Blue Valley School District Printing Services uses Web-to-print software and a digital color press to better serve customers

By Erik Cagle

Printing Yearbooks

Last year, armed with its Xerox iGen3 and Duplo perfect binder, Blue Valley School District Printing Services embarked on an initiative that is providing volume for the shop and cost savings for the families of elementary school students: yearbooks.

Six schools came aboard when the project launched in 2011, and three more signed on last year. The cost savings have been considerable: between $8 and $10 per book.

“The first year, we were doing variable text for students’ names on the cover. Last year, we did names and student photos on many of the covers with FusionPro VDP,” notes Coordinator Paul Ackerman. “Yearbook companies traditionally charge an extra $5 or $10. There’s no cost involved for us; there’s just a bit of programming on our end.”

The key for Printing Services was finding the off-the-shelf software solution (Yearbooks Desktop from Northwestern Support Professionals) that its PTO volunteers could use to create the yearbooks. Out of the blue, national yearbook providers contacted the school district and offered a partnership. As part of the deal, the schools could use the providers’ proprietary software and photography services, but Printing Services would reserve the right to print the yearbooks.

PTI FusionPro software has bolstered the shop’s creativity juices.

“The more we use it, the more ideas we get,” Ackerman says. “We recently added FusionPro Expression, an add-on to VDP. We can add variable text created out of clouds in the sky; add names to a spotted cow. We’re looking at ideas grounded in variable data technology and branching off.”

Twelve of the district’s 20 elementary schools have signed on for the 2013 yearbooks.

When the mornings turn cool and the once-joyous smiles upon the faces of America's youth turn to frowns and scowls, there is one inescapable conclusion to be reached: school is back in session.

Yet, for the nation's hundreds of in-plant printers serving the educational sector, there is no summer respite to enjoy. June through August is often a heavy period of work, wrapping up the previously completed school year and preparing the multitude of jobs in anticipation of the next educational campaign.

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Web-to-print Moves In-plant to Head of Class