Canon U.S.A.

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

The Division of Publishing and Distribution Services for the State of Oregon has held strong for the past year, with sales steady despite an unfriendly economic climate. Manager Kay Erickson attributes the health of her facility to seeking out innovative ways to bring in extra revenue. Clocking in at three years on the job, Erickson may not be a veteran yet, but she has not let that stop her from guiding the shop through what she sees as the three main changes shaping its future. They are a transition into digital printing, a partnership with Oregon Corrections Enterprises and the addition of graphic

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,

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

Despite the economic downturn, many printers made the trip to New York to see the latest in on-demand printing technologies. by Bob Neubauer With print sales predicted to be relatively flat in 2002, it was encouraging to see the exhibit floors of the ninth annual On Demand Conference fairly busy with attendees. According to conference organizers, nearly 19,000 "industry professionals from around the world" were in attendance. Though the number of exhibitors (150+) was down from last year (200), the event still drew a number of in-plants to New York's Jacob Javits Center, to do some serious looking—and even purchasing. Still, all was

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

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

State of Washington Olympia, Wash. Despite being one of the country's largest in-plants, the State of Washington's Department of Printing behaves much more like a small company in the way it treats its employees. "We're very pro-people," remarks Dan Swisher, assistant director of the Olympia, Wash.-based operation. "We like to grow from within. We like to involve everybody in our operation. And we like everybody to have fun doing it." To show employees how important they are, Swisher says the department's director, George Morton, visits each employee every single day. With 105 employees, that's a tough task, but the payoff is great. Trying