January 2014
ASU Enjoys the MIS Advantage
Like many in-plants, Arizona State University's Print & Imaging Lab used a home-grown, Excel-based estimating and job tracking system for many years. Though this eventually migrated to a Google Doc, to give staff better access, it was still cumbersome, and the job list was never completely up to date.
From the Editor: The Power of Associations
I read a LinkedIn discussion last month questioning whether industry associations still provide any value in this interconnected age, where social media and video conferencing seem to have made physical meetings obsolete. Thanks to Google, some argued, people no longer rely on associations for technical data and guidance.
Hot Products: Wide-format
Some of the latest wide-format printers from Agfa, Epson, Canon, EFI, Screen USA, HP, Mimaki, Mutoh and Fujifilm.
Paper Options for Continuous-feed Inkjet
Continuous-feed inkjet offers advantages over both offset and electrophotography. As the technology evolves, it is gaining share from both. The presses are good. The substrates are good. The software is good. And, as Cathy Cartolano, vice president of sales and technical services at Mitsubishi Imaging (MPM), points out, image quality is "scary close" to offset.
Process Rehabilitation at HealthSouth
Not long ago, the CEO, COO and CFO of HealthSouth—one of the nation's leading providers of physical rehabilitation—visited the organization's Print Solutions facility, located 15 miles from its Birmingham, Ala., headquarters. The occasion was to celebrate the shop's acquisition of an HP Indigo 7600 digital press and an EFI Rastek wide-format printer.
Relocation Gives In-plant New Life at Sonoma State
A brand new student center at Sonoma State University has given new life to the Rohnert Park, Calif., school’s in-plant. Along with the dining and retail operations that have relocated into the three-story, 130,000-square-foot student center, the in-plant has secured a 1,700-square-foot space where it is now conveniently located for passing students and facility.
The In-plant Behind the Music
With a centuries-old reputation for quality, efficiency and cost control, D'Addario naturally needs to keep a close eye on all of its package design and print advertising. To enable this, the Farmingdale, N.Y., company operates a busy in-house ad agency and in-plant printing division.
The Job that Keeps on Giving
Keith Hopson's career began the day he got his pink slip. He was running the four-employee in-plant for Hydrotex at the time. The company’s new president, a former executive at Mary Kay, implemented some changes that resulted in a handful of layoffs. Hopson was one of the casualties. Rather than retreat into despair, though, he took some initiative.
Top 10 Reasons In-plants Should Prioritize Workflow Automation
As your customers ask for increasingly more of their jobs in smaller quantities, how are you managing the increased workload in prepress while still keeping your presses printing? As your management asks for yet another round of cost cutting, where do you squeeze this time? And as your customers move to digital campaigns and use print more selectively, what is your in-plant doing to stay relevant?
United Nations In-plant, A Year After the Flood
A year after Superstorm Sandy sent the Hudson River surging through the United Nations’ in-plant, IPG paid a visit to this New York City shop to see what has changed. Much, says Publishing Section Chief Narendra Nandoe.
Web-to-print: Avoiding Typical Missteps
Over the last 15 years, we have seen Web-to-print technologies become increasingly common. Thousands of print providers have stepped up to implement solutions to serve their customers, some with great success and others with not as much.
Wider Than Ever at Charlotte Mecklenburg
Alvin B. Griffin, director of the Graphic Production Center at Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, can hardly contain his excitement about the Fujifilm Acuity Advance Select flatbed printer that his in-plant installed in June. And rightfully so, since the printer has already cut production time of 8x4-foot panels from four hours to seven minutes.
