GBC

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, GBC, an ACCO Brands company, has produced a special report that traces the evolution of the finishing marketplace. It includes a timeline of “firsts” delivered by GBC, and details strategic acquisitions that expanded finishing solutions. The report covers the founding of General Binding Corp. by William Lane and partners in 1947, with one office and one sales rep, its various acquisitions, including that of VeloBind, which made GBC the only manufacturer to offer every available binding style, and its 2005 merger with ACCO to become ACCO Brands Corp. For a copy of “Document Finishing Evolution: 60 years in

In early May, EMC Insurance Companies’ in-plant added a Canon iPF8000 with an Onyx RIP to its poster printing operation, making this the first wide-format printer utilized by the staff of nine. The company’s in-plant prints posters for several departments, including human resources, corporate communications, risk improvements and branch offices. “This was a huge step forward,” says Margaret Kling, graphic and production supervisor. “In the past, Graphic Services would design, print and piece together everyday-type posters. Top-of-the-line posters would be sent to an outside vendor by the requesting department.” But now, EMC’s in-plant is able to produce a variety of projects in-house with the iPF8000, including

VERY YEAR, the City of Los Angeles Publishing Services holds an open house to show off its capabilities and meet its customers. This year’s event had a very special twist: it celebrated the in-plant’s 100th year of existence. Established in 1907 with two police officers working part time, the city’s in-plant has flourished over the past century to become a 47-employee operation incorporating some of the latest digital technologies. Only a handful of in-plants can boast 100 years of operation, and Publishing Services made the most of this accomplishment at its recent open house. The event celebrated the rich history of the shop

The Open University, whose 200,000 students make it the UK’s largest, has introduced Océ digital printing systems and software. The Open University has replaced its previous printers with two centralized Océ VarioPrint 2110 units, a CS520 color printer, a GBC Hole Punch and a high-capacity digital scanner. A Watkiss online finishing system has also been installed to carry out saddle stitching, folding and trimming for high-end booklet making. In line with the university’s desire to move to electronic image submissions and job ticketing, it also opted for Océ DocWorks Pro software that will link into other printing systems as well as provide a cost-estimation module. A

IF YOU’VE been studying your supply bills, you’ve probably noticed increases in raw material costs over the past few years that have easily outpaced inflation. Are your raw material suppliers taking advantage of you? Not at all—they’re seeing their own costs rise as well, often at astronomical rates. While the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 18 percent from 2000 to October 2006—a rate of roughly 3 percent annually—the cost of silver has risen 158 percent over the same time period, and aluminum has gone up 71 percent since December 2003. “Almost all of the components used to make our overlaminate and adhesive products have

Sick of poor service and price increases, Georgia-Pacific kicked its outsourcing firm out and brought its in-plant back to life. By Bob Neubauer The old joke goes: Price, Quality or Service: Pick any two. A few years ago, Georgia-Pacific couldn't even get those two from its print provider. The facilities management firm with which Georgia-Pacific had contracted—so full of promises in the beginning—had gradually revealed itself to be less than fully committed to the company's interests. Andy McDonald puts it more bluntly: "It really was a disaster," declares McDonald, manager of administrative services. "They did not work with the business units or

Though she never became a teacher like she planned, Jan Hale found another way to help students. By Mike Llewellyn Well before Jan Hale got into the printing business—years before she became Printing Services manager at Douglas County School District—she was on her way to becoming a teacher. She had even worked as a teacher's aide at a special education high school. While attending Arizona State University, though, she decided to major in graphic communications. The sudden change in interest can be traced back to one man, Dr. Zeke Prust, a printing industry veteran on staff at ASU who introduced her to the craft.

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

In-plants are getting new business thanks to their laminating capabilities. Find out how to pick the laminator that's right for you. By W. Eric Martin You hardly need to be convinced that lamination is a good thing. After all, bringing an extra layer of professionalism to a job automatically places both you and your client in a better light. But what should you look for in lamination equipment? If you listen to the experts, you want to think big. Really big. "Due to the increase in popularity of 44˝-wide photo-like images, the majority of lamination equipment being sold is wide-format," contends Sol M.

Top 50 in-plants know the importance of having the right bindery and mailing tools. By Eric Martin Printing fabulous-looking work quickly and cheaply is all well and good, but having the finished product merely sit in your in-plant won't make customers too happy. The in-plants that make up this year's IPG Top 50 understand the importance of having the right bindery and mailing tools to get the job done and in the hands of customers as soon as possible. That's one reason Tim Steenhoek, head of Document Management for ING, in Des Moines, Iowa, integrates mailing and labeling with the basic printing