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A third-generation printer, Steve Priesman used his vast experience to transform his school district’s in-plant.

Computer-to-plate technology has reshaped many of the in-plants on the Top 50. By Linda Formichelli New prepress technology has enabled in-plant employees to keep their hands clean by shifting all the dirty work to the digital realm of 1's and 0's. Mastering this technology has been a key element in the success of the in-plants claiming a spot on this year's IPG Top 50. "We've been streamlining prepress into the digital workflow over the past several years, going from conventional paste-up to eight-up output and now in the past eight months to computer-to-plate (CTP)," says Rick Wise, director of Printing Services at the Columbia-based

Think your main competition is that copy center down the street? Think again. The humble desktop ink-jet or laser printer may be hurting your business even more. By Linda Formichelli Your in-plant may be quick and cost effective, but a desktop printer is...well, it's right there. It's convenient. Being able to print to a machine that's mere inches away from the computer—instead of having to walk projects over to the in-plant and then wait for them—is appealing to many customers. It's also a big waste of money. Vic Barkin, manager of Northern Arizona University Printing and Reproduction Services, tells the story of

Wide-format technology is advancing rapidly. Is it time for your in-plant to get on board? By Linda Formichelli You've probably heard Americans are getting bigger. But you may not have heard that our graphics are getting bigger, too. According to CK Associates, a consultancy, the aggregate growth rate in the market for ink-jet graphics greater than 45˝ wide will be 9 percent over the next few years. And according to Deborah Hutcheson, Agfa's senior marketing manager for color systems and workflow, the graphic applications for wide-format printers have a compounded annual growth rate of 20 percent. In 2003, the engines, ink and media

Merging with other departments in your parent organization is an excellent way to improve efficiency, increase business and save money.

Getting the O.K. to buy new equipment requires research, reporting and good timing. Learn how to dodge the red tape and get what you want. Gregg Gabbana decided to move into color printing and convinced the management at Unisys to purchase several pieces of equipment, including a color press, an imagesetter, a color proofer and a plate processor. Mike Renn of Mellon Bank negotiated an offset press, two Macintosh workstations, a RIP and a color copier for his in-plant shop. How did these two get the goods when so many other in-plant managers are snagged by red tape trying to buy even

Digital file transfer and remote proofing are speeding up workflows and making it easier for in-plants to communicate with clients. Your client wants the job done yesterday. In one scenario, the client downloads the job to disk, packs it up and transports it to you. You run a press proof and deliver it back to the waiting client. The client wants changes, so the whole process starts over again. Time elapsed: 48 hours (and counting). In an alternate scenario, the client merely drags the job file over to a folder on the computer desktop and sends it to you via a digital network. You

These days, copiers are in virtually every in-plant. Find out how in-plant managers are using them, the problems they're facing and the features they want. Are copiers taking over in-plants? The answer varies depending on who you talk to. But no one can deny that convenience copiers are a convenience for more than the end user—and that color copiers are a boon for short-run printing jobs. While copiers are proliferating in in-plants, features are proliferating on copiers. Customers are demanding such features as sorting/stapling, collating and even three-hole punching—and the latest generation of copiers is delivering. New designs reduce paper jams by using