Xerox Corp.

As you route another job to your digital press today, take a moment to reflect on the fact that xerographic technology has come a long way since it was invented 75 years ago this month.

Judging by the content of the sessions at last month's Southeastern University Printing and Digital Managers Conference (SUPDMC), the threat of outsourcing still weighs heavy on the minds of higher-ed in-plant managers. Throughout the three-day conference, held on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin, speakers repeated the worrisome message that outsourcing companies are relentless and every in-plant should expect—and prepare—to be called into question.

PRINT 13 was a busy show, but perhaps no group of printers had a busier time there than in-plant managers. Between the luncheons, sessions, receptions and other forums designed specifically for in-plants, managers were challenged to find time for the show floor itself.

With traditional offset exhibitors like Heidelberg giving the Chicago trade show a pass, the digital print vendors were the new kings. Xerox, Canon, Konica Minolta and Fujifilm led the pack in booth size, and each of them had new inkjet production presses to proclaim.

Anyone who thinks in-plants are in decline should have been tagging along with me the past two weeks. Between PRINT 13 and the Southeastern Printing and Digital Managers Conference (SUPDMC) a week later, I've lost count of the number of managers I've seen. So heavy was the in-plant participation at PRINT 13 that I could not cross the trade show floor without spotting a manager.

When Lincoln Public Schools signed a $1.8 million contract with Xerox in 2006 to centralize its printing system, it was a major change for the Lincoln, Neb., school district’s nearly 3,000 teachers. Instead of using classroom printers to do their own printing, they were able to order jobs online, and let the printing center handle the copying, cutting, folding, stapling and collating.

One day before PRINT 13 opened, the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) inducted 15 industry leaders into the Soderstrom Society, named for the late Walter E. Soderstrom, one of the founders of NAPL. The Soderstrom award recognizes the contributions of industry leaders, including printing firm owners, equipment manufacturers, consultants, and educators.

In-plant managers who attended PRINT 13 in Chicago this week may have had a difficult time getting to the show floor with all of the in-plant events taking place.

Xerox’s full portfolio of both aqueous and waterless inkjet technologies will be on display at PRINT 13. With the acquisition of Impika, Xerox has strengthened its leadership in digital color production printing with scalable and flexible solutions.

Having grown up around printing, Doug Weatherly has found it to be a natural fit. His father co-owned a print shop, at which his mother was involved in taking orders, working with customers and handling finances.