In-plants Attend D.C. Digital Printing Forum

Market research and consulting firm INTERQUEST held its fifth annual Digital Printing Forum in Washington, D.C., in November, drawing more than 100 government and higher-education document professionals.

Michael L. Wash, chief information officer for the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) lead off the morning session with his keynote presentation entitled “The U.S. Government Printing Office: An Ongoing Journey.” Wash detailed how the GPO has evolved from a print-centric workflow to a content-centric workflow. To do this, GPO developed FDsys, an advanced digital system that will enable GPO to manage government information from all three branches.

“We have a very important mission of keeping America informed, participating in an electronic world and participating in a print world while trying to stay relevant and stay cost effective and serve the citizens of the United States,” Wash said.

Gilles Biscos, president of INTERQUEST, presented an analysis of key trends in the graphic arts market. He was followed by a panel of government and higher-education professionals. Douglas Maxwell, director of the Brigham Young University Print & Mail Production Center, discussed his in-plant’s use of print-on-demand and variable data. The print center has developed departmental storefronts with repositories of information and template-driven solutions to make it easy for customers to order print.

Consultant Ray Chambers, CEO of Chambers Management Group, emphasized how a digital workflow can improve productivity and decrease costs. Productivity, he said, is enhanced when setup times are reduced, production times are reduced and short run lengths become practical. Increased productivity leads to lower costs. Moreover, equipment capable of producing high-quality color is less expensive to own and operate.

Lynn Noble, product manager of the U.S. Postal Service, shared some of the new technology options that can be used with printed documents. He presented an innovative campaign used by the USPS to promote priority mail and how this campaign changed market share for USPS in the packaging area.

In another panel, Leslie Rutledge, director of Graphic Services at Brown University, described the digital transformation she oversaw at San Diego State University’s in-plant. She is in the process of making the same changes at Brown.

“What you really need to do is turn your in-plant into an entrepreneurial enterprise,” she noted. Then she shared how she was accomplishing the task.

Michael Munshaw, head of the Library of Congress Print Shop, explained how he had to “sell” the in-plant’s services internally and show the value they provided.

Damian McInerney, Printing Services manager at the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles, focused on some of the opportunities of running an in-house print operation with both offset and digital equipment. He reviewed his challenges and opportunities within the department, and detailed the actions being taken to run the department more efficiently.