Heidelberg

After multiple delays, the 65 employees of Purdue University Printing Services have finally moved into their new home, a freshly built 29,000-square-foot structure about a mile south of their previous facility. Not only is it 7,000 square feet larger—with access to existing docks in an adjacent building and a garage for loading delivery vans—the new plant allows workflow advantages undreamed of in the old building. The previous facility, which had housed the in-plant for 36 years, was shaped like a long rectangle, so jobs often had to be moved long distances to reach the next stage in the process. Some employees who needed to communicate

THE GIRLS and Boys Town Print Shop recently received a cornucopia of graphic arts delights that would make even the largest commercial printer envious.
The seven-employee in-plant, located just outside of Omaha, took ownership of a two-color Heidelberg Quickmaster 46 press, a two-color Hamada H248CX press, a Mitsubishi DPX2 platesetter, a Xerox DocuColor 8000 and a Xerox 250.

Bob Jones University has replaced an aging one-color Ryobi press with a two-color Heidelberg Printmaster QM 46. The new small-format press will handle some of the smaller jobs that were previously being produced on the Greenville, S.C., in-plant’s eight-color Speedmaster SM 102 with coater. “We’ve seen a definite step up in quality,” says Operations Manager Jim Golla. Established in 1955, the 65-employee in-plant also boasts a Hantscho Mark 16 web offset press, which it uses to produce book components for Christian textbooks. In addition, the shop handles brochures, magazines, letterheads and other materials. On the digital side it runs a Xerox DocuTech 6180.

SCOTT NELSON was a high school freshman when printing first caught his eye. He was touring his school’s vocational programs, and something about the dark room and the old Multi presses excited him. He started classes the next year. Nearly four decades later, the excitement is still there. Today, Nelson is supervisor of the 10-employee in-plant at Otter Tail Power Co., one of the largest employers in his home town of Fergus Falls, Minn. He started there as a summer intern in 1970, acting on a tip from the father of his girlfriend (now his wife). After graduating the next

AS ALTERNATIVE media threaten print volumes, in-plants must take another look at their business models and adapt to the changing business climate. Revenue growth will depend on cost reduction through new workflow efficiencies, as well as new revenue sources from value-added services. Although hardware improvements will certainly play a role in advancing these objectives, the software driving these devices—along with other workflow solutions—will allow printers to differentiate themselves. Research indicates a growing divide between service providers that are growing their businesses and those that see their businesses in decline. Those who “get it” understand that continued growth depends on a three-pronged approach:

RESTON, VA—08/29/07—What technologies are most critical for a printer’s success in today’s competitive marketplace? According to the GRAPH EXPO 2007 MUST SEE ‘EMS Technology and Product Selection Committee, management information systems (MIS) top the list of six “survival” technologies printers will most need to be profitable in the future. The announcement offers a ‘sneak preview’ of the much-anticipated MUST SEE ‘EMS, a list of the most compelling emerging and evolving technologies to be found at GRAPH EXPO, the largest graphic communications industry exhibition and conference in the Western Hemisphere. The MUST SEE ‘EMS are a highlight of the 12th edition of the

The In-plant Printing and Mailing Association met recently in Oklahoma City for an action-packed conference. IPG captured the excitement on video.

In June, in-plants from around the country gathered in Oklahoma City for the IPMA conference. Now, thanks to a new video from IPG, you can experience the event—or relive it, if you were lucky enough to have attended. The action-packed conference featured sessions on digital printing, equipment demos, an in-plant tour, an awards ceremony and lots of networking. Our video captures all of the excitement and shows you why this is one of the biggest events of the year in the in-plant industry. Follow this link to the video, and if you like it leave a comment: http://www.ipgonline.com/video/video.bsp?sid=73203&var=video

KENNESAW, GA—August 7, 2007—Heidelberg will showcase its commitment to small print shop owners at Graph Expo 2007 with a dedicated Small Business solutions area in booth #1200 at McCormick Place in Chicago from September 9 -12. Small business printers can now find everything they need from one place, and Heidelberg will demonstrate many of their small business solutions, including prepress, press, postpress and workflow products, at the show. “Small businesses are the engine of the printing industry, and Heidelberg offers them the best technology available to remain competitive,” said Joerg Daehnhardt, director of product management for general commercial print, Heidelberg USA. “We recently added many

Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) announced the recipients of the 2007 InterTech Technology Awards. A recurring theme with 2007 InterTech nominations was green printing, and numerous submissions contained solutions to minimize the environmental impact of printing. Great strides in technology were also demonstrated in the form of innovative press design, touchless workflow systems to automate production steps, anti-fraud measures, and new materials and systems that increase productivity. The InterTech Technology Award recipients this year were: • :Energy Elite Dual Layer “No Bake” Plate. AGFA Graphics N.V. • Kodak Traceless System. Eastman Kodak • EIS UV Printing Blanket Refurbishment. Enviro Image