Gretchen A. Peck

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.

Refurbished equipment enables tight-budgeted in-plants to enhance their services and grow business. By Gretchen A. Peck When North Broward Hospital District's graphic communications department decided to upgrade its press capabilities, Director Dick Raveson didn't focus on the sparkling new presses decorating the manufacturers' showrooms. His eye was drawn to the used equipment market, where he found a pair of MAN Roland presses just right for his Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in-plant. "There's no need for me to go out and spend $2.5 million if I don't need that kind of firepower," Raveson says. "Not that we wouldn't like a new press, but meeting the needs