Reprographics 101

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  • Updates on BIM developments and Review of Newforma Project Center v8 (Project Management, Document Management, Project Collaboration)

    Dr. Lachmi Khemlani, Ph.D.
(Founder and Editor, AECbytes.com) has authored two recent articles that might be of interest to reprographers who are following developments in “BIM” and who offer, or are thinking about offering, software and services related to “project management, document management and project collaboration.”

    I’m going to show the titles of the two articles, along with a few of the sentences contained in those articles. At the end of each article mentioned, I’ve provided a click-on-link so you can access the complete articles.

    First article:

    “More on the BIMForum Event and a Review of Vectorworks Architect 2011”

    “Last month, AECbytes published the first of a two-part series that provided an overview of the AGC (Associated General Contractors of America) BIMForum organization and captured the highlights of its recent event, which was held on February 10 and 11 in San Diego, California.

    The follow-up article published this month on the BIMForum event discusses additional presentations from AEC firms such as JE Dunn Construction, HNTB Architecture, and PCL Construction Services on using BIM for the design and construction of building envelopes.

    Earlier this month, we looked at the newly released Eighth Edition of Newforma Project Center, which features some ground-breaking enhancements including BIM integration enabled by a Revit add-in, additional add-ins for contract management and mobile access, and several improvements to the core application for document control, contract administration, and project collaboration.”

    Link to article:

    http://www.aecbytes.com/

    Second article:

    “Newforma Project Center Eighth Edition”

    “The recently released Eighth Edition of Newforma’s PIM (project information management) solution, Newforma Project Center, finally includes the BIM integration I have been looking for in this application since I first reviewed in August 2007. This integration is currently available only for Autodesk Revit and does not extend to other BIM applications, so those hoping to use Newforma Project Center (NPC) to manage BIM data on other platforms are going to be disappointed. But for those using Revit, which is still the leading BIM application in the AEC industry, the ability to extend NPC’s project information management capabilities to also manage model data promises to be extremely helpful.

    In addition to the Revit integration, which is available through a separate Newforma add-in, the Eighth Edition of NPC features several enhancements to the core application including new document control capabilities, the ability to record actionable meeting minutes for a project, improved remote access for external collaboration, support for the iPad, and a new activity center for project images such as site photos and renderings. There are also two other separate add-on products in this release: one is focused on contract management tasks, while the other is a new mobile application that provides access to NPC data from smartphones.”

    Link to article:

    http://www.aecbytes.com/review/2011/NewformaProjectCenter8.html

  • C2 Reprographics awarded Reprographics contract by Beverly Hills (CA) Unified School District

    Well, I guess “congratulations” are in order for the C2 Reprographics team.

    On February 8, 2011, the “Board” of the Beverly Hills Unified School District selected C2 Reprographics to provide reprographics and document management services.

    This was, evidently, a hotly contested contest. Vendors who submitted proposals included:

    – C2 Reprographics

    – American Reprographics (ARC)

    – ABC Imaging

    – Universal Reprographics

    – Repro Express

    Documents I’ve posted in Google Docs (click on links to view):

    – Board Approval

    https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B81al4kFAU9JNmRjOGE0ZGEtYzkyMy00YWVhLTk3ZTctZWYyYTZhNjRhMTZk&hl=en&authkey=CIC-nPYL

    – Summary from Selection Process

    https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B81al4kFAU9JNDgwYjU3NWUtMzZmOS00NDE1LWJiYmEtZjZkZjIwOGJmNWI0&hl=en&authkey=CKvfpfMJ

    – RFP Issued for Reprographics Services

    https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B81al4kFAU9JYmE1OWQ0NzQtZmFjOS00OGJlLWE5MzctMTlkNTY5YWQ4OTE5&hl=en&authkey=CKnu1NYG

    – Q&A for the RFP

    https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B81al4kFAU9JZWYxMTIxY2QtNDc1Zi00NzZkLTllNWEtMDMzZjE4MTliNDll&hl=en

    If you want to review copies of the individual proposals that were submitted (and, doing that would allow you to see what each company said in its proposal and what prices each offered for various reprographics services that were offered), you will have to contact the Purchasing department at Beverly Hills Unified School District.

  • American Reprographics (ARC) releases updated (March 2011) Investor Presentation file

    On Tuesday March 15, 2011, ARC (NYSE: ARC) attended and participated in (meaning, ARC gave a presentation at) Credit Suisse’s Global Services Conference held in Scottsdale, AZ.

    In conjunction with that conference, ARC updated its “Investor Presentation” file. You can access that Investor Presentation file on ARC’s web-site (at www.e-arc.com), or you can access that file by clicking on the link I’ve placed immediately below. (If you click on the link below, give the file some time to load!)

    https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B81al4kFAU9JYmM2M2VhNTgtOTQ1Ni00ZDZlLWJiYjItYTBlYWMxY2M4MWY4&hl=en&authkey=CKOhuL8F

    Now, for a few comments about ARC’s most recent Presentation file:

    The purpose of ARC’s attendance at, and participation in, a financial services company’s conference, such as Credit Suisse’s Global Services Conference, is to spark interest in acquiring ARC shares. The higher the demand for ARC shares, the higher ARC’s share price will go! (Well, at least theoretically!

    1) – On the subject of “acquisitions”, these two sentences appear in the presentation file, “U.S. acquisitions are currently on hold while (the) economy recovers.” (ARC is) “exploring international acquisitions”

    During the last “earnings call,” Suri (Chairman & CEO of ARC) was asked a question about ARC’s use of cash flow going forward, and Suri mentioned acquisitions in his response:

    Suri Suriyakumar

    “Yes. The way we view it, Michael (Michael Terwilliger is a financial analyst with Bank of America), is that we are not thinking in those terms yet, but obviously to answer that is what I was going to say – if we do end up hoarding cash meaning if the market is strong in the first – second half – or second quarter and third quarter and we start generating that kind of cash, that is a good problem to have. Of course, I hope I have that problem – then, obviously, we will be looking at various other options of how we can use that cash. Obviously, if that is the case it is likely that the market is coming back and if the market is coming back, we can think about acquisitions, that’s one option. Secondly, there is a fair amount of investment that we can make in order to go after the new segments of the business. So that’s expanding the existing market is another opportunity and of course then we can look at options such as paying dividends or buy back stock or all those things. They are all options available to us but I think our objective now is to make sure – keep the company healthy and strong until the market comes back and when the market comes back, then we’ll have a lot of options.”

    So, for those of you (and, here, I’m speaking about reprographers) who might be considering executing your “exit strategy”, if economic conditions show progress this year, ARC may be interested in buying your company.

    2) – I was quite surprised to see that ARC did not put much emphasis on its “Riot Color” initiative. Most of the presentation, about ARC’s services, was devoted to ARC’s A/E/C business.

    3) – I was also surprised to see that ARC did not put much emphasis on its “BIM” initiatives. ARC acquired RCMS Group, a BIM services company, in the fall of 2009, but, since then, I’ve not heard much mention of that segment of ARC’s business in recent ARC investor presentations or during recent “earnings calls.”

    4) – One of the most interesting parts of the presentation file was the part where ARC suggests its ability to grow revenues, going forward, over the next 3 to 5 years. Here’s what ARC says about its “Recovery Potential 3 to 5 years”:

    “Organic growth” – $200 million

    “Acquisition” – $200 million

    “MPS / Color” – $200 million

    ARC’s 2010 Sales came in at $441.6 million. Since ARC’s presentation used the words “recovery potential”, I’m not sure if ARC is saying that 3 to 5 years from now its Sales might be $600 million or if ARC is saying that i3 to 5 years from now its Sales might be $$1.042 billion (i.e., $441.6 million PLUS $600 million.) I think ARC means the latter rather than the former.

    And, all I have to say about that “possibility” is, “WOW”, that would be very cool to see a reprographics company go over $1 billion in annual sales.

    But in order for ARC to get to $1.042 billion in Sales in 5 years time, ARC’s annual growth rate would have to average 18.7% per year on a compounded basis. Achieving that kind of growth rate would be incredible. But, certainly, not impossible.

    ARC could “easily” add around $273 million to it sales – – in one fell swoop – by acquiring Service Point Solutions! Or, maybe over the next 3 to 5 years, ARC will convince Medi Falsafi to sell ABC Imaging to ARC, and/or convince the Thomas family to sell Thomas Reprographics to ARC, and/or convince the family that owns National Reprographics (NRI) to sell NRI to ARC!

  • IRgA Convention – Register Now!

    “Early-bird” registration for the IRgA Convention ends on March 25th.


    If you have not yet registered and made your plans to travel to Vegas, “just do it” and do it now.


  • ABC Imaging – ABC's Annual Sales mentioned in an article on the Internet

    The two articles mentioned in the post are “old news”, having appeared on the Internet in Jan 2010 and Dec 2009. The only reason why I’m even mentioning these two articles is because one of the articles mentions ABC Imaging’s annual sales revenues, and I’ve not found anything else on the Internet (or otherwise) that mentions ABC’s annual sales revenues.

    Unlike ARC and Service Point Solutions, ABC Imaging is a privately held company, and, from what I know of ABC Imaging, it is an intensely private company with respect to its financial information.

    Anyway, inasmuch as ABC Imaging is one of the five largest “reprographics” enterprises in the U.S. (of not in the world), I thought this post would be of interest people who visit “Reprographics 101”.

    The first article is one that appeared in January 2010. You will notice that ABC Imaging’s Sales Revenues are mentioned in this article. This article appeared well into the recession, and it could be that ABC Imaging’s annual sales have declined since then. However, it could also be that ABC Imaging’s annual sales have increased since then; ABC Imaging has announced quite a number of “major” (i.e., large) FM deals within the past 18 months.

    Blog-author’s commentary will continue later on in this post.

    “ABC Imaging Strikes Deal to Purchase Burton Imaging”

    (January 2010) posted on Mon Jan 04, 2010

    New owner plans to expand operations of the facility.

    ABC Imaging, the document services and reprographic company, has acquired Pennsylvania-based Burton Imaging, purchasing the company’s assets and accounts.

    Burton Imaging, now ABC Imaging, is located in Bensalem Pennsylvania near Philadelphia; the facility comprises a 60,000-square-foot building housing seven outdoor/indoor large-format and grand-format color printers. The new parent company reports that it plans to expand the operations of this facility and has already added reprographic/blueprint services, printing store display/advertising and décor products for regional/national accounts.

    Founded in 1982 in Washington DC by Medi Falsafi as American Blueprinting Company, ABC Imaging now has annual sales exceeding $80 million and boasts 25 retail locations and other sites in the US, Europe, China, and Dubai; in addition, it has 300 facility-managed sites in the US. Falsafi remains the company’s president and CEO; its corporate headquarters are in Washington.

    Continuing on, there’s “a story behind the story” of ABC’s acquisition of Burton Imaging. This next article appeared in December 2009 and went into great detail about ABC Imaging’s acquisition of Burton. The article, I think, implies that, had ABC Imaging not acquired Burton Imaging’s assets (and operations) that Burton Imaging would have closed its doors.

    “International Company ABC Imaging Strikes Deal to Purchase Philadelphia Based Imaging Company”

    ABC Imaging – a Washington DC based international reprographics and document management firm – takes advantage of the downward turn of Pennsylvania’s Burton Imaging, a large format printing company, and strikes a deal to purchase.

    December 29, 2009 — When the economy took a dive, many businesses felt the crunch. Some businesses, unable to recover after months of tight spending from consumers and business owners and executives alike, were forced to close their doors.

    ABC Imaging – an international document services and reprographic company – seized the opportunity to expand upon the market of large format printing acquiring the Pennsylvania based Burton Imaging rather than let it become another victim of the economy’s downward turn. The deal with Burton Imaging’s owners to purchase the assets and accounts, not only saved jobs that would have been lost, but provided the assets needed to offer products and services to ABC Imaging’s existing and expanding client base. 
Burton Imaging, now ABC Imaging, is located in Bensalem Pennsylvania near Philadelphia and adds to the growing chain of locations across the U.S., Europe, China and the U.A.E. The facility resides in a 60,000 square foot building and has the capacity to produce massive flexible media for the outdoor advertising industry, interior decor graphics and signs for regional/national multi-store chains, transit authorities’ promotional and directional needs and can warehouse and ship custom products as needed.

    I have personally had the chance to visit ABC Imaging’s new facility and was overwhelmed by its enormity. The flexible media work tables are a huge 100 feet by 17 feet and other finishing tables are 52 feet by 16 feet which allow huge building wrap advertisements to be produced and finished to the required specifications.

    The facility’s departments are maintained by top industry professionals which understand the client’s needs and produce products of the highest quality to supply the demands in an efficient manner. Going green is part of ABC Imaging’s strategy. General Manager, Wayne Schur says, “Printing with the HP FB6700 flatbed water based ink technology not only is environmentally safe but provides years of outdoor life. It is another way we can be responsible towards our environment”.

    ABC Imaging houses 7 outdoor/indoor large format and grand format color printers that range from 60 inches to 16 feet across relying on the quality Hewlett Packard brings to the table. Wayne says, “The HP Scitex Vision Turbojet 8300 printer’s speed is phenomenal. It prints with speeds of over 4300 sq ft/hr. With 2 in operation, we keep up with the demands of our large accounts with no problem”. Wayne goes on to say, “With additional printers such as 3 HP Scitex16 foot XL1500s, 1 HP FB6700 Flatbed printer and last, an HP 9000 Designjet printer which, by the way, all utilize specialized Onyx RIP (Raster Image Processing) software, we can easily provide speedy production providing the capacity to handle any print and sign job handed to us”.

    ABC Imaging plans to expand the operations of this facility and has added reprographic/blueprint services, printing store display / advertising and décor products for regional/national accounts. ABC Imaging is one of the largest providers of comprehensive print and reprographic services in the world today with annual sales exceeding $80 million from its combined stores. With ABC Imaging stores in Europe, China and Dubai along with over 25 retail locations in the U.S. and over 300 FM (Facility Managed) sites throughout the United States, ABC Imaging provides a range of products seen every day throughout our lives, whether it be in the form of a printed document, billboard or an advertisement somewhere in public view.

    Once in a while, there really is good that can come from a bad situation and this is one of those times. Jobs were saved and the future looks bright for ABC Imaging’s newest acquisition.

  • If you really want to get the most out of your attendance at the IRgA Convention, prepare in advance …..

    ….. of arriving in Las Vegas – – an ounce of preparation can yield a pound of results

    In the advance convention program (downloadable from the IRgA’s web-site), Gary Wilbur, President of the IRgA, made this remark …..

    ….. “With twice the amount of networking, education and technology all under one roof, you’re guaranteed to leave with countless new ideas to grow your business. It’s imperative as we continue to operate in this environment that we leverage the collective knowledge of our peers and gain exposure to new technologies that will create efficiencies and new revenue streams.”

    The other day, I received an e-mail reminder about early-registering for the convention. In that e-mail, this was said …..

    ….. “Hoping a little luck will grow your company and make it successful?”

    “You won’t need luck when you can interact with your peers to get solutions to business challenges, and meet with industry exhibitors showcasing leading solutions and cutting-edge technologies.

    “And, don’t miss out on the top-notch education including the following sessions:”

    “How BIM and Emerging Technologies Will Change Reprographics Forever”

    “State of the Document Management Industry”

    “Social Media: The Bridge to Raving, Engaged Clients”

    “MPS – Why This Is Key to the Growth of Your Firm”

    And, like at last year’s convention, there will also be this session at this year’s convention:

    “Open Space Technology Forum” – – 1:30 – 3:00 on Thursday

    IRgA is once again hosting Open Space Technology (OST), a platform for inspired learning, powerful connections and effective communication that allows attendees to develop solutions and strategies and boost team productivity. Meet with peers in small breakout groups to discuss the state of the industry in an environment of candor and trust. Attendees receive a proceedings document of best practices.

    So, where am I going with this post?

    Simply stated, if the recession has caused problems for your business and if you are concerned about the future of your business, including the possibility that “print revenues” may not rebound in the same proportion as the A/E/C industry-rebound we will likely begin to see this year, then you should be working on your “strategic plan” for how your business should be positioned to survive and, hopefully, prosper, this year and in years to come.

    I’m an older guy now, with 40 some years of business experience under my belt (and my belt seems to be growing!), and I would like to tell you, as strongly as I can, that, if you want to develop a strategic plan that makes sense for your business, learning as much as you can, at IRgA and other conventions and industry conferences, gives you wider exposure to what your industry associates are doing to confront the challenges that face their businesses. Their challenges are no different than yours. We can all learn from each other. But, to me, preparation is key.

    If your parents and mentors were like mine, you undoubtedly heard, countless times when you were “growing up”, this expression …..”you only get out of it what you are willing to put into it.”

    The IRgA published a list of the breakout (educational) sessions. Before you go to the convention, make a list of the questions you have about each session. And, when you are at the convention, ask the questions you came up with.

    At last year’s IRgA Convention, the “Open Space (OS) Technology Forum” invited attendees to suggest different topics for discussion and debate. And, separate “circles” were set up to debate and discuss each different topic. Unfortunately, it was not really possible to participate in more than one “circle”, given the time allotted for the Open Space forum. While doing it that way (allowing attendees to come up with many different suggestions for “circles” to discuss and debate) was a nice way to engage people to get involved, to me, the most pressing subject reprographers are now facing is “The Future of Print”, and I seriously hope that, when attendees are invited to suggest topics for this year’s OS forum, that someone will “enter” that topic as one to be discussed. But, to go further, it is not just a matter of discussing and debating “the future of print”, to me it is a matter of continuing that discussion to include a list of the strategies that one should consider employing to be successful in business, whatever those strategies might be. But, you also need to go further. And, by that, I mean that, underneath each strategy you list, you need to identify, a) what is involved in each strategy, b) who it appeals to, c) what you will need to have or be able to do in order to offer whatever products/services you came up with as integral to your strategy, and d) how to actually implement your strategy (each different initiative on your list of strategies.) In other words, it is not just a matter of “theoretical thinking”, it is a matter of getting into the details!

    I don’t know how you can do that if you aren’t prepared to debate, discuss, and be open with your peers. I’m a very opinionated person. (Some would say that’s being arrogant. I don’t agree.) I enjoy debates. But, I will not participate in a debate unless and until I’ve done my homework. And, if you really want to get something out of your attendance at the IRgA Convention, you should do your own personal homework before you go to Vegas. Before you show up at the IRgA, prepare what you think your strategic plan should be, including the “details” of your plan, and, then, bring it with you to the IRgA convention. The one most unfortunate thing about conventions is that they are often very brief. This year’s IRgA Convention will only be two days. That does not, in my opinion, give sufficient time to thoroughly debate, discuss and come away with relevant information. But that does not necessarily mean that you should not try. Developing close friendships with industry peers at conventions will allow you to stay in touch and to continue your debates and discussions. The “networking” events give you the opportunity to meet industry peers. Take advantage of those networking sessions.

    I’ve said, many times before in different posts, that I’m not a genius (nor am I really all that smart). But, nonetheless, I’ve got 40+ years experience in business, most of that in the reprographics business. I would love to be in a position to assist different companies with the development of their strategic plans, but, unfortunately, I have a “covenant not to compete” (CNTC), which, basically, restricts me from doing that in most places in the U.S. and Canada until December 2012. If you want free advice and guidance (and someone to act as a “sounding board” for the plan you’ve come up with), I’m willing to do that for you, provided that your company’s geographic location permits me to do that without violating my CNTC. If you are interested, jot me an e-mail, and I will reply back to you. I will be available to do this on Wednesday and Thursday nights, up until around 10 p.m.

    Do your homework before you go to Vegas.

    Just an aside, but, a few years ago (and it seems like just yesterday), I took an associate to Vegas to attend the PEiR Group’s “FM Sales School.” While we were downstairs in the hotel where the PG meeting took place, my associate called home. He said to his wife, “honey, remember that saying, “whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?” To which she replied, “honey, you’ve got it wrong. What I’m saying to you is, “if something happens in Vegas, you can stay in Vegas!”

    If you want your IRgA Convention trip to be truly productive, avoid distractions!

  • THE ONLY DUMB QUESTION IS THE ONE THAT IS NOT ASKED

    When you attend “breakout” (educational) sessions at the IRgA, ask questions!

    I subscribe to www.whattheythink.com, which is a web-site mostly devoted to the printing industry (as opposed to the reprographics industry.) Some of the articles on that web-site do “cross over” into the reprographics field.

    A few days ago, when I visited whattheythink.com, I noticed a new article (actually, it was a Press Release) about a “panel discussion of Kodak customers” that must have recently taken place.

    The title of the article/Press Release:

    “Kodak customers discuss strategies for diversifying and growing their businesses”

    So, I clicked on the article, hoping that I would find kind-of-a-listing of “the strategies” Kodak’s customers are employing to grow and diversify their businesses – – only to find, much to my chagrin, that there wasn’t any information of that sort. So, reading the article proved to be a waste of time (I’m just glad that it was not several pages long!)

    So, inasmuch as there really wasn’t any actionable information in the article/Press Release, why am I ever bothering to mention the article/Press Release?

    Well, for two reasons:

    1) First and foremost, I think the world’s population would be better off if we did not (or did not have to) waste time reading articles/Press releases that offer nothing of real value. Think of the strain on eyesight and the results of that (we spend more on Opthamologists, Optomotrists and Opticians than we would if we did not waste our eyesight. A good example of an exercise in wasting eyesight is reading articles posted on “Reprographics 101”. J)

    2) Second, we all go to conferences and conventions and meetings. Some of us do this more often than others. Most of us are looking for “actionable” information. When you go to a conference, convention or meeting, and a session you go to has a specific title (such as the title of the Kodak article I mentioned above), but, as you are listening to what’s being said, it “dawns on you” that they are not covering topics directly related to the title, HOLD UP YOUR HAND, and (using the Kokak panel discussion as an example) ask this question, “I came here to find out WHAT the STRATEGIES are”, so would you please kindly give me a list of the strategies?” In other words, hold the speakers and presenters “accountable” for what they said they were going to be talking about and sharing. If you aren’t willing to do that, then you might as well leave the room.

    I’m sorry to waste your time with this particular post. It’s just that I have a personal “pet-peeve” about conferences and meetings. Most of the time, people in the audience, when given the opportunity to do so, do not ask questions. If you do not ask questions, then how can you learn? I’m not all that smart, so I have to ask questions. Are you “so smart” that you don’t have to? Or, do you not ask questions because you simply don’t care to learn?

    There will be “breakout” (educational) sessions at the IRgA. I hope you’re going to be attending the IRgA Convention. If you do attend, remember to ASK questions. If you hear something that you’re not sure you heard correctly, ask for clarification. If you were expecting something that was not talked about, then raise your hand and ask about that.

    There is an old saying – – – “THE ONLY DUMB QUESTION …. IS THE ONE THAT IS NOT ASKED.”

  • HP's new T400 wide-format digital color press – faster than a speeding bullet – print A/E plans FAST

    So, who will be the first enterprising reprographer to figure out how to “print”:

    – 100 sets of 500 “full-size” 36 x 48 A/E plans, printed “in color”, in 5.6 hours?

    – 100 sets of 500 “full-size” 30 x 42 A/E plans, printed “in color”, in 3.5 hours?

    – 100 sets of 500 “full-size” 24 x 36 A/E plans, printed “in color” in 2.8 hours?

    Caution: after printing, sets will not be ready to roll, wrap and deliver/ship; you will need to “slit” and “sheet” from a “web-roll”.

    All I can say is that it is too bad that we’ve reached a time when A/E/C customers may no longer be issuing “high-volume” orders for full-size (or even half-size) sets of A/E plans, for, the other day, HP introduced a fully-digital 42” wide digital press – the HP T400 – offering full variable printing.

    And, this wide-format digital press prints in color, not just in black & white (frankly, I don’t think anyone would order b/w prints if they could get color prints for little more than they pay for b/w prints.)

    I’m not suggesting that you run out and buy an HP T400. I don’t know the cost of this new system, but I suspect it costs a BUNCH! This press is so long that it would not even fit in our first store (which was 20 ft wide by 60 ft long.)

    But, why not contact the printing company near you that gets one of these beasts? Does the term, “sub-contractor vendor” mean anything to you?

    Years ago, Bryan Dyer and Pat Brumfield, of Lellyett & Rogers in Nashville, TN, figured out how to print “half-size” color sets of A/E drawings, by offset printing, in such a manner where quality was highly controlled and where production was set up as a “system”. They sold ½ size color plan sets to A/E/C firms around the country, not just in Tennessee. Bryan is now retired. If he were not retired, I can only envision what he would be thinking about HP’s new wide-format digital color press.

    HP Introduces T400 Color Inkjet Web Press

    Size (w x l x h)

    14.5 ft x 68.5 ft x 9.6 ft

    Print Technology

    HP Thermal Inkjet

    Native Resolution

    1200 nozzles/inch

    Web Width

    42 inches

    Print Width

    41.75 inches

    Print Speed

    600 feet-per-minute

    Substrates

    40-200gsm

    It can also be ordered as a 400 feet-per-minute print-speed system.

    Here’s a video showing this new press in operation (click on link):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijW8wFPv8Fw

    Here’s HP’s data-sheet for this new system:

    http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press_kits/2011/HPInkjetPremiere/T400_Data_Sheet.pdf

    Here’s where I figured out the time that it would take to produce printed A/E/C plan sets: (my calculations could be wrong, and probably are):

    https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0As1al4kFAU9JdGg0R2M3YU1hMnc1VHlfNnNqZExoYkE&hl=en&authkey=CLjFvdQP

  • U.S. Home Builders Sentiment Index still very low – 11 larger Home Builders experience huge %age sales decline

    Reprographers, have you hugged your home-builder customers lately?

    The National Association of Home Builders said Tuesday (March 15, 2011) that its index of industry sentiment for March improved slightly to 17. That’s the first gain in five months, after four straight readings of 16. Any reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment about the market. The index hasn’t been above that level since April 2006.

    Home Builders still have very negative about outlook for new home construction market.

    Imagine that.

    If your business was off more that 75%, how would you feel?

    Make sure to click on this link to view the annual sales numbers of 11 of the largest home-builders in the U.S.

    https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0As1al4kFAU9JdGJCRllXVmtnZU4tUTUwNnNMbFdXSlE&hl=en&authkey=CNvswoEB

    From 2006 to 2010, their business, collectively, is off a staggering 76.5% !!!

    2010 vs. 2009, looks like business hit bottom in 2010. Time to turn up?

    Last year was the worst in more than a decade for sales of previously owned homes and the worst for new-home sales in nearly a half-century.

    High unemployment, tighter bank lending standards and uncertainty about home prices has also kept many people from buying homes, despite low mortgage rates and home prices that have fallen by more than half in some markets since the peak of the housing boom.

    Economists say home prices will hit bottom this year before a modest recovery takes hold. Large swaths of the hardest hit states, including Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada, continue to struggle with foreclosures and short sales, when a lender allows a borrower to sell their property for less than what is owed.

    Still, the March reading is the highest for the builder index since last May, when it reached 22. The spring season is traditionally the best for home sales.

  • Xerox MPS saves City of Rochester, N.Y. over $2 Million

    Xerox MPS (managed-print-services) deal saves City of Rochester, N.Y. over $2 Million

    (make sure that you scroll down and read the comment below the Press Release)

    Wednesday, March 16, 2011

    Part of the Press Release from the issuing company

    Rochester, N.Y. – While many cities struggle to find ways to stretch budgets to fund essential community services, the city of Rochester, N.Y., is working with Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) to save more than $2 million in printing costs.
 


    “Xerox came to us with a solution to a problem we didn’t even realize we had,” said David Mayor, Rochester’s chief information officer. “They provided an easy and affordable way to use new and existing technology to reduce costs and really address some of our financial challenges.”
 


    The city will take control of print costs by applying the same managed print services (MPS) tools and techniques Xerox uses to save millions for large corporations.

    Under the five-year Xerox Print Services (XPS) contract, Xerox will help city employees spend more time serving the community and less time on print-related activities by making it faster and easier to fax, scan, copy and print.
 


    By reducing the number of printers, copiers and fax machines from 459 to 168, and installing 24 Xerox ColorQube 9200 Series multifunction printers (MFPs) to replace single-function machines, the city will also reduce the cost of everyday color printing and meet its sustainability goals. The ColorQube 9200 Series uses cartridge-free solid ink technology to generate 90 percent less supplies waste and reduce the effects of manufacturing and transportation on the environment. 


    
”Municipalities need to do the best they can to save taxpayers money, and the city of Rochester is at the forefront of using MPS as a creative solution to this challenge,” said Russell Peacock, president, Xerox North America.

    Joel’s comment:

    After reading this Press Release, it “sounds like” Xerox approached the City with an MPS plan (or strategy) and was selected as the City’s MPS vendor on a “sole-source” basis. I.E., without the City holding a competitive-procurement-process to select an MPS vendor. While I don’t think that’s what actually happened, it might have happened that way. And, if it did happen that way (sole-source), then that was absolutely wrong for the City of Rochester to do. MPS (and copiers and printers, etc.) is not “rocket science” and, for a City (or, for that matter, any County, any State or the Federal Government) to award a procurement (MPS or otherwise related to printing, document management, reprographics, etc.) on a “sole-source” basis, without the benefit of competitive bids or competitive proposals, is downright WRONG. If you see that happen in your local market, go to the mat on that; attend public meetings of city council members, county commissioners, etc. and speak up!