Xerox Corp.

OUR IN-PLANT just made a big change in the way it does business: we sprang for “Big Color”—a digital color press. Over an eight-month period we considered the Canon C7000VP, the HP Indigo 3050, the IKON CPP 650, the Kodak NexPress 2100, the Konica Minolta bizhub PRO C6500, Océ’s CPS900 and CS650 Pro, and Xerox’s DocuColor 6060, 7000 and 260. Many of you are considering a similar acquisition, so I will share some aspects of our experience with you.

A panel of consultants and editors has chosen the six top survival technologies for printers, and management information systems leads the pack. The other five, according to the Graph Expo 2007 “Must See ’Ems” Technology and Product Selection Committee, are: • Digital production printing (including toner and ink-jet systems) • Workflow • Information technology (including the ability to properly install, use and maintain the equipment) • Web-to-print capability (including the ability for customers to submit jobs electronically) • Color management The Committee also identified these additional technologies as having a significant impact on printers’ success: • Litho press automation (not including JDF) • Computer-to-plate technology • Preflight software

VERY YEAR, the City of Los Angeles Publishing Services holds an open house to show off its capabilities and meet its customers. This year’s event had a very special twist: it celebrated the in-plant’s 100th year of existence. Established in 1907 with two police officers working part time, the city’s in-plant has flourished over the past century to become a 47-employee operation incorporating some of the latest digital technologies. Only a handful of in-plants can boast 100 years of operation, and Publishing Services made the most of this accomplishment at its recent open house. The event celebrated the rich history of the shop

THE GIRLS and Boys Town Print Shop recently received a cornucopia of graphic arts delights that would make even the largest commercial printer envious.
The seven-employee in-plant, located just outside of Omaha, took ownership of a two-color Heidelberg Quickmaster 46 press, a two-color Hamada H248CX press, a Mitsubishi DPX2 platesetter, a Xerox DocuColor 8000 and a Xerox 250.

Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) plans to overhaul its document management systems with an array of new Xerox equipment. Not only will the 56,000-student school replace laser printers, stand-alone copiers and fax machines on its four campuses with 160 new multifuction devices, it will upgrade the digital printers in its 13-employee Printing Services department. The in-plant will swap its older Xerox DocuTech 6135 for a new model with Xerox FreeFlow MakeReady software, which will allow the shop to more easily provide variable data printing of recruitment materials. Printing Services will also receive a Nuvera printer to improve the quality of its black-and-white printing. On

YOU JUST completed a true printed masterpiece. Maybe it is all about the history of your company or university. For the excellence of the job done, you receive many compliments. Then comes the ultimate question from the top: could we have this masterpiece bound into an attractive hardcover binding? After all, as everyone is aware, clever “packaging,” called binding, enhances every printed product. In-Plant Graphics, in its April article on digital book production, concluded that the future for on-demand books is indeed very encouraging. These days, thanks to clever software and digital printing equipment, it is relative easy to put together a book.

Xerox has unveiled a digital printing paper that reportedly uses half as many trees as traditional paper, while lowering the cost to mail printed material. Xerox High Yield Business Paper was developed by scientists and engineers at the Xerox Media and Compatibles Technology Center, a Webster, N.Y.-based lab devoted to paper innovation. The mechanical fiber paper reportedly overcomes operational problems, such as curling and dust, which can prevent mechanical fiber papers from being used with digital print devices. High Yield Business Paper uses 90 percent of the tree versus only 45 percent being used to create traditional digital printing paper. It requires less water and

AS ALTERNATIVE media threaten print volumes, in-plants must take another look at their business models and adapt to the changing business climate. Revenue growth will depend on cost reduction through new workflow efficiencies, as well as new revenue sources from value-added services. Although hardware improvements will certainly play a role in advancing these objectives, the software driving these devices—along with other workflow solutions—will allow printers to differentiate themselves. Research indicates a growing divide between service providers that are growing their businesses and those that see their businesses in decline. Those who “get it” understand that continued growth depends on a three-pronged approach:

RESTON, VA—08/29/07—What technologies are most critical for a printer’s success in today’s competitive marketplace? According to the GRAPH EXPO 2007 MUST SEE ‘EMS Technology and Product Selection Committee, management information systems (MIS) top the list of six “survival” technologies printers will most need to be profitable in the future. The announcement offers a ‘sneak preview’ of the much-anticipated MUST SEE ‘EMS, a list of the most compelling emerging and evolving technologies to be found at GRAPH EXPO, the largest graphic communications industry exhibition and conference in the Western Hemisphere. The MUST SEE ‘EMS are a highlight of the 12th edition of the

The In-plant Printing and Mailing Association met recently in Oklahoma City for an action-packed conference. IPG captured the excitement on video.