks bright, especially as variable data applications grow. by Caroline Miller A WALK through any print trade show in the past year might leave you feeling that black-and-white printing is a thing of the past. Giant banners have been proclaiming the power of color printing. But actions speak louder than words. "There is an old phrase in marketing that says what you talk about and what you sell are often two different things," notes Mike Murphy, manager of marketing for DocuTech printing at Xerox. It's a sentiment that Kevin Kern, Konica's vice president of
In-plants that have installed high-speed digital color printers have had tremendous success—and a few disappointments along the way. We got their stories. by Cheryl Adams On September 13, two days after the World Trade Center attack, administration officials at Arizona State University, in Tempe, placed a call to the school's Design Print Services center. Bruce Whitehead, DPS manager, answered the call and took the request for 2,500 "No Hate" posters that would be put up across campus. "We have a lot of international students on campus, many of whom are Muslim," Whitehead explains. "The university administration was concerned about hate crimes and didn't
As the first in-plant to install the new NexPress 2100, World Bank has given the digital color device two enthusiastic thumbs up. by CHERYL ADAMS The first-run, beta-test results are in on the new NexPress 2100. World Bank's Printing, Graphics and Map Design unit installed Heidelberg's high-speed digital color printer in February. One of the first jobs to run was a publicity folder with the image of a book cover on it. "It got rave reviews," says Jane Bloodworth, business manager of the Washington, D.C.-based in-plant. "It turned out beautifully. The client loved it." The NexPress 2100 digital production color press is the
No longer a luxury, color imaging products are becoming crucial pieces of equipment for in-plants. by Bill Barrick Today's color imaging products run faster, are more reliable, give users more capability and cost less. The question is no longer whether companies can afford to outfit their in-plants with dedicated digital color imaging devices; the question, in this competitive economy, is whether they can afford not to. The power of color is beyond debate. Years of industry research (and common sense) confirm that color nearly always has a more powerful effect on readers than black-and-white. According to color expert Jan V. White's "Color for
Color copiers and digital duplicators are productive tools with many applications. by MARK SMITH IN THIS age of computers, flatbed scanners and color desktop printers, it's easy to forget that not every document is readily available as a digital file. Nor does every piece have to be printed in four-color to be effective. These are just two reasons why color copiers and digital duplicators continue to be productive tools. Both product categories can be considered entry-level digital printing systems from a price standpoint. The color copier category is harder to pin down in terms of target markets and applications. Manufacturers commonly call them
