RISO Inc.

FOR ALVIN Griffin, director of Graphic Production for North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, and proud owner of a new Xerox iGen3 digital press, a K-12 in-plant stays in the good graces of the superintendent for one primary reason. “We’re dedicated to their needs,” he says. “We provide the support documents for the teachers and the administration. We provide documents used by the students. Ultimately, our goals are aligned with the goals of everyone else in the organization: Education.” Keeping aligned with the goals of the organization became especially important with the arrival of a new superintendent, Peter Gorman. After 100 days at the helm

The purchase of two Riso V8000 digital presses has given the University of Tennessee at Martin Digital Printing Services a new lease on life. A few years ago, the in-plant seemed to be in trouble. Its machinery was very old and some of its presses were broken. “Life expectancy for the print shop looked very dim,” says Susie Nanney, director of Information Technology Services Computer Store and Digital Printing Services. In the summer of 2005, the university’s Information Technology Services began managing the print shop and transformed it into a digital workplace, rebranding it “Digital Printing Services.” That fall, the in-plant added its first Riso V8000 digital

Eigo Ishibashi has been named chief executive officer for RISO. Mr. Ishibashi has been serving as executive vice president since Daniel S. Weil announced plans to leave the company. Since joining RISO Kagaku, in 1991, Mr. Ishibashi has held a variety of management positions with the company. Earlier this year, he was appointed general manager of RISO Kagaku’s International Sales Division and general manager of RISO, Inc.’s U.S. Sales Department. Previously, he was deputy general manager of the International Sales Division and also general manager of both European and Asian sales. Mr. Ishibashi has named Todd Deluca as President and COO. Mr. Deluca

A glimpse of the excitement and bustle of Graph Expo, with interviews of some of the in-plant managers in attendance.

After closing its offset operation and outsourcing letterhead and envelope printing, Tiger Copy & Graphics at the University of Memphis, saw its expenses climb. So Penni Istre, manager of Mail Services & Reprographics, started looking for an in-house solution. Toner technology wouldn’t work, she knew, because when departments put their letterhead through a desktop printer, the fuser would pull off the original toner. She needed something without a fuser, but small enough to fit in her eight-employee shop. A year and a half ago, Istre added a one-color Riso RN2235 duplicator and a two-color Riso V8000 duplicator, powered by Zykros technology, which allows the printing of

Tiger Copy & Graphics at the University of Memphis has installed its second two-color Riso V8000 duplicator, which can print two colors in one pass. “It really offered me the flexibility of a printing press with the advantages of digital,” says Penni Istre, manager of Mail Services & Reprographics. Not only is the shop printing stationery and business cards with the V8000, it is doing invitations, newsletters and a variety of other spot-color work.

IT MAY not be a new topic, but on-demand printing can still pack a room—or a trade show floor, as was the case at the recent AIIM On Demand Conference and Exposition. More than 20,000 visitors from 50 states and 62 countries traveled to Philadelphia in May for the annual event. Waiting to greet them were some 450 exhibitors, all displaying their latest wares. Despite the show’s successful two-year run in Philadelphia, though, the city will not be hosting next year’s event (and no, the annoying cab strike on the first day had nothing to do with it). Questex Media Group, the

JOHN HURT spoke quite candidly when he addressed the crowd at April’s IPMA conference. The International Publishing Management Association has gone through some hard times, he said. Membership and conference attendance has declined, and a lack of clear business and recruitment policies have hindered growth. All that is changing now, continued Hurt, IPMA’s international president. Not only did this year’s IPMA conference in Las Vegas draw an increase in attendees over last year, it generated a profit for the first time in years. The association’s cash flow has been positive for more than six months, he added, its sponsorships are increasing, it has enacted

Monochrome printers provide cost, productivity and flexibility benefits that color printers can’t touch. AS DEMANDS for color printing continue to increase, many wonder about the fate of black-and-white-only printers. Most industry experts say not only will they still be an integral part of a printing operation, they will include more features and improved workflow functions. Paula Balik uses the analogy of a stove and microwave oven. “If you’ve got a microwave now, should you get rid of your oven or does it specifically have applications that make your kitchen efficient?” poses Balik, worldwide product marketing manager for Kodak’s black-and-white printing systems. “That’s what

Seeing big money in their mailing operations, these in-plants have invested aggressively in new equipment. By Mike Llewellyn State of Oregon Publishing and Distribution Program Salem, Ore. Manager: Kay Erickson In-plant Employees: 132 Mailing Employees: 25 Mailing equipment upgrades in past three years: Pitney Bowes Series 8 inserter, Secap V300 dual-head ink-jet system For Program Manager Kay Erickson, the purchase of a Pitney Bowes Series 8 inserter and a Secap V300 dual-head ink-jet system translated to an increase in cost savings and an expansion of the in-plant's business. "The Pitney inserter allows the option of cut sheet or continuous. It has given us backup