In-Plant Graphics July 2012
A Grand Finish at drupa
Take a stroll through the halls of drupa and you will see more finishing equipment than you have ever imagined in your life. Most of those machines, sadly, are unavailable here on the other side of the Atlantic. So we've decided to focus on the equipment that is, and have provided a quick look at some of the new bindery and finishing systems that made their debuts at drupa.
A Look Inside Canon
The sea of blue caps seemed to stretch to the horizon. Beneath each one of them, a Chinese worker quietly, meticulously popped a paper roller or other part into place—parts that, when fully assembled, would form a Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE printer.
Flood Opens Door to Redesign for Queens College Shop
On a December morning in 2009, Michael White walked into his basement in-plant at Queens College to find that a pipe malfunction had filled his shop with two inches of water. "It was like doomsday. It was pretty bad," recalls White, print shop coordinator.
From the Editor: Far East Reflections
In June, I had a fabulous opportunity to visit Japan and China. I was invited by Canon USA to tour Canon Inc.'s headquarters in Tokyo and its largest MFD manufacturing plant, near Shanghai. Along with a handful of other editors and analysts, I met with Canon executives—including Chairman and CEO Fujio Mitarai—and inspected some cutting-edge technologies, still a year away from release. It was a fantastic experience. My story detailing Canon's strategy and accomplishments begins on page 26, but my observations on the rest of this amazing journey...well, I guess that's what this page is for.
Increasing Productivity: A Winnable Challenge
Continually increasing productivity is always important—even more so in the tough economic times we continue to live in. The good news is that almost every team has the potential to do this. Before sharing ideas on how to improve productivity, let's first define it.
Steven Rigby: A Signature Career
At age 14, Steven Rigby became an Eagle Scout, the highest achievement in the Boy Scouts of America program. As he completed the final leap to the top of the Scouting ranks, he also took his first step toward a top-notch career in printing.
The Best Printing of the Year
When Jimmy Friend stepped onto the stage at last month's IPMA conference to accept the In-Print 2012 Best of Show award in the non-offset categories, he was on familiar ground. It was the third consecutive Best of Show award for University of North Texas Printing & Distribution Solutions, an achievement no other in-plant has attained.
Web-to-print Helps Small Shop Excel
As demand and customer base was increasing at the Olathe (Kansas) Public School District's Graphic Communications and Printing Department, Erica Derrington, manager, turned to EFI's Digital StoreFront. Customers can now order print jobs digitally thanks to personalized portals where their own individual documents and orders are stored.
What's Your Line
Digital production presses are capturing more mind share than ever before. The in-line, off-line or near-line debate is anything but a debate, but it is interesting to note the configurations and the rationale behind them, as they vary from printer to printer. Three printers share their views.
