GBC

In-plant managers got a chance to see the technologies they've been reading about at the recent Graph Expo show. For the many in-plant managers in attendance, the recent Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2004 show in Chicago was a graphic arts fantasy land. "I felt like a kid in a candy store," observes Mike Renn, of Mellon Corporate Publishing, in Philadelphia. "I went to take a look at the latest direct-to-plate systems and software management packages and came away with numerous options." Attendance this year was pretty healthy, he adds: "I had to wedge myself between bodies to check out the latest gear." Other managers agreed. "I

From posters to POP displays, from fine art to menus, there are a whole host of printed materials ripe for lamination these days. By Gretchen Peck Ranging from desktop to extra-wide-format models, laminators come in all shapes and sizes. Here's a guide to some of the new and notable solutions on the market. Banner American Products (www.banam.com) touts its ENTRY 4500 Laminating/Mounting machine as an ideal entry-level laminator for organizations producing large-format print. It's can laminate output from 36˝, 42˝ and 44˝ ink-jet printers. The ENTRY 4500 applies both top and bottom heat (courtesy of the 4,600-watt heater), operates at variable

Even though Drupa is just a month away, vendors still had plenty of new products to show at On Demand. By Bob Neubauer The biggest news at the recent AIIM On Demand Conference & Expo was certainly Eastman Kodak's announcement that it would purchase Heidelberg's digital printing business. That announcement, unleashed the morning of the show, slowly filtered through the crowd of 33,753 at New York's Javits Convention Center, engendering lots of speculation. The upshot: Kodak will buy Heidelberg's 50 percent interest in the pair's NexPress Solutions joint venture, as well as the equity of Heidelberg Digital, which makes the Digimaster black-and-white printer. This

Kamehameha Schools Design & Production Services recently brought a Xerox Gold Award home to its Honolulu facility. By Bob Neubauer While winter sends snow and bitter cold across much of the country, Reid Silva and his crew at Kamehameha Schools, in Honolulu, live in a world without jackets, where eucalyptus trees grow in a lush valley visible through the windows in their in-plant. But their location in the virtual paradise of Hawaii belies the hard work the nine employees at Design & Production Services handle every day. The three operators in the Digital Document Center (or DDC—part of Design & Production Services) churn

Not only does laminating protect your printed work, it gives it a professional look. Here's a glimpse of some of the latest laminators on the market. Banner American's Entry 4500 laminating/mounting machine is an entry-level laminator for large-format imaging services. Featuring top- and bottom-heated rollers and a 45˝ width capacity, the Entry 4500 is capable of mounting, laminating and encapsulating ink-jet output up to 44˝. The Entry 4500 laminates with all film gauges and has mounting capability up to 1⁄4˝. An optional take-up roller for pressure-sensitive liners is available. www.banam.com Graphic Laminating offers the heavy-duty Signmaster laminators in two sizes, 44˝ and 64˝. They

More than 38,000 people attended this year's expo. Here's a glimpse of what they saw. By Bob Neubauer Integration was the big theme of this year's Graph Expo and Converting Expo. Individual manufacturers like Heidelberg and MAN Roland showcased computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) technologies connecting prepress, press and finishing. And vendor partnerships, both small and multi-faceted, foreshadowed future integration between multiple vendors' systems. Notably, at a large press conference touting the Networked Graphic Production initiative, 27 companies proclaimed their commitment to defining, developing, testing and delivering JDF-based integration between their systems. They plan to define a standardized set of interfaces to create plug-and-play solutions

By anticipating the needs of its company, Best Buy's Print Solutions Group has become one of the top in-plants in the retail business. By Mike Llewellyn BEST BUY Corp., based in Eden Prairie, Minn., opens between 50 and 70 new stores every year, according to Rick Neumann, director of printing for the company's Print Solutions Group (PSG). With each grand opening representing $35,000 in new print and fulfillment business each year, on top of the corporate and insourcing work PSG already provides, it's little wonder the 110-employee in-plant ranked 15th on IPG's Top 50 list. In fact, PSG's process group is charged with staying

With U.S. forces still deployed in Iraq, the CIA's intelligence data is more crucial to national security than ever. The agency relies on its in-plant to publish this top-secret information. by Bob Neubauer Long before the first U.S. troops began their march toward Baghdad, President Bush turned to the CIA for the latest intelligence information on Iraq. The Central Intelligence Agency, in turn, relied on its office of Imaging & Publishing Support (IPS) to print this classified information quickly and accurately. In the same vein, when the country was preparing to enter Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, IPS

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,

Put simply, plastic coil binding saves money. And better yet, customers love the way it looks. by Mike Llewellyn IT MAY NOT be branded "the wave of the future." It may not have industry commentators calling it a revolution. But plastic coil binding has developed a solidly loyal following over the past few years among in-plant managers. Dave Opp is one of them. Opp is manager of corporate printing and literature distribution for Storagetek, a software firm specializing in data storage and disaster recovery systems. Opp feels the bindery can play its own role in disaster recovery. "Binding is critical," says Opp, speaking