Sanford Health Installs Cut-Sheet Inkjet Press

Sanford Health, one of the largest, not-for-profit health care systems in the nation, has entered the world of inkjet with the acquisition of the Océ VarioPrint i300 inkjet digital press from Canon Solutions America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A. The move further demonstrates Sanford Health's commitment to improving the patient experience through exceptional innovation and discovery, while accentuating the organization's recent surge in growth and momentum. (Watch for the full story soon in IPG.)

With 44 hospitals and 289 clinics in nine states and nine countries, Sanford Health is an integrated health care system dedicated to the work of health and healing. Respected leaders in health care, Sanford Health strives to provide its patients with unwavering access to top medical care, leading-edge technologies, and world-class facilities.

Experiencing significant growth and expansion over the past year, Sanford has continued to strengthen its efforts behind clinical care, research, education, and engagement while seeking new ways to achieve its goal of improving the human condition in both local communities and around the world.

A major part of Sanford's recent growth was an evaluation of how it could become more efficient with its production print operations. After taking a serious look at volume and impressions across its two print centers, Lisa Stelter, Sanford Health's Print and Mail Services Manager, surmised in 2017 that Sanford could operate both its print and mail in one location and subsequently invest in more leading-edge inkjet technologies while effectively producing more with less overhead.

"We were first introduced to inkjet at the 2017 Inkjet Summit and began our search of what could be the best fit for Sanford Health," noted Stelter. "The ideal solution needed to provide us with high level speed and quality while also staying within our footprint. Following months of research, we landed on the Océ VarioPrint i300 with the in-line BLM600 and knew that both the product and Canon Solutions America were the right fit."

One of the leading factors in Sanford's decision to go with the VarioPrint i300 was the press's ability to help the organization transition from offset equipment to state-of-the-art production inkjet technology. Known for redefining inkjet innovation for productivity, versatility, and savings, the i300 helped Sanford transition from six offset presses to two, while allowing the company to eliminate black over-printing on pre-printed shells. According to Stelter, Sanford is now only using offset for the production of envelopes and her team has further streamlined from four color digital printers to one and from three black and white toner devices to one – all of this valuable consolidation is directly related to Sanford's installation of the VarioPrint i300.

Stelter commented: "It's quite evident how impactful the i300 has proven to be as it relates to cost-savings and efficiencies, but perhaps even more important was the press's ability to help us free up over 10,000 square feet of operational space, all of which can now be directed toward developing more space for patient care."

Thus far, the i300 has produced everything from booklets and brochures to variable data postcards and mailers, along with patient education materials. What's more, the inkjet press has enabled Stelter and the production print team at Sanford Health to rely on the consistency of one inkjet press and the opportunity to have visibility on all printed work in one location. The combination of the i300 and inline BLM600 has drastically improved the efficiency of the production of booklets, moving to a white-paper-in, finished- product-out operation, helping to eliminate multiple touchpoints.

"The production value the i300 has given us since installation is unprecedented," added Stelter. "We've removed all coated stocks in our production print environment due to the i300's streamlined and efficient paper usage. Our staff takes 100 percent pride in everything we do and the i300 is the ideal complement to our commitment of providing our patients and heath care service providers with the information they need in a timely manner."

Also contributing to ease-of-use was the installation of PRISMAprepare and Canon Solutions America's color management and workflow training at Sanford Health's location. Immediately heping to make the work more efficient, PRISMAprepare enabled Sanford to streamline their 20 different workflows from one central hub in lieu of manual oversight. Combined with the Océ PRISMA end-to-end workflow software, the i300 has helped improve  efficiency and productivity from day one.

"By helping Sanford Health reach patients and health care service providers quicker and more efficiently with reliable printed pieces on the i300, we support the organization's highly regarded reputation for their intimate and meaningful communication with patients," said Francis McMahon, Executive Vice President, Production Print Solutions, Canon Solutions America. "Sanford is a glowing example of how patients and communities at large can be positively impacted by innovative print technologies putting critical information in our hands faster than ever before."

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with IPG. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of IPG.