Expo Shopping Spree Leaves Texas In-plant Bursting With New Equipment

Improved productivity. Fewer bottlenecks. Unlocking new applications. Providing more value. These are all great reasons to purchase new equipment, and at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC) Printing Center, the answer to the unspoken question is “all of the above.”

Debbie Cate

Debbie Cate, who serves as the managing director of General Services, notes that her philosophy when it comes to PRINTING United Expo, which she attends every other year to keep on top of the latest advances, is “take your time and really talk to the vendors. You never know what one nugget of information will lead to.” She put that into practice at last year’s Expo in Orlando, walking away with a host of new equipment that was subsequently installed throughout the year.

The most recent to get up and running at the Lubbock, TX-based operation is the Skandacor FINISHpro 3D, which has allowed Cate and her team to start adding embellishments to the applications they produce.

The new Skandacor FINISHpro 3D has allowed Texas Tech University Health Science Center’s in-plant to start adding embellishments to applications. With it here are Cherenda Jones (left) and Harrison McGuire.

Installed in June of this year, the flatbed UV resin printer is “very easy to use, and we are impressed with the output,” Cate says, though she admits the in-plant hasn’t had a chance to start marketing it widely yet. Previously, the in-plant offered some embellishment options on a Kodak NexPress, but the shop wasn’t able to support that after COVID, so she started looking for new options.

“It took a couple of years for departments to be willing to spend extra,” she says. “I saw this unit at PRINTING United 2025, and the price point was too good to resist.”

It is a great example of how walking the Expo floor and talking to vendors can put something on one’s radar equipment that they weren’t looking for but which has generated a lot of excitement.

Sticker Cutting Solution

One piece of equipment that was on her list last year, however, was a cutting solution for stickers, something her in-plant prints a good amount of. She notes that her goal was to find something that would allow the shop to kiss cut and/or contour cut stickers without needing a die. And the Morgana ColorCut SC6500 was what ultimately fit the bill. It’s already making a difference.

“The Morgana was showcased in several different booths, and its ease of use stood out,” Cate explains. “It has sped up production considerably. We were taking the printed sheets and laying them out on the Colex to be cut, then picking up the finished stickers. On the Morgana, you load the feeder and walk off.”

Another piece of equipment she was actively seeking at the Expo was a new solution for inserting, cutting, and crimping plastic coils for bound books. After looking at the different options, Cate eventually got quotes from and purchased a Sterling Coilmaster Jr. Plus, which she has been very happy with thus far.

“We inserted coils manually,” she explains. “The Coilmaster Jr. Plus is a tremendous time saver for large volumes.”

Another piece of equipment Cate looked at while at Expo was a tabletop right angle folder. Initially, she was excited about the new model from Multigraf that was shown on the Expo floor. But as it hasn’t been released in the United States yet, the shop decided instead on the Baum 714XLT with a right angle.

“We have it on order and it should arrive soon,” Cate notes, making it one of the last pieces the shop will install from what she spotted on the show floor last year.

New Printing Solutions

Jesse Cavazos shows off the Riso SF9490 digital duplicator.

That said, it’s not just finishing and embellishments Cate was looking for at PRINTING United. Production printing equipment was also a chief concern. Because the shop’s last press operator is planning to retire in September. That meant she needed to find a solution to replace the offset printing the shop was still doing. Ultimately, the solution that stood out was a Riso SF9490 digital duplicator, which uses liquid ink and runs at 190 spm.

“We needed a cost-effective solution for printing large static volumes such as the back of the W2, black notepads, lined paper, etc.,” Cate notes.

It joins the in-plant’s fleet of Konica Minolta production devices, which include two Accurio Press C4070s (one with a long sheet feeder), two monochrome Accurio Press 6136Ps, and an Accurio Press C3070 that is used for envelopes.

Hybrid Flatbed Printer

Perhaps the most popular item purchased after the Expo last year, however, was the EFI Pro 16h+ wide-format hybrid flatbed LED UV inkjet printer. Installed in April, it has been so busy that Cate says revenue is up 20% over last year at this time.

“This is by far the staff favorite out of the new equipment,” Cate praises. “Our older equipment was not hybrid. I looked at a wide variety of wide-format equipment while at the Expo, but the price and capabilities of this one stood out. Nearly all of our flatbed work has moved to this machine. Duplexing signs or boxes is so easy on the EFI.”

TTUHSC exemplifies how in-plants can use PRINTING United Expo to their advantage. Though Cate had a shopping list when she walked through the door, she was also open to seeing new solutions that weren’t on her radar. The result was the ability to efficiently evaluate and compare solutions in just a few days, making it much easier to justify the purchases and complete the transactions.

PRINTING United Expo will bring all the latest and greatest technologies from across the print industry to Las Vegas from Sept. 23-25. Whether your in-plant is actively looking to replace specific pieces of equipment, add new capabilities, or you just want to see what’s out there, it will be a can’t-miss event.