When the Bureau of Labor Statistics called the printing industry "too small to be tracked" it brought some furious reactions from printers. But indignation aside, what real impact does this decision by a government agency have on printers?
Bob Neubauer
The new inkjet color press installed at the Wisconsin Bureau of Publishing and Distribution is 30% faster than the monochrome toner printer it replaced — and the uptime is “outstanding.”
To get a better understanding of the mailing services in-plants provide, how mail and package volumes are changing and which mailing technologies in-plants are installing, we surveyed our readers and are in the midst of writing a research report. Here are some of our initial findings.
Offset volume has been slowly declining at Carleton University’s in-plant. Printing campus signage seemed the perfect solution.
It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were brainstorming new names to transform the moldy In-plant Reproductions into something a bit more modern. But that was 23 years ago. It was time for a change.
Every year, as I peruse the winning pieces on display at the In-Print awards reception, I'm amazed at how many of the in-plant managers all around me didn't even bother to enter. When I ask some of these managers why, they say, "we meant to, but we got busy." The real question should be, are you too busy to promote your in-plant?
Mail is a major part of many in-plant operations. Our data shows that more than 60% of in-plants offer mailing services. To analyze the growth of in-house mail and the opportunities mail can bring, IPG has launched a new survey. It's open to all in-plants, even those that don't offer mail services, and participants are eligible for prizes.
When we polled the country's largest in-plants in December to rank them by size, we also asked them about their plans to upgrade the technology in their shops. Here's what they plan to purchase in 2019 and where they see the most opportunity for growth.
Hundreds of in-plants call New York City home. IPG Editor Bob Neubauer visited three of them recently, in the investment banking, real estate and public transportation industries, to talk with their managers about the issues they face as in-plants in a big city.
When it comes to supporting the parent organization’s mission, few in-plants do it better than the Instructional Publication Center at Hemet Unified School District, which now prints all math curriculum materials thanks to the installation of two inkjet presses.
Before Frank Davis retired as director of Creative Communications for the University of Washington he had one final goal: upgrade the in-plant’s six-year-old Xerox iGen4 to a more state-of-the-art digital color device.
By bringing a private sector mindset to his school district in-plant, Martin James improved its service, savings and reputation.
Adding a hybrid flatbed printer to his in-plant, says Joe Morin, has "allowed us to expand well beyond our past capabilities to substrates such as acrylics, metals and wood.” The shop now prints signage for district schools, which is becoming a big business.
Print volumes are going down for types of work that have traditionally kept in-plants busy. At the same time, those in-plants producing wide-format projects have discovered a gold mine. Not only are the margins higher, customers are actively looking for new wide-format applications to order.
Here's why entering the In-Print contest can help your in-plant demonstrate its value to the organization while boosting the morale of your employees.
