Operator Shortages Drive BYU’s Shift From Offset to Digital 

Like most print providers, Brigham Young University (BYU) Print and Mail is no stranger to the scarcity of press operators as the digital age continues to progress. That’s why, in February, the Provo, Utah-based in-plant installed an HP Indigo 18K digital press.

“Why we landed on HP Indigo is just the quality of print that comes off. It is as close to the [offset] press that you can get, I believe, right now in the industry,” says Ben Bean, digital print production manager. “We wanted to keep the look of a traditional press but not have to run a traditional press because it is becoming harder for us to find operators.”

The in-plant already had an HP 7000 series printer, but after 14 years, he says, it had put enough time in. Also, since BYU already had trained operators on the 7000, Bean says it just made sense to stay within the HP line.

Because the 18k uses a B2-sized sheet, it allowed the in-plant to migrate work from the 7000, as well as from its five-color Heidelberg press.

“I can run multiple things, like covers for books, I can run four up instead of two up as they were on the 7000. Now I can run multiple more up on the 18K. It's just easier to move stuff over and transition over to the HP,” Bean says.

Since installing the 18K, Bean says the in-plant has moved a majority of its small-run jobs over to the new digital press – projects like smaller magazines, signature fold saddle stitch magazines, brochures, and posters.

“What’s great about the HP Indigo [18k] is that we don't have to wait for the whole job to be done when it comes off the press,” Bean says. “With the HP, I can run what they need when they need it and then finish the job as we have time.”

The HP Indigo 18K is by no means the first digital production press at BYU Print and Mail. The in-plant added a continuous-feed Ricoh Pro VC60000 inkjet press in 2019 to print both religious scriptures on very lightweight paper and books from outside publishing companies. By contrast, the new 18K is not an inkjet press but uses liquid electrophotography, where charged liquid toner particles (ElectroInk) are transferred to a heated blanket and then onto the paper.

While some in-plants have tighter budgets than others, Bean explains that BYU’s in-plant was able to secure funding for the HP Indigo 18K thanks to a Capital Needs Assessment that set funds aside for equipment upgrades, as well as by building its case to the university.

“We had to arrange some finances to make it work, but we were able to prove to the university that it's what we needed. It serves us better,” Bean says. “It's really the digital print area where the industry is going, just for the fact that we can't get press operators and the two that we have, they could retire anytime. So, we've got to be able to transition into the digital world without any hiccups, and this allows us to do it.”

Despite the stigma that digital isn’t as high-quality as offset, Bean says that with the HP 18k, that is far from the case.

“It's very acceptable. Our customers haven't complained one bit at all,” Bean says. “We are running a 30-year-old Heidelberg five-color press and the quality is still good, but it's not the best that could be coming off of a traditional press. So, we haven't had any customers complain from what we print on our Heidelberg to going to the HP. As a matter of fact, we have customers that request that their posters are coming off of the HP and not the offset press.”

BYU Print and Mail recently experienced another big change when long-time Director Doug Maxwell retired. The new director is Chris Reeves with Ryan Soundrup serving as assistant director. With annual sales of $17.4 million, 52 full-time employees, and 320 student workers BYU Print and Mail is the largest university in-plant in the U.S.