Economics 101: The Law of Supply and Demand
February 28, 2011

Will outsourcing the Washington State Department of Printing really reduce printing costs? Really? Closing a self-supporting in-plant print shop doesn’t make the demand for printing in the organization go away.

Bill to Close the Washington Printer Introduced
February 3, 2011

The legislature has convened for the current term in the State of Washington, and it looks like business as usual, at least for that state’s Department of Printing (PRT). A group of Republican and Democratic Senators, including Senator Rodney Tom, who sponsored a similar bill last year, has introduced Senate Bill 5523, which would eliminate the state printer.

Want the Job Done Right? Call an In-plant Manager
January 13, 2011

As in-plant managers, we are often expected to confirm our value to our parent organizations. We are asked why the organization needs an in-plant. The following is a true story. Only the names have been changed to protect the...Well, bear with me.

Answering the Outsourcing Question
December 3, 2010

A lot of the people I work with are confused about how to respond to “let’s close the print shop and save a bundle.” There are a lot of excuses put forward to justify closing an in-plant. One frequently used excuse is the cost of new equipment and the organization’s inability or unwillingness to modernize.

An Impression by Any Other Name...
November 4, 2010

How do you define “impression?” Printers have been arguing about the definition of an impression for as long as we’ve had devices that put marks on pieces of paper. Longer, actually.

Washington Department of Printing to be ‘Studied’
September 2, 2010

What’s going on in the State of Washington? The State Auditor’s Office (SAO) has selected a “Subject Matter Expert” to conduct a “Printing Services Performance Audit” of Washington’s Department of Printing

Another Bad News Story
July 26, 2010

Just before July 4th we got word that another major university is closing its print and mail facility and writing specifications to outsource these services.