In-plant Graphics February 2010 edition
A Look at Printing in 2010
2009 was a harsh year for business. Print volumes seemed to be down in most industries with the exception of education. Print volumes also seem to be down for most job types, with the exception of color marketing materials. My prediction is that direct mail jobs will drop and then rise later in the year. The drop will be because, despite the best marketing efforts, people just aren't buying yet and marketing budgets will be depleted.
Azusa Pacific University: Course Work, Made Simple
THE BEGINNING of the college semester is always a bustling time for the employees at Azusa Pacific University Duplicating and Graphics. Located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles, the in-plant serving this private Southern California Christian university is usually busy producing course packs and other materials prior to students arriving on campus.
Bill May
WHEN THE University of Alabama overpowered the University of Texas last month to win college football's National Championship, Bill May was one of many cheering fans in Tuscaloosa. But for May, UA's director of Printing Services, the victory was made even sweeter because of a wager he had made with another in-plant manager. Thanks to…
Bill May: Serving the Tide with Pride
University of Alabama's director of Printing Services Bill May has served the Crimison Tide with pride for more than 23 years.
Coil Binder Saves Time and Energy at Santee Cooper
Santee Cooper is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility and the state's largest power producer. The ultimate source of electricity for 2 million South Carolinians, Santee Cooper is dedicated to providing low-cost, reliable and environmentally protective power and water for the benefit of all South Carolina.
Digital Upgrades Inspire Bindery Buy in Boulder
When Poppy Forbes upgraded her in-plant to bring it into the world of digital printing, it didn't take her long to realize that the shop's bindery would also need some improvements. Forbes, print shop manager at the in-plant serving Boulder County, Colo., added a Canon imageRUNNER 7105 black-and-white copier and a Canon imagePRESS C7000VP digital press in 2008. A year later, the government in-plant installed a Duplo System 5000 collating system and a Duplo DC-615 slitter/cutter/creaser.
Folder Brings More Work to University of Texas In-plant
The copy center replaced its old folder with a Morgana AutoCreaser 33 and Docu-Fold MK-2 in September 2008. Supervisor Irene Castilla-Alonzo recalls the justification process was easy once the in-plant showed how the new equipment could bring in new business.
From the Editor: Stop Printing? Only If You're Foolish
THE LINGERING economic downturn is starting to make some organizations go a little crazy. Crazy as in proclaiming that departments should stop printing, and rely instead on e-mails, or perhaps tweets. Wrote one university in-plant manager: "We just have been given the results of a task force on efficiencies and waste, and one of the top suggestions was to stop printing." Yes, my eyes are rolling too.
George Mason University In-plant Gets Faster and Safer
Cutting printed jobs with a 20-year-old cutter was making life difficult for the in-plant employees at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Va.
Highlight Color Thriving at School District In-plant
A FEW years back, Parma City School District's in-plant faced a dilemma. The 13,000-student district, just south of Cleveland, wanted spot color on some of its documents, but the in-plant's equipment could not cost effectively provide it. Its Xerox DocuColor 8000 was up to the task, but page costs for spot color would be high. Likewise, inking up the shop's two-color presses would be expensive for short runs.
Los Angeles MTA Gets Maximum Mileage With New Folder
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in-plant's recent installation of a Heidelberg Stahlfolder Ti 36 eliminated costly outsourcing and streamlined the in-house production of tens of thousands of pocket guides.
Mississippi In-plant is a Quick Study
FOR THE in-plant at the Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU) at Mississippi State University, there's always something new to learn about printing—and something new to print about learning.
New Folder, Two iGen4s Boost Productivity and Quality
In November 2009, Bryan Wheeler, process engineer for FEO Outbound Publishing Services at Fidelity Investments, oversaw the implementation of a Baum AutoSet 2020 folder in his Covington, Ky.-based operation. This followed the addition of two Xerox iGen4 digital color presses.
Oh Say Can UV?
UV technology gives in-plants an opportunity to offer something different in the form of high-quality coatings, special effects, processing of unusual printing stocks and rapid delivery of express orders. UV coatings, for example, have a number of specific advantages, among them: high gloss levels, excellent protective qualities and a pleasant tactile experience. Sheets are dry and ready for finishing as soon as they arrive in the delivery, with no powdering required.
Oklahoma Shop Sets a Standard in the Bindery
Tina Gray saw the end of a lease agreement for an older Duplo saddle stitcher as an opportunity to bring more automated technology into her in-plant. Gray, print shop manager of the in-plant serving the Oklahoma Department of Human Services in Oklahoma City, decided last spring to install a four-tower Standard Horizon VAC collator system in-line with a Standard Horizon StitchLiner 5500 saddle stitching system with integrated three-knife trimming.
UV Printing: Can You Afford To Ignore It?
Many of us have heard that adding UV printing to our repertoire would increase our offerings to our customers but have not completely understood exactly why. Do the benefits overcome the added expenses? Is UV the answer for developing our business? With today's economy, should I make this capital investment? The question might actually be; "Can you afford not to make the investment?"
