Agfa Graphics

An unexpected Spring snowstorm and a down economy couldn't keep attendees from crowding the 10th annual On Demand show. By Bob Neubauer and Mike Llewellyn Despite a surprise spring snowfall that blanketed New York City and weakened first-day attendance, the 10th annual On Demand Digital Printing & Publishing Conference went on as usual early last month. The exhibit hall at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center seemed much larger this year, due in part to On Demand's co-location with the AIIM Conference & Exposition. As a result, there were 438 exhibitors, compared with 150+ at last year's show. By the event's second day,

A strong focus on customers, along with expertise in process color printing and online ordering, have built University of Missouri-Columbia Printing Services into an in-plant powerhouse. by Bob Neubauer Not many in-plants can lay claim to a six-color press—let alone two of them. But when you're the largest printing operation in a city of 84,500, the big jobs have a way of finding you. With 105 full- and part-time employees, University of Missouri-Columbia Printing Services is not only a local printing giant, but one of the top in-plants in the country. It ranked 27th on the recent IPG Top 50, and boasted sales of

CTP can substantially slash the amount of time, labor and money needed to complete an offset job. by Mike Llewellyn Michael George is a very busy man. Whether he's meeting with customers, flying to trade shows or solving any number of daily crises in the in-plant, he's always looking for a way to get a little more time. George is director of Villanova University Graphics, a 13-employee shop tucked away on the second floor of Galberry Hall in a far corner of campus. Operating in what was once a house, the in-plant is its own storm of activity, and it's in a constant race

By recognizing new opportunities for growth, the BYU Print and Mail Production center has increased both its revenue and services. by Mike Llewellyn Sales grew solidly over the past year at the Brigham Young University Print and Mail Production center. Director West Barton attributes the increase to an academic trend. He explains that "independent study," or distance learning, has been a great opportunity for his operation. "We've gone from 26,000 student packets four years ago to 75,000 this year," he says. "And we're looking to reach a goal of 500,000." This growth pushed the in-plant up four ranks on last month's Top 50, placing

With cutbacks everywhere, government in-plants must operate more efficiently. Managers met recently to share their ideas. by Bob Neubauer Government in-plants are travelling a rough road these days. At the recent National State Publishing Association conference, words like "financially strapped" and "hiring freeze" spilled frequently from the mouths of attendees. Yet just as often, discussions centered on solutions to these difficulties, ways to bring in more revenue with new services, and ideas for doing more with fewer employees. This positive outlook and eagerness to overcome obstacles is one of the defining characteristics of the NSPA, and a key reason the association is still going

J.R. Gaddis and his staff at University of Oregon Printing and Mailing Services run an in-plant that does it all. Of all the in-plants on the IPG Top 50, this operation provides the most services—just about every service an in-plant can offer. Here's a look at what they do: Design The in-plant employs four prepress specialists who also handle some design work when requested. It's not a service that Gaddis is ready to start pushing too hard, though. "If we're asked, we'll do it," he says. Electronic Prepress "A couple of years ago we installed an Avantra 30 [imagesetter], and we went totally

Wide-format printers and laminators are on a lot of in-plant wish lists. Here's a look at what's out there for you. By MIKE LLEWELLYN Wide-format printers rank among the hottest items on in-plant managers' wish lists, with 17.2 percent planning to buy one this year, according to a recent IPG survey. Add in the 29 percent that already have a wide-format printer, and you can see how popular this equipment is becoming. This comes as no surprise to Amit Bagchi, director of marketing for Canon USA's Printer Division. "We have been a player for quite a while," he says. Bagchi recently helped unveil

Higher-than-expected turnout made Graph Expo 2002 an exciting four days for both vendors and attendees. By Mike Llewellyn &012;and Bob Neubauer Graph Expo was back in action last month in Chicago, and from the look of the 380,000-square-foot show floor, the printing industry may soon spring back, as well. Close to 38,000 people attended the show, including buyers representing over 9,600 companies. After last year's big-ticket event, Print '01, was brought to a halt by the September 11 terrorist attacks, it was reassuring to see crowded exhibit areas and overflowing equipment demos this year. David Poulos, director of communications for the event's organizer,

Newsletters can be inexpensive revenue generators. These three in-plants have had great success using them as marketing tools. By MIKE LLEWELLYN &012;One self-promotion technique that many in-plant managers have found indispensible has been the newsletter. "It's a cornerstone of our overall marketing strategy," notes Kelly Kellerman, marketing director for the State of Washington, Department of Printing Services. "It's our best way of reaching our customers." At Arizona State University, Bob Lane agrees. "It's an important tool for making sure the administration knows we're here," says Lane, assistant director of Document Production Services. Both managers say the newsletter should not only contain information,

New digital gear and a streamlined production process are propelling this Alabama in-plant to the forefront. by Bob Neubauer When Alabama's finance director mandated that all state printing be routed through the Division of Printing and Publications a few years ago, he ticked off a lot of state agencies. One of them, the Alabama Forestry Commission, grumbled for weeks, upset it couldn't keep using its long-time commercial vendor. "But they worked with us a time or two and found out that we could do the job—and we actually did it cheaper," notes Jerry Wilson, division director of Alabama's Division of Printing and Publications,