Page 16 - RealBusiness Magazine - Graph Expo 2011 Issue
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business Graph Expo 2011 Edition
Adobe Creative Suite. It also features a
and
and
as well as a
and two standalone
The iGen4 Press operates online with an
evenly matched
that makes quick work of everything
from pamphlets and brochures to booklets
and manuals.
Consisting of a Bourg BCMx Bleed Crease
Module and Bourg BDFx Document Finisher,
the fully automated stitch-fold-trim booklet
making system is designed for on-demand,
full-bleed production enabling jobs sent to
the BCMx to be creased and bleed-trimmed
at the full speed of the iGen4 before they
are passed to the Bourg BDFx finisher.
The Bourg BDFx can top- or corner-stitch
documents with variable data from two
to 55 sheets of 80 gsm, and saddle-stitch
booklets up to 88 pages thick. In this
way, booklets of one or thousands can be
produced by the BDFx with zero waste and
at rates up to 4,200 sets per hour.
“
I’ve been familiar with C.P. Bourg forever,”
Palmese says of his choice, also citing
C.P. Bourg’s reputation for the best
finishing products that work online
with Xerox
®
presses.
Shorter Learning Curves
Each of the digital facilities is operated
by female offenders who are bused in
and out each day to nearby minimum-
security facilities and closely supervised by
knowledgeable staff.
With average impressions of 16 million
black and white pages and 4 million color
pages per year, the digital facility at South
Park generates 67% of the group’s digital
print volume, reports Palmese.
Although digital efficiency comes at a
higher price to customers, most are willing
to pay for the quicker turnaround, according
to Palmese. The more advanced digital
operation also makes it easier for offenders
to learn binding and finishing skills more
quickly and to gain the proficiency needed
to retrieve and load jobs, operate the
presses and troubleshoot problems without
intervention, says Palmese citing a study
recently conducted by the Print
Services Group.
According to the study, inmates typically
learn basic skills on the digital presses
in two to four weeks—or seven to 13
times faster than on comparable offset
equipment. They can become proficient
using the digital monochrome presses in
12
weeks, and skilled on the color presses in
about one year—or four times faster than
the time needed to learn the corresponding
offset process.
The learning curve for the smaller bindery
equipment is comparable. Inmates need
only four weeks on average to learn the
basics, and 12 weeks to become proficient.
This compares with eight weeks learning the
ropes and 52 weeks, or a full year to become
proficient on the larger cutters, folders and
off-line binders, reports Palmese.
A Life-Changing Experience
“
Our time estimates include learning a
work ethic and developing the good habits
that come with it—like getting up on time,
having a good attitude and taking pride
in the job,” notes Palmese. “Keep in mind
that many of the inmates employed at
the digital facility have never operated
equipment before—let alone sophisticated
printing and finishing equipment—and
many have never held a job.”
The offset facility in Powhatan remains
the largest of the three. Upgraded over
the years, it now sports three Apples and
six PCs, sending jobs to computer-to-plate
imaging for the shop’s 15 one- and two-
color offset presses feeding a well-equipped
off-line bindery. Printed output runs the
gamut from letterhead, business cards and
pamphlets to brochures and posters and
from black-and-white to double-run four-
color process.
The decision to send a job to Powhatan
or one of the digital facilities depends on
the quantity the customer needs, their
budget and how fast they want the finished
product, says Palmese.
“
We offer 24-hour turnaround at the digital
centers, compared to two to three week
turnaround from Powhatan. If somebody
needs a four-color job quickly, there’s just
no way to produce it offset,” he says.
“
Then again, if a customer wants 15,000
of the same four-color brochures, there’s
no way we can do it economically on the
digital presses,” he explains.
Palmese credits the Digital Works program
with having equipped hundreds of inmates
with the skills needed to land jobs outside
of prison, contributing to Virginia’s 27.3%
recidivism rate—one of the lowest in the U.S.
“
That may not sound like a lot,” says
Palmese, “but the opportunity to have their
own place, their own car and their own
bank account is a life-changing situation
for the former inmates who apply the skills
they’ve learned here to become productive
members of society.”
James Tressler is director of marketing
and branch operations at C.P. Bourg,
Inc., a Xerox Business Partner.
For more information, please
visit
or call
1-508-998-2171.
“
Our time estimates include
learning a work ethic and
developing the good habits
that come with it—like
getting up on time, having
a good attitude and taking
pride in the job. Keep in mind
that many of the inmates
employed at the digital
facility have never operated
equipment before—let alone
sophisticated printing and
finishing equipment—and
many have never held a job.”
–
Stephen Palmese
