In-plant Graphics May 2009
A Workflow Overhaul
NAMED ONE of the decade’s top 10 most recognizable corporate icons, the lovable Aflac duck, featured in television and print commercials, not only makes us laugh, but delivers a powerful message about our financial future. Headquartered in Columbus, Ga., Aflac utilizes an enormous and diversified array of printed material to support its high-profile icon. To produce the hundreds of millions of printed pieces Aflac needs each year, the company relies on a wholly owned subsidiary called Communicorp.
ACUP Webinar A Huge Success
Though their conference was cancelled, more than 100 university in-plant managers from all across North America got together anyway on Wednesday for a webinar. Hosted by IPG, in partnership with the Association of College and University Printers (ACUP), the 90-minute webinar was a big success. It took place on what would have been the last day of the ACUP conference, cancelled this year due to economy-related travel bans.
American Thermoplastic Wins Binding Awards
American Thermoplastic Co. (ATC) received five awards in the 2009 Binding Industries Association Product of Excellence competition, including the two top awards for both multi-color screen-printing and digital printing of loose-leaf products.
Catching The Technology Wave
AS JASON James Seto sees it, he was born to be a craftsman. Following in a long line of family members that have learned a trade, Seto chose printing as his profession at an early age. He now serves as the administrator at the in-plant for the Hawaii State Department of Education (HDE) in Honolulu, and holds the title of Reprographics Specialist III.
DI Comes to Victoria
Printing Services at the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, is keeping a lot more printing in-house these days thanks to the recent installation of a Presstek 34DI press. “We looked at what was being outsourced, and the Presstek DI press was the best match to bring that work back in house,” says Manager Peter Klit. “We have been able to keep a great deal more printing work on campus.”
DI Presses in the In-plant
EVEN AFTER installing an HP Indigo 1050 digital color press four years ago, San Diego State University ReproGraphic Services still found it challenging to reach portions of the four-color market. Longer-run jobs were not cost effective on the 1050, so the in-plant was using its aging computer-to-plate (CTP) system and two-color presses to produce them. It was not the most efficient setup. So in 2006, Leslie Rutledge, manager of the nine-employee in-plant, made the decision to install a Presstek 34DI direct imaging press. Life has not been the same since. The chemistry-free, waterless offset press images plates directly on the press, saving time, improving quality and decreasing costs.
Digital Printing in Government Study
According to a new study, the number of government in-plants using conventional printing equipment has declined steadily in recent years. Lithography now accounts for less than 30 percent of the printing produced in house.
GPO Launches FDsys
The Government Printing Office has launched its long-awaited Federal Digital System, nick-named FDsys. It's a tool to enable Americans and people worldwide to search and access the documents of the U.S. government.
Higher-Ed In-plants Meet in Rochester
Eighty in-plant representatives from across North America met in Rochester, N.Y., recently for Xerox’s annual Higher Education Thought Leadership Workshop at the Xerox Gil Hatch Center. The two-day event was packed with impressive speakers.
Managing Copyright Risk: A Balancing Act
DISCUSSIONS ABOUT copyright have become increasingly polarized, with “protect my property from piracy” at one extreme, and “information wants to be free” at the other. In-plants that process materials containing third-party copyrighted material are in an unenviable position, caught between rights holders who require compensation for use of their intellectual property and customers who want quick, inexpensive or free use of desired content.
New Video Shows NY Health Department's In-plant
You read about the New York City Department of Health’s in-plant in our April issue. Now you can see it for yourself in a new video.
IPG Editor Bob Neubauer visited this growing in-plant recently and documented his trip on video (crazy cab rides and all). He and the shop's managers traveled from Manhattan to Brooklyn to tour all three of the shop's locations and see some of the latest high-tech equipment the in-plant has installed.
Technical College Chooses Heidelberg
When the Graphic Arts/Printing Technology program at Central Maine Technical College in Auburn, Maine, received a government grant to purchase new equipment, instructor Terry Brann and his students chose a two-color Heidelberg Printmaster QM 46 press. It was installed last November. “It’s important for students to see that sheetfed offset technology continues to improve right alongside its digital counterpart,” says Brann.
Tips for Better Perfect Binding
To help you pick the perfect binder for your in-plant, and get the best performance out of it, we consulted the folks who know this technology the best.
University of Oklahoma Leaps Into Digital Color
It’s one of the most thriving in-plants in the country, with 75 employees, an eight-color offset press and more than 100 In-Print awards to its credit. But one thing University of Oklahoma Printing & Mailing Services did not have was a high-speed digital color press. Until now. The century-old in-plant just installed a Kodak NexPress 2500 digital press, along with a NexGlosser unit.
University of Oregon Adds 10 New Printers
After 30 years, Xerox’s reign at University of Oregon Printing & Mailing Services has come to an end. The 46-employee in-plant, which has used Xerox DocuTechs and DocuColors since the mid ’70s, has just installed 10 new printers and copiers from Canon and Ikon, after Ikon Office Solutions turned in the lowest bid. Director J.R. Gaddis says the new equipment saved the university 20 percent over previous costs.
Webinar Today Will Help In-Plants Generate Sales, Marketing Intelligence
A webinar entitled "How In-Plants Can Generate Sales & Marketing Intelligence” will take place today, Friday, May 15 at 1pm PDT / 4pm EDT. Sponsored by MindFireInc, a provider of personalization technology for tracking, measuring and improving the effectiveness of print marketing, it will highlight best practices associated with using integrated marketing to drive response rates and build marketing intelligence for marketing departments.
