Hewlett-Packard

With an ear for his customers' needs, Randy Stahl and his team have built a tight, efficient in-plant. By Mike Llewellyn Although central Pennsylvania's Messiah College Press recently added a 42˝ Hewlett-Packard 5500 wide-format printer to its lineup, and even though it's been checking out Xerox DocuTech, Canon and Océ printers to beef up its digital services, Manager Randy Stahl says the in-plant's chief talent is its ability to flourish in a tough economic environment. "One of the biggest things is always doing more with less," he says from his office on Messiah's pastoral, 350-acre campus in Grantham, just outside the state capital. What

Seeing big money in their mailing operations, these in-plants have invested aggressively in new equipment. By Mike Llewellyn State of Oregon Publishing and Distribution Program Salem, Ore. Manager: Kay Erickson In-plant Employees: 132 Mailing Employees: 25 Mailing equipment upgrades in past three years: Pitney Bowes Series 8 inserter, Secap V300 dual-head ink-jet system For Program Manager Kay Erickson, the purchase of a Pitney Bowes Series 8 inserter and a Secap V300 dual-head ink-jet system translated to an increase in cost savings and an expansion of the in-plant's business. "The Pitney inserter allows the option of cut sheet or continuous. It has given us backup

Though many in-plants have purchased wide-format printers, many aren't using them to their full potential. Find out how some in-plants use new media to tackle new types of work. By Dan Halkyard In-plants that have purchased wide-format ink-jet printers to create signage and other graphics have learned an important lesson: having this equipment in-house saves money, affords greater control over final output and enhances the in-plant's overall value to the organization. The economics alone of owning a wide-format ink-jet printer present a compelling argument—a professional wide-format printer can be purchased for approximately $15,000, about the same amount as outsourcing the production of 100

Often overlooked and rarely explored, offset blankets and inks are those essential accessories that deserve a closer look. By Mike Llewellyn A trio of two-color offset presses keep University of Southern Maine's Administrative Services busy, says Production Supervisor Fred Degenhardt. To keep the quality of the impressions high, he says the in-plant has maintained a relationship with A.B.Dick to stock the shop with press blankets. "We run everything from business cards to clasp envelopes here," he says. Degenhardt explains that for the mid-sized presses the in-plant runs, he has found semi-compressible blankets to be ideal. "Softer blankets tend to mean less headaches for us,"

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,

Trinity Church has played a part in much of New York's history. On September 11, 2001, it participated again. The in-plant, as usual, was there to help.

With cutbacks everywhere, government in-plants must operate more efficiently. Managers met recently to share their ideas. by Bob Neubauer Government in-plants are travelling a rough road these days. At the recent National State Publishing Association conference, words like "financially strapped" and "hiring freeze" spilled frequently from the mouths of attendees. Yet just as often, discussions centered on solutions to these difficulties, ways to bring in more revenue with new services, and ideas for doing more with fewer employees. This positive outlook and eagerness to overcome obstacles is one of the defining characteristics of the NSPA, and a key reason the association is still going

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,

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