Ricoh Corp.

If there was one recurring theme in the sessions at the recent In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) conference, it was this: In these tough economic times, in-plants need to be more proactive than ever about finding and creating new business opportunities. Last month, more than 100 in-plant managers traveled to Rochester, N.Y., to learn just that. Though attendance was down from last year, it was impressive nonetheless in this economic climate (especially after the cancellation of the ACUP conference in April due to travel bans at universities).

Roughly 50 trade journalists, consultants and analysts converged on Chicago's Sheraton Hotel & Towers Tuesday and Wednesday for PRINT 09 Media Days, a preshow glimpse of the technologies that will be on exhibit at PRINT 09. The Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC), which manages the event, was among 14 exhibitors that provided presentations in advance of PRINT 09, which kicks off Sept. 11 at McCormick Place and runs through Sept. 16.

Sandra Zoratti, VP of Global Marketing Solutions for InfoPrint, the joint venture between IBM and Ricoh, has been appointed to the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) Council North America’s Advisory Board.

InfoPrint Solutions Company, the joint venture between IBM and Ricoh, today announced that Liz Miller, Vice President of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council will be the keynote speaker to a global audience at InfoPrint’s upcoming forum, “Make Your Mark.” This two-day interactive session will be held at InfoPrint’s recently launched Innovation Center, in Boulder, CO, and is aimed at customers in service bureaus and the direct mail industry.

DESPITE THE cancellation of the ACUP conference, ACUP lived on this year in a Webinar that attracted more than 100 in-plant managers from around the world. IPG partnered with the Association of College and University Printers to bring about the event, held on what would have been the last day of the ACUP conference. Three of the speakers who were scheduled to talk at ACUP gave their presentations online. Then, to replicate some of the free-flowing shop talk that is ACUP's hallmark, three past ACUP hosts held a lively roundtable discussion about the latest developments in their shops.

Printers are by transitioning from traditional print shops into marketing service providers. To find out how and why they are differentiating themselves in this way, IKON Office Solutions (now a Ricoh company) and The NAPL Network are offering half-day, hands-on workshops in four cities.

In the annual Gartner U.S. copier market report for 2008, Ricoh Americas earned the number one spot for a second straight year in the combined black-and-white and color copier segment with a 21.4 percent market share

InfoPrint Solutions Company, the joint venture between IBM and Ricoh, today announced that One2One Communications has chosen the InfoPrint 5000, a full-color production inkjet system, to extend its leadership in personalized advertising printed directly onto statements. One2One specializes in the design, development, processing and multi-platform delivery of high quality documents and is currently working on customized print pilots with multiple U.S. cable operators and international automotive finance companies.

The cancellation of the Association of College and University Printers (ACUP) conference due to institutional travel bans saddened many higher-ed in-plant managers. But now, thanks to a special ACUP webinar, in-plants around the globe can still experience some of the educational sessions that had been planned for the conference.

Through a partnership with In-Plant Graphics, some of the very speakers scheduled to speak at ACUP will be participating in the ACUP webinar just 12 days from today. Co-hosted by ACUP President Richard Griffin and In-Plant Graphics Editor Bob Neubauer, the 90-minute webinar will include presentations by three university in-plant managers, plus a lively roundtable discussion by three past ACUP hosts.

ON MAY 29, 2008, an article appeared in the Wall Street Journal called “Ink-jet Printers Get Set to Turn the Page.” According to author William Bulkeley, “Ink-jet printing technology that dominates inexpensive desktop printers is about to enter the world of commercial print shops. If the new technology succeeds, it could spell trouble for Xerox Corp. and lead to expanded business for Eastman Kodak Co., Hewlett-Packard Co., Ricoh Co. and other ink-jet makers.” That article, published on the first day of Drupa, as well as statements from industry experts Andy Tribute and Frank Romano, created a buzz suggesting that ink-jet printing would displace offset and toner-based printing as the dominant printing technologies. I’d like to discuss the facts behind the buzz and offer some conclusions about the real state of competing technologies.