New Strategy at Ole Miss

A new Kodak NexPress 2500 has brought big opportunities to the University of Mississippi, including the ability to personalize recruitment materials. Deck2

June 2008 By Chris Bauer

multipage

MAY DAY, observed as a holiday in his native England, proved to be a busy day for Tony Seaman. The director of Printing and Graphic Services at the University of Mississippi put the in-plant’s new five-color Kodak NexPress 2500 digital press into service on May 1, leaving little time to dance around the Maypole.

Seaman, born in Binbrook, England, just outside of Oxford, admittedly deviated a bit from the in-plant’s norm with the addition of this machine. Traditionally utilizing Xerox equipment exclusively on the digital side of shop, Seaman decided on the Kodak digital press after comparing its features to that of the Xerox iGen3. Plus, he notes, Kodak came in with a lower price tag, which is significant for a facility required by the state to put out bids for all new equipment purchases.

But it wasn’t just price that went into Seaman’s decision—he was impressed by the NexPress’s fifth color station, which, in addition to red, green and blue, will run a clear ink to emulate a clear dull varnish, and can be used to produce a variety of security features.

“Also, this clear ink finish can be run through a glosser without any additional chemicals or costs involved,” Seaman explains, adding that it provides a very high-gloss finish, something other vendors’ machines couldn’t match.

Xerox offered a slightly larger page format, the in-plant chief concedes, however after considering the type of jobs the shop typically runs, an extra two inches wouldn’t have changed how many 5x8? postcards operators could fit on a sheet.

“We still would only be getting six-up, so that became a non-issue,” he says.

Finding Space

Sheet size wasn’t the only measurement that was a factor; the overall footprint of the machine was also a concern since shop space is limited.

“The NexPress not only has a smaller footprint, it is also more adept at living in an environment with an offset press, where the iGen is very much more sensitive to dust, chemicals, odors and chemical residue,” Seaman points out. “I feel like Kodak had a more impressive environmental requirement than the iGen.”

Seaman sees the new digital press stealing some of the shorter-run work—fewer than 2,500 pieces—away from the in-plant’s arsenal of six offset presses, providing faster turnaround times and bringing down costs.

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