Paul Thomas

By merging or working closely with their data centers, in-plants are expanding their operations, saving money and ensuring their survival. by SCOTT BURY Across America, businesses and institutions are merging their in-plants into their Information Technology departments' print output organizations. It makes sense. After all, both operations use much of the same equipment: copiers, high-speed laser printers, powerful computer workstations and robust networks. We've taken a look at how three organizations have made such mergers work using different approaches. Georgia Tech: Rethinking Leads To Reorganizing "Contrary to what we in the printing business want to believe, printing is going away," contends Paul

For short-run, on-demand work—especially work that can be enhanced with variable data—digital printing is the answer. FOR YEARS the data center at Georgia Tech University was churning out up to 12 million impressions annually and was a separate department from the in-plant. Paul Thomas, director of printing and copying services, knew that if he could combine both departments, he would produce this work cheaper and faster. Last year Thomas merged the in-plant with the data center. He then made another bold move by purchasing two new 110-ppm Kodak DigiSource 9110s, distributed through Danka. He hasn't looked back since. "It enabled us to take

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