Software - MIS

RECENT RESEARCH suggests that just over 40 percent of in-plants use some form of print shop management software or management information system (MIS). If you’re one of the other 60 percent, perhaps it’s time for you to consider joining them. Obviously, this depends on the work you do, your customer mix and the level of management and planning/analysis capabilities you need. Let’s look at the pros and cons of these systems. The Pros 1. Print shop MIS systems can significantly automate, speed up and organize almost every business and production management role in your shop, whether it’s large or small, litho or copier-based. Depending

Avanti Computer Systems has acquired Parsec, a move that brings together two of the print industry’s leading providers of business management software. Their combined customer base exceeds 750 installations. “Our new larger company with more resources will be in a better position to respond to an ever-changing industry, providing the best possible service to all of our customers,” says Patrick Bolan, president and CEO of Avanti. All current Parsec employees will become members of the Avanti team.

Print management solutions are crucial to an in-plant's health and longevity. By Gretchen A. Peck "The only way a printer can hope to survive long-term is to improve efficiency, take costs out of the process, and create a market differentiation that ensures some level of competitive advantage," insists Gerald Walsh, director of product marketing at EFI, in Foster City, Calif. Today's print management information systems (MIS), he says, provide the foundation for addressing these competitive challenges. "In fact, with today's realities of high competition and tight margins, a good MIS isn't an option for printers; it's an absolute necessity," he adds.

A look at some of the latest workflow solutions. By Mark Smith The digital revolution was already on its way to making "workflow" a catch-all term in prepress, when the rise of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) extended its use to the entire print production process. As a result, an ever-wider array of products can now be called "digital workflow solutions." For our purposes, the definition is being limited to the evolution of what used to be called prepress systems. Vendors have responded to this trend with a shift toward marketing workflow solution brands as much as specific products. Modularity and flexibility are at

Both PrintTalk and printCafe have made promises of seamless integration from the buyer to printer. Find out what they have in mind. IN THE realm of printing management systems, there's probably no hotter topic right now than printCafe and PrintTalk. The announcement last January of the merger of nth degree software and Prograph to form printCafe, then the subsequent acquisitions of AHP, Hagen Systems, Logic Associates, M Data and Programmed Solutions left the industry confused, nervous and full of questions. That air of uncertainty was further fueled when, in June, the remaining MIS systems and 10 e-commerce companies announced the formation

Computer management systems offer in-plants a way to track costs, boost customer service and justify themselves. Find out what else they can do for you. Two years ago, Iowa State University Printing Services was paying the administrative data processing department about $8,000 per month for the use of its estimating and inventory tracking system. But that system tracked materials only—there was no way for the in-plant to factor in time and labor costs. "We really didn't know what our true costs were," admits Gary Boyd, manager of printing services. He decided to take action. He researched many different computer management systems for his

Ditch that peg board. Computer management systems are the best way to track and schedule jobs—as well as collect data to justify your in-plant. Up until a few years ago, Mike Kalstein took a very hands-on approach to managing. "We tracked jobs manually using a production board, moving pegs around," admits Kalstein, in-plant manager for the California State University at Sacramento. That peg board has gone the way of the slide rule, replaced by a modern computer management system, which the shop uses to track its approximately 1,000 jobs per year. And Kalstein wouldn't go back for the world. Computer management

Need order in your life? A computer management system can help you achieve that, as well as productivity, efficiency and convenience. What if you could determine the status of any job, at any time, from anywhere in your in-plant? What if you could put customers at ease by instantly telling them the status of their jobs? What if you could determine the estimated cost of a job without putting pen to paper? Well you can—if you own a computer management system (CMS). Such a system lets you offer customers efficiency, convenience and accuracy at the touch of a button, while eliminating