Baum

Meeting the printing needs of a 2,100-student liberal arts college is tough enough with just three employees. But when your main digital color printer can’t keep up with the growing volume of work—and you still have two years left on the lease—it’s time to take serious action. After shutting down its offset presses for good last June and putting its trust in its Canon CLC 4000, Allegheny College Printing Services, in Meadville, Pa., saw volume on the machine skyrocket. Clicks jumped from 19,000 to more than 40,000 a month. Unfortunately, the number of service calls grew as well. So Manager Mark Pritchard talked

SAN DIEGO State University is an academically rich, urban university with more than 34,000 students, award-winning professors, top-notch research facilities and a location that serves as the gateway to Latin America. Like most universities—especially in California—SDSU is also very conscious of its environmental footprint and constantly monitors and works to reduce its impact on the environment. In April of 2005, the university hired Leslie Rutledge to transform its in-plant, ReproGraphic Services. Her years of employment with commercial printers and graphic arts vendors made her the right person for the challenge. “When I walked in the door on April 4, 2005, which is one

A glimpse of the excitement and bustle of Graph Expo, with interviews of some of the in-plant managers in attendance.

AS FALLING leaves carpet the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus, so has the autumn of Gary Williford’s career arrived. After 34 years at the university—30 of them in the in-plant—Williford plans to retire in a few months from his role as manager of the school’s Graphic Arts Service department. But while others might view their final days as an opportunity to kick back and coast to an easy farewell, Williford has insisted on pushing forward, preparing his 55-employee operation for the days after his departure. “I owe this organization. It’s been good to me. It’s a part of my life,” he explains. “I want

THOUGH PRINTING equipment may have grabbed most of the attention at the On Demand show last month, bindery equipment had a strong presence too. From desktop folding units to floor model perfect binders, the show had a range of post-press gear. IPG visited with all of the major vendors at the Philadelphia show and collected information on their latest products for the in-plant market. One bindery highlight at the show was the Standard Horizon BQ-470 fully-automated four-clamp perfect binder. Standard Finishing Systems was awarded Best of Show honors for this product in the bindery category at On Demand by judges from BERTL, a

Xplor joined up with Graphics of the Americas last month to bolster its conference. Did it work? By Bob Neubauer AFTER WATCHING attendance at its conference dwindle since the booming days of the '90s, Xplor International teamed up with the successful Graphics of the Americas (GOA) conference this year, putting on a joint event last month in Miami Beach that drew about 24,500 attendees, according to organizers. The partnership seems to have been a wise move, as it freed Xplor from the task of organizing a trade show, allowing it to concentrate on its educational mission. GOA, in turn, got a host of

With on-demand printing making book production easy, in-plants are increasingly upgrading their perfect binders. Here are some of the latest models. By Elise Hacking Book Block Gluing Machine American Binding's Book Block Gluing Machine Type ID 5000 is specifically designed for the production of high-quality gauzed books. The machine is equipped with two glue trays, one for cold glue at the entrance (with infrared drying) and one with hot-melt glue and lateral gluing. Dimensions and processing of the gauze can be electronically adjusted. The ID 5000 handles paper sizes ranging from 3.9x5.9˝ to 11.8x20.5˝ in thicknesses of .11˝ to 3.2˝. www.americanbindingco.com

A year after Drupa, what new surprises do graphic arts vendors have in store for in-plants? Here's an advanced look. In-plant managers eager to see the latest graphic arts technologies can't do much better than Print 05 & Converting 05. Held in Chicago once every four years, this is the printing industry's main event. Larger than last year's Graph Expo show, Print 05 will feature nearly 800 exhibits covering more than 725,000 square feet of floor space. To help in-plants prepare, many of the industry's key vendors offered a peak at the products they plan to display in Chicago. Offset Boasting

Printing equipment wasn't the only thing on display at the AIIM On Demand Conference and Exposition. There was plenty of bindery gear, as well. By Bob Neubauer For more than a decade now the On Demand trade show has been giving the world a look at the latest in digital printing. But an equally important part of the show has been the bindery equipment on display. Last month, IPG joined the 21,000 people who attended On Demand. As part of our mission, we sought out the latest bindery gear—a task made much more convenient by the show's relocation from New York to IPG's home

Finding and using perfect binding equipment can go a little easier with some advice from the experts. Perfect binding is a growing business for in-plants. Already 39.2 percent of in-plants have perfect binders. Many others are eying them. Before dropping any money on this equipment, though, it's important to analyze possible future business, not just current needs, so you're not stuck with an outdated machine. "Too often, people buy what they need at the moment and do not anticipate the potential for growth and new business," notes Steven Calov, Heidelberg's postpress product manager for stitching and perfect binding. He suggests asking yourself questions like these: