Computer Technology Speeds Up Traditional Printing

Print Shops owner Ken Mills thinks the economy will eventually improve and has invested $100,000 in a printer to carry him into the future.

The just-arrived Canon 6010 ImagePress is going full blast, cranking out jobs Mills previously had to sometimes farm out. Now the work is done in house, shortening production time, giving him better control and enabling lower prices.

The ImagePress has the appearance of a huge copy machine, but it is considered a print press.  

Older presses require the printer to make a plate, then ink up the press using a lot of paper to get the settings right.

On the ImagePress everything is computer generated. It will spit out a finished postcard complete with mailing address. Starting with a portable document file (pdf) for a booklet, the machine pulls cover stock from one drawer, pages from another, then collates and staples the final project.   Producing 100 books will take about an hour less than previously.

Not that many years ago a print operation required a fairly large space to house large noisy machines. Presses kicked out pages that had to be collated by hand. Printing has seen drastic technological advances and new machines are giving printers unparalleled quality and speed.

Mills, who started his printing business in 1977, specializes in the printing products needed by business. His operation produces the business forms, letterhead, envelopes and business cards that make the business world go around. Electronic tools are a key component of business, but paper is still important.

Mills said that in a digital world his business is vastly different than it was just a few years ago. The print world today is a challenge, he said, but a good challenge.