Presstek Inc.

Several in-plant managers trekked to Washington, DC last week for the debut Digital Printing in Government & Higher-Ed Conference, hosted by In-plant Graphics. Many attendees have since expressed their appreciation for the day-long conference.

“Just being in the room when decisions are being made, a lot of times, is the biggest challenge” for in-plants, declares Chuck Werninger, director of Administrative Services at the Houston Independent School District (HISD). “A lot of shops are deleted from the plan before they ever hear about the plan.”

While Imaging Services, the in-plant for the University of Colorado-Boulder, has been dedicated to offering high-quality, full-service printing to its campus since 1923, the shop has never worked smarter than it does today.

With equipment specs, pictures and video all available online, why should an in-plant manager bother going to Graph Expo any more? Those who made the trip to Chicago last month have lots of good reasons.

These products for the in-plant market will be on display at Graph Expo.

The first thing he noticed was the door. A thick, wooden, swinging door, it separated the print shop from its customers in Arapahoe County's government offices, sending the clear message that no one but in-plant staff was allowed to pass.

Big changes are taking place at the San Bernardino Community College District. The in-plant there recently added new computer-to-plate, cutting and creasing equipment, and is set to move into a new facility that’s three times the size of the old one.

When Regional Health Printing Services moved into its new facility on the eastern edge of Rapid City, S.D., in October, the in-plant got more than just larger quarters; it gained a much smoother workflow, which has been paying dividends in increased productivity.

“The demand for two-color has definitely declined over the years,” remarks Ryan Podeweltz, production print supervisor at Church Mutual Insurance Co. As a result, the one- and two-color Hamada presses at the Merrill, Wis., in-plant were no longer as busy as they once were, leaving the shop’s four employees in a precarious position.

Stepping into The World Bank’s bright, spacious Printing & Multimedia Services operation on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., one is immediately struck by how much this in-plant has advanced from its days in the basement of the Bank’s downtown D.C. headquarters.