Standard Finishing Systems

A year and a half ago, Shana Farrell, Printing Services and Distance Learning Manager at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wis., organized a recognition event for her staff of six. She invited not only her boss but the college president. There, each employee received individual recognition for his or her hard work and dedication. Afterward, Farrell says, she noticed everyone was working harder and enjoying their jobs more.

in 2008, Yale University decided to begin construction of a new Yale School of Management. Yale Printing & Publishing Services was located in a building that was scheduled for demolition. To determine whether outsourcing made sense, the university did a complete financial review of the in-plant. The study revealed that it would be more costly to close the shop and outsource than to move it.

Next month, drupa 2012 will take over Düsseldorf, Germany. IPG asks industry observers David Zwang, Jim Hamilton, Noel Ward and Bill Lamparter what they expect to see there.

When Christian publisher RBC Ministries opened a digital print center in 2010, the intent was to bring production of soft-cover, perfect-bound books in-house.

Vendors reported a good amount of interest in bindery equipment at this year's GRAPH EXPO in Chicago. The bindery equipment at the show offered in-plants some great opportunities to expand their services and increase their efficiency.

After putting up with aging equipment for years, Printing Services at California State University at San Bernadino recently replaced its Challenge cutter with a Perfecta 76 HTVC, installed a new James Burn Lhermite DocuPunch to replace an old GBC Streampunch and added a new Standard Horizon system, including an SPF-200A stitcher/folder, an FC 200 face trimmer and a 10-bin air-fed VAC-100A collator.

Hot products for in-plants, including Riso's RZ series of digital duplicators, Mitsubishi Imaging's DP Series Specialty Media and the new Standard Horizon HT-80 three-knife trimmer includes advanced setup automation, among many others hot new products.

Braving single-digit temperatures (which he secretly enjoyed), intrepid IPG Editor Bob Neubauer traveled to Minnesota to visit the in-plant at the University of St. Thomas.

Faith-based book publisher RBC Ministries was spending too much time and money outsourcing soft-cover books. So in October, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company christened a brand new digital print center, equipped with a pair of HP Indigo presses, to bring production of soft-cover books in-house.

Though inkjet presses may have stolen some of the thunder, new bindery equipment was everywhere at Graph Expo. The crowds were consistently large in the bindery booths, and vendors were very upbeat about the show.