NGPA Goes Right to the Source

The home of Kodak, Xerox and RIT, Rochester, N.Y., provided a great location for the recent National Government Publishing Association conference.

November 2006 By Bob Neubauer

multipage

To drive home its conference theme, “Digital in Demand,” the National Government Publishing Association held its most recent meeting in Rochester, N.Y., a stronghold of graphic arts technology.

As the home of Xerox, Kodak and the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester proved an ideal location. Each of those organizations hosted the NGPA group for half a day, providing seminars, tours and a close look at the latest digital equipment.

The three-day conference drew 34 government attendees from 14 states. Each morning kicked off with educational sessions covering such topics as CTP, shop management software and marketing. The afternoon tours followed.

In a break with tradition, NGPA members spent the very first session updating one another on recent changes in their operations. Several managers reported that their organizations’ IT departments had approached them to discuss transferring printing responsibilities to the in-plant. Richard Beto, of the University of Texas-Austin, noted a few of the difficulties his operation has encountered moving printing from IT.

Two representatives from the Washington State Department of Printing updated the group on their print management program, which involves looking at the printing/copying devices agencies are using and rightsizing them, while moving appropriate work to the in-plant. Vendors that provide copiers for the program must also service the equipment, which has contributed to a 99 percent up-time. Already the program has saved the Department of Ecology $120,000.

Several NGPA members have recently upgraded their equipment:

• Delaware’s Legislative print shop just added two Xerox DocuTech 6115s with Freeflow workflow, a big move for a shop that had been printing everything on offset duplicators.

• The Mississippi Joint Legislative Operations also added Xerox equipment: two 4110s and two 6135s. Director Ronnie Fore estimates the upgrades are saving his state $70,000 a year.

• The University of Texas at Austin just installed Fuji CTP equipment.

• Elsewhere in the Texas capital, the State Senate in-plant recently upgraded its saddle stitcher and added a Canon proofer.

Andy Sherman, of the Government Printing Office, brought up the topic of secure and intelligent documents. Due to provisions in the Real ID Act, he said, governments will be increasingly interested in creating ID cards and other documents that incorporate electronic and other fraud and counterfeit protection features. He advised members to look into applications in their states and equip themselves to provide these secure documents.