November 2006 Issue
‘Paineless’ Common SENSE
WHEN PROPOSING something as volatile as the right of first refusal, it makes sense to benchmark one of the forefathers of insubordinate enlightenment. In 1776, Thomas Paine published an essay called “Common Sense.” It clearly delineated the reasons why 13 overtaxed colonies should work together to succeed without bowing to the self-interest of outside concerns. It was a logical call for interdependent independence. It took courage to point out the obvious. In-plant managers will require a measure of that valor. Knowing Why Doesn’t it make sense for an organization to invest in its own services? It’s like taking money out of the left pocket and putting
A Flood of Four-color in Alabama
Process color printing is a booming business at the University of Alabama. Printing Services has just added its second four-color press, a 26˝ Sakurai 466SIP two-over-two convertible perfector. It replaced a two-color, 26˝ press. At one time, the 31-employee operation, based in Tuscaloosa, ran its four-color jobs on two-color presses. Then the demand for four-color recruiting materials, newsletters, brochures and alumni publications got so great that the shop invested in a four-color 29˝ Sakurai 474P press, back in June of 2002. “Once we installed that first machine and our quality improved dramatically, it just grew,” explains Bill May, director of Printing Services. “Demand exceeded capacity, and
Canon Partners with ASU
Canon U.S.A. has formed a unique partnership with Arizona State University that will not only support ASU’s office copier program and copy centers with the latest technology, but will advance the Tempe-based university’s digital infrastructure. The goal is to build a “sustainable digital university” that is mindful of the needs of future generations and does not use resources faster than they can be replenished. With that in mind, Canon is replacing ASU’s existing copiers and multifunction devices with the latest digital equipment, and opening a Canon digital showroom on campus. ASU will become a test laboratory for Canon digital technologies (even non-print technologies, like security
Digital At Last in Delaware
The Delaware State Legislature may not realize it, but when their session starts in January, for the first time all of their legislation will be printed digitally. The four-employee legislative print shop has just replaced its offset duplicators with a pair of Xerox DocuTech 6115 printers with Freeflow workflow and a stacker/stapler/tape binding system. “It’s great,” proclaims Deborah Messina, Print Room supervisor, adding, “It’s really quiet in here.” She jokes that, without the presses, she and her staff have not ruined any of their clothes with ink stains lately. “And our hands are rather clean,” she adds. Though the shop has a Duplo DP-460H duplicator
From the Editor: Success, Lies and Videotape
GRAPH EXPO seemed much busier than usual for me this year—probably because, in addition to visiting booths and attending press conferences, I gave myself the added task of shooting video. Trying to capture the essence of a 630-vendor event with more than 21,000 verified attendees is no simple task, as I found out. But the videos I recorded should give those of you who couldn’t come to Chicago a good taste of what it was like there. Watch for them here on our home page in the weeks ahead. Amidst all my rushing around, I ran into a handful of in-plant managers there and
Graph Expo 06 Product Roundups
With more than 630 exhibitors covering in excess of 440,000 square feet of show floor space, GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO 2006 was the largest national graphic communications and converting trade show held in the U.S. since 2000, according to its sponsors. Vendors reported strong interest among attendees across a wide range of products on display. You can watch two videos from Graph Expo in the video section of our homepage. For coverage of product introductions beyond what was included in the printed edition of In-Plant Graphics, click the appropriate links below. Prepress and Software Digital Printing Presses and Accessories Binding and
Graph Expo Showcases Digital Future
More coverage of Graph Expo product introductions . IT MAY be telling that the majority of presses in operation around the show floor of Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2006 last month were of the digital variety. Offset units were conspicuous in their absence. Digital presses have become part of the commercial printing mainstream, rather than being a specialty product segment or market niche. To emphasize this, Hewlett-Packard shared results from an InfoTrends study that surveyed a sampling of digital color printing buyers and producers. The research firm found that the percentage of color printing jobs with a run length
IPG Redesigns Web Site
IPG has redesigned its Web site, adding more content and new features to keep you well informed about the printing industry. In addition to digital versions of current stories, the site provides access to relevant articles from other graphic arts magazines, as well as up-to-the-minute industry news from a number of sources. Access to an online graphic arts book store lets you browse titles like “Re-energize Your Printing Business” and “Managing Print Production.” A video screen on the home page lets visitors select and watch videos from in-plant conferences and shop tours. Brand new is a video highlighting the College and University Print Management Association of
New Stitcher, Proofer at Texas Senate
Sure, “old and reliable” equipment has its advantages. But with nearly 30 years behind it, the saddle stitcher at the Texas State Senate’s in-plant had seen better days. “It finally got to the point where I couldn’t get any more parts for it,” says Robert Gomez, director of publications at the 18-employee in-plant. So he recently added a new Rosback 201CD stitcher with two quick-clamping stitch heads, two head alignment gauges, a book sensor and a stagger stitch feature. It can output between 1,800 and 5,000 books per hour, with a maximum size of 12x15˝. The books and brochures being produced on the stitcher are of
NGPA Goes Right to the Source
To drive home its conference theme, “Digital in Demand,” the National Government Publishing Association held its most recent meeting in Rochester, N.Y., a stronghold of graphic arts technology. As the home of Xerox, Kodak and the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester proved an ideal location. Each of those organizations hosted the NGPA group for half a day, providing seminars, tours and a close look at the latest digital equipment. The three-day conference drew 34 government attendees from 14 states. Each morning kicked off with educational sessions covering such topics as CTP, shop management software and marketing. The afternoon tours followed. In
Shopping for Copiers/MFPs
Features to Look For Finishing capabilities such as saddle finishing, hole punching, folding, binding and stacking can save time, labor and costs associated with dedicated offline finishing equipment. Also, look for features that allow you to assemble and build jobs electronically prior to copying/printing. Print controller options should be considered as well to optimize system performance. Digital document capture capabilities such as scan-to-e-mail and scan-to-file let you easily convert hard copy information to electronic format. —Paul Albano, Canon USA There is a color explosion taking place. In-plants should focus on faster, more affordable devices as color becomes more widely used. Fortunately, color-enabled
SPECIAL Delivery
NOT EVERY in-plant offers mailing services for its clients. Prior to 2005, for example, the in-plant at The Stelter Co.—a marketing firm in Des Moines that works with non-profit organizations—simply shipped printed material back to clients or handed it over to an outside vendor. But Dan Manderscheid, who joined Stelter in October 2004 as a mail processing specialist, says that outsourcing mail didn’t make sense given that the company was otherwise a one-stop shop with artists, Web designers, editors, legal counsel, marketing professionals and print operators on staff. In January 2005, Stelter purchased an inserter, two address printers and Pitney Bowes SmartMailer software,
Stop Calling Them Copiers!
Is the word “copier” obsolete? After all, today’s multifunction products (MFPs) do so much more than just copy off the glass. And since most jobs arrive as digital files, isn’t “printer” a better word? Why, then, do people keep calling them “copiers?” “The term ‘copier’ is becoming a bit outdated,” agrees Paul Albano of Canon USA. But stopping users from uttering the “c” word may prove a bit difficult, he acknowledges. “These devices began as ‘copiers’ performing a single function,” he notes. “It will certainly be a hard task to rebrand the machine that many have known their whole lives as a ‘copier.’ MFP,
Turnaround is Fair Play at SFU
WHEN RAJ Nadrajan took the job as director of Document Solutions at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, he knew the in-plant needed change. Upon his arrival he discovered the full extent of the task ahead of him and admits it gave him pause. “After my first few weeks when I joined the operation, I did not have much hope that the operation would make it,” Nadrajan remembers. “I even considered going back to my last position, but stayed to challenge my ability to make the operation one of the best in the industry.” Five years later that goal has become
University of Illinois Hosts Big Ten
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) recently hosted the 39th Big Ten Printing Conference. The successful event drew more than 60 attendees. Sessions covered both printing and copyright topics, with a separate track for each. On the printing side were sessions on print workflow, variable data, the aging of the printing industry and supervising Millennials (i.e. today’s college students). Copyright sessions covered Fair Use in course packets, copyright from the publisher’s point of view and electronic reserves. Tony Clements, from the Campus Recreation department at UIUC, started the conference with some laughs and insights in a keynote speech entitled, “From the Rail of the
Up to the Challenge
ONE OF an in-plant manager’s greatest fears is a shutdown. Walter Leonard has felt the power of that threat three times during his tenure with Sonoma State University General Services. But proving its worth has kept him managing for 17 years. Born and raised in San Francisco, Leonard attended a local college until his father passed away, then he went to work full time. He took a position with San Francisco-based distributor WJ Lancaster. Starting as a clerk in the mail room, he occasionally filled in for the duplicator operator. The company eventually purchased a MultiLith 1250 and he started doing full-color work. Leonard grew
