Xerox Corp.

"There is a drum beat in Congress to cut printing," declared U.S. Public Printer Bill Boarman on Wednesday, speaking to a crowd of about 80 government and higher-ed printers, consultants and vendors. He was addressing the INTERQUEST Digital Printing in Government and Higher Education Forum in Washington, D.C. His task, he stressed, as leader of the Government Printing Office, is not to preserve printing at all costs, but to make sure reductions are done in a way that doesn't hurt the legislative process.

In my conversations with managers across the country, one challenge constantly surfaces: justifying the resources (people, budgets and equipment) needed to run an excellent operation. This is one of the biggest challenges that I face too, but over time I've learned ways to be successful in acquiring these necessary resources.

The Central Pennsylvania Chapter continues to attract new members to its meetings. “It seems if I keep them centralized in the Harrisburg area, most of the members that are within the local region are able to make it,” says Chapter President George Kaufman. He also adds that members are very dedicated to the chapter and enjoy each others’ company.

In partnership with InfoTrends, Xerox commissioned a research project that documents the oft-hidden value of in-plants. The results are compiled in a white paper targeted at the enterprise's senior level managers and titled "The Strategic Value of an In-House Printing Operation: Trends and Best Practices."

In-plant managers at government agencies and higher-ed institutions now have another reason to attend the INTERQUEST Digital Printing in Government and Higher Education Forum in Washington, D.C. 12 days from today. Both the current and previous U.S. Public Printers will be speakers at the event.

ANY TIME in-plant managers get together, the conversation and camaraderie never end. This was particularly true at the recent Southeastern University Printing and Digital Managers Conference (SUPDMC). About 30 in-plant managers from universities all over the southern U.S. and as far away as the state of Washington got together in Nashville, Tenn., to exchange information and listen to presentations to help them tune up their operations.

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.

SUPDMC was not the only event for in-plants last month. Just a week later, the 2011 SGIA Expo came to New Orleans, followed by the Texas Association of College and University Printers (TACUP) conference the following week in Fort Worth. SGIA brought 16,000 people to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to view the latest wide-format, screen and digital printing technologies.

AS SHE closes in on 35 years at the same in-plant, Debby Messina has absolutely no regrets. "I've always loved my job," she proclaims. That job is print room supervisor for the Delaware Division of Research, Legislative Council. One of the reasons she loves it—besides having a lifelong fascination with printing—is that it gives her a chance to serve her beloved state of Delaware, where she has spent her whole life.

For years, Southern in-plant managers have been inviting me to the Southeastern University Printing and Digital Managers Conference (SUPDMC). As the name implies, this is a group of in-plant managers who hail mostly from Southern states.