Production Printers Archives - Superior Office Solutions

In-Plant Print Production: How to Boost Efficiency & Value

Ike Oji — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 13:00:00 +0000

In-Plant Print Production: How to Boost Efficiency & Value

If you’re managing an in-plant print production or CRD team, the future of your operation may be a nagging concern. It’s getting more and more difficult for internal print production operations to keep providing value to their organization, due to:

Lacking the range of capabilities that commercial print production shops have
Costs that bring your department’s value into question
Traditional print being replaced with digital communication

Waiting for the ax to fall is an agonizing position to be in. But there are steps you can take to provide more value to your organization and prevent your department from being downsized or even completely closed down.

Improve customer experience while cutting print production costs

You might think that preventing a decision to outsource your company’s print production is all about cutting costs. That’s certainly a big factor. However, customer experience is just as important.

If decision-makers see your organization as difficult to deal with, slow to respond, and lacking the ability to meet the changing needs of the people you support, that experience makes it more likely that you’ll be replaced with an outside commercial printer.

The good news is, you can cut costs and improve customer experience at the same time. Here’s how.

Understand your customers’ needs

Communication is changing fast, and not only shifting from print to digital. The volume of messages people are bombarded with every day has increased exponentially, making it much more difficult to make an impact with any type of communication.

As a result, your internal customers are constantly forced to shift their communication strategies. For example, they may want to create more personalized marketing pieces, try new distribution sources, or integrate print with digital information.

These strategies can impact their print needs. They might need you to be able to work with databases, print on new substrates, and turnaround projects faster.

The point is, you need to stay on top of the changing needs of the people and departments that you serve. Send customer surveys, set up a mechanism to receive regular feedback, and reach out to department managers regularly to stay in touch with what they are doing.

Automate job submission

If your print production operation has been in place for a while, chances are you have users submitting jobs in a variety of ways: by email, in person, and even by phone. Translating those variable requests into a final product that satisfies the customer can be very challenging. It’s easy to misunderstand what they want. Their files might be incomplete. And the manual process slows everything down.

An automated job submission system solves all these problems, while also freeing up your staff’s time. Best of all, it makes things quick and easy for your customers.

Read this related article to learn more: 11 Reasons to Automate Print Job Submission

Create prepress workflows that reduce cost & turnaround time

Job submission is not the only area where automation can cut costs and make your operation more productive. In fact, there are many tasks that requires your operation to stop for manual fixes that eat up time and money:

You can eliminate many of these time-consuming steps with various levels of workflow automation.

Templates for recurring jobs. For jobs you print regularly, such as business cards, providing a template eliminates errors and saves time. You can also provide templates with “controlled flexibility” that allow for creativity and multiple uses while limiting variables.

Learn more: Simplify and Speed Workflow Using Print Job Templates

Print workflow management software. Workflow automation tools like Canon Make-Ready can reduce, if not eliminate entirely, most of the challenges that digital press operations face in their prepress work, including preflighting, finishing and tracking the progress of jobs. It frees up your staff to do more valuable work, reduces errors that waste money and disappoint customers, and improves turnaround time.

Learn more: 6 Steps to Improve Digital Press Workflow

Prevent downtime with equipment maintenance

Nothing can set you back faster than an equipment breakdown. Being unable to produce for days or longer increases costs and disappoints your customers.

The easiest and most effective way to keep your operation running smoothly and prevent equipment problems is to have your system maintained regularly by experts.

To learn about the service frequency experts recommend and the tasks that must be included in digital press maintenance, read this article: Best Practices for Printing Press Maintenance.

If you’re not getting this level of service from your current vendor (and you’re located in the New York City metro area), SOS can help. Contact us anytime to discuss your needs.

Add modern print production services

As we mentioned earlier, your customers’ printing needs are changing and expanding. Chances are, they are looking for some of these printing advancements that you might not be ready to provide:

If you want to prevent your customers from outsourcing their print jobs, it’s time to build the skill sets of your staff. Train your operators in database management, variable data printing, and other modern digital printing capabilities.

You might also need to consider investing in equipment that can handle a wider range of substrates, sizes, and finishing options.

Manage peaks and valleys

Does your print production operation tend to have periods where you’re crazy-busy and others where your operators are sitting around with nothing to do? Proactively managing these peaks and valleys helps you be more efficient and meet customer expectations.

When peak periods loom, consider hiring additional freelance operators. Or, build relationships with outsource print shops to handle your overflow. Better for you to control the decision to outsource as needed, then having a failure take the decision out of your hands for good.

During slow periods, consider insourcing. Are there other areas of your business that you could serve? Subsidiaries or business partners that you could take on work for? Also, slow periods are a great time for training your staff and implementing new workflow solutions.

Get help to improve your print production operation

Get this free guide that can help you streamline your print production workflow:

The post In-Plant Print Production: How to Boost Efficiency & Value appeared first on Superior Office Solutions.

Small Printing Press: NEW Canon imagePRESS Lite C165 Color Digital Press

Ike Oji — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Small Printing Press: NEW Canon imagePRESS Lite C165 Color Digital Press

Looking to get into production printing on a smaller scale without spending a fortune on printing equipment? Canon has released a small printing press designed for high end office and light production environments, including real estate, faith-based organizations, education, non-profits, and legal.

These are just a few reasons that organizations are deciding to take printing in house instead of outsourcing:

Canon’s new imagePRESS Lite C165 color digital press is the perfect small printing press for a business venturing into production print for the first time. Keep reading to learn why.

What do you need in a small printing press?

Here at SOS, we have worked with many organizations in the NYC area that made the move to producing their own printed materials for marketing, sales, training, and operational purposes. Here are the most important features to look for in an entry-level small printing press to ensure your success.

Convenience and simple operation

Familiar interface. If this is your first time investing in a small digital printing press, you might be concerned about usability. Will your staff be able to operate it? Will your IT group be able to manage it? Canon understands these concerns, and that’s why they developed the imagePRESS Lite C165 with an easy user interface that’s very much like the office copiers you are already used to.

Programmable controls. To make your work even easier, you can assign frequently-used or more complex tasks to a single button on the user interface.

The small footprint doesn’t take up too much of your expensive office space. This small printing press measures 27.1″ wide x 37.1″ deep x 48″ high.

Speed and efficiency

Fast printing: Print speeds of up to 65 ppm maximize your production capacity.

Fast scanning: Single-pass, duplex color scanner converts paper documents into digital files (in a range of file formats) at up to 240/220 ipm at 300 dpi. The scan software supports advanced PDF features, including Adobe PDF Reader Extensions, Encrypted PDF, and Searchable PDF.

Maximum uptime: This small printing press has been designed with outstanding toner, drum, and part yields to minimize downtime. Plus, toner and paper can be replenished on-the-fly, so you won’t need to interrupt a job in progress.

Large media capacity: A maximum paper capacity of up to 7,050 sheets (from up to 6 different sources) keeps big jobs running smoothly.

Finishing accessories: Choose from a wide array of accessories to insert, punch, fold, staple, saddle-stitch, or make booklets.

Image quality

Canon has long been a recognized leader in the development of advanced technology for color imaging. So it’s no surprise that the imagePRESS Lite C165 produces excellent image quality for a small printing press.

Print resolution: 2400 x 2400-dpi, using Canon’s unique R-VCSEL imaging technology.

Vibrant, clear images: Translucent CV toner makes images vibrant. The combination of its flexible transfer belt and Simple Transfer Adjustment technology allows the toner to properly cover the peaks and valleys of textured and embossed stocks, and reproduce highlights, midtones, and shadows for sharp images.

Consistent color: Canon’s multi D.A.T. technology automatically adjusts color for uniformity without operator intervention.

Versatile media support

Support for a variety of paper stocks & sizes. Print on heavy, coated and textured papers up to 130 lb. cover stock, in sizes from letter-sized paper up to 51.2” sheets.

Speciality media. Print on tabs and envelopes.

Security

Your digital press is attached to your network, so security is a big concern. Canon’s imagePRESS Lite C165 includes features that safeguard sensitive information, protect employee and customer data, and assist in your regulatory compliance efforts.

Prevent attacks: embedded McAfee® Embedded Control provides protection against malware and tampering with firmware and applications.

Encrypt data: IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) helps safeguard the exchange of data at the communications level by encrypting inbound and outbound network data, confirming sender identity, and helping to see that transmission receipts are unaltered.

Connectivity and management tools

Print workflow management: The imagePRESS Lite C165 has an extensive set of job management features and utilities to help you move jobs through your environment with impressive speed and accuracy.

uniFLOW Online Express: Canon’s standard cloud solution displays activity in an information-packed dashboard for up-to-the-minute insights into print activity. uniFLOW allows you to centralize management of ALL your organization’s printing and scanning devices.

Integrate cost recovery solutions using Canon’s MEAP (multifunctional embedded application platform). You can also incorporate advanced scanning applications, document distribution solutions, and pull printing functions.

Watch the Canon imagePRESS Lite C165 in action

Here’s Canon’s demo video so you can see the printer for yourself.

In NYC? Get a quote for the Canon imagePRESS Lite C165 small printing press

The post Small Printing Press: NEW Canon imagePRESS Lite C165 Color Digital Press appeared first on Superior Office Solutions.

Canon Digital Press: Print Quality Optimization Tips (video series)

Ike Oji — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Canon Digital Press: Print Quality Optimization Tips (video series)

For production print operations, quality is always top priority. However, when you have a team of operators it can be challenging to make sure everyone understands the nuances of working with the equipment to produce consistent print quality for every job.

If you’re using Canon digital press equipment from the imagePRESS line along with a PRISMAsync color server, there’s a great new resource available to help you optimize print quality and repeatability. Canon has created a video tutorial series called “Keep the Print Quality High” that makes it easier than ever to get the results you’re looking for from your Canon equipment.

Canon digital press FREE print quality training video series

The new video series was developed by John Thorburn, Senior Color Analyst at Canon U.S.A. The videos are designed to help educate users on the best ways to manage and optimize color on imagePRESS with PRISMAsync server, including tutorials on color management leveraging John’s visual storytelling diagrams.

There are three videos in the series. Each video demonstrates and discusses specific topics and processes for achieving high quality color printing on your Canon digital press:

Bringing the Press Up to Color: The Repeatability Story
G7 Calibration and Custom Color Profiles: The Color Matching Story
Changing Colors Quickly and Efficiently: The Color Editing Story

You can find this helpful video series for Canon digital press users on Canon USA’s Production Solutions Playlist on YouTube. For easy access, we’re embedding all three videos here, along with a quick description that tells you what to expect in each video.

We encourage you to share with everyone on your team!

Video 1: Bringing the Press Up to Color (The Repeatability Story)

This video provides step-by-step instructions for getting consistent, repeatable color in print. It also explains the principles behind Canon digital press calibration and shading correction.

Using the media catalog
Calibration setup with G7 support
Creating a media family and adding new media
Load paper and assign trays
Auto gradation adjustment
Shading correction

Video 2: G7 Calibration and Custom Color Profiles (The Color Matching Story)

This video demonstrates the step-by-step processes for G7® calibration and color profiling an imagePRESS digital color press with a PRISMAsync Print Server, including:

G7 calibration and creating color profiles (and explains the feedback output from the calibration tool)
G7 verification
Color validation

You’ll also learn about the science behind color perception, measurement, and reproduction.

Video 3: Changing Colors Quickly and Efficiently (The Color Editing Story)

This video addresses two of the most common challenges in reproducing spot colors, especially for branded print jobs. It demonstrates how to manage and control spot colors using settings and controls on the PRISMAsync Print Server and on an imagePRESS digital color press, including:

Making spot color recipes match print output (logo usage guidelines)
Adjusting spot color tints

More educational resources for Canon digital press users

As job requirements get more complex and lead times get shorter, production print operations face difficult challenges. Here are two resources that can help you take control of your print job submission and document make-ready processes to prevent errors, improve efficiency, and control costs:

Meeting the In-Plant Print Job Submission Challenge

Meeting the Document Make-Ready Challenge

The post Canon Digital Press: Print Quality Optimization Tips (video series) appeared first on Superior Office Solutions.

Wide Format Printer/Scanner: How to Choose the Right Model (Infographic)

Ike Oji — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 12:00:11 +0000

Wide Format Printer/Scanner: How to Choose the Right Model (Infographic)

If you’ve been shopping for a wide format printer / scanner for printing architectural drawings, engineering documents, posters, signs, displays, photography or other large graphics, you already know that it can be a chore. That’s because there are so many options, and gathering and comparing the specs takes a lot of time and effort.

Especially if you’re buying a wide format printer / scanner for the first time, you might not even be sure which specs you should be looking at.

Here’s an infographic to help you get started, then read the content below for more information about specs to look for.

INFOGRAPHIC: how to choose a wide format printer / scanner

Wide format printer/scanner specs and features to look for

Now that you’ve identified your priorities, here are important features to look for in each category.

To make it super easy to find & compare detailed specs, download our helpful comparison guide for Canon wide format printer/scanner models.

Scanning

A wide format printer with a scanner allows you to digitize hard copy prints and easily share documents with others. Look for:

Ability to print & scan at the same time (to avoid printer bottlenecks)
Up to 1200 dpi optical resolution & 9600 dpi maximum scan resolution
Up to 36” wide image scanning
Scan speed up to 13” per second for monochrome and 6” per second for color
Direct scanning to USB memory drive
Straight paper path to prevent jams

Ink system

If you’re printing any kind of graphics, color reproduction and ink durability must be a priority. Not to mention workflow & cost efficiency. Look for:

Up to 12 colors
Colorfast dye color inks
Matte black plus dye-based black
Multiple ink tank sizes and sub ink tank to boost efficiency & optimize ink cost
Print on water-resistant media for outdoor use

Print quality

Especially for technical documents and drawings, the proof is in the print quality. Look for:

Up to 2400/1200 print resolution
Up to 6 channel print head and 15,000 ink nozzles for sharp text and high image quality
Lines as thin as 0.02mm, accurate to 0.10%
2 channels of matte black ink for faster printing of line drawings
Ink designed to resist scratches & marks

TIP: If you’re in NYC, visit our Manhattan showroom to see Canon’s wide format printer / scanner print quality for yourself.

Media size & type

Make sure the models you’re considering can print the paper sizes and media types you work with, and also provide time-saving loading features. Look for:

Up to 44” print width and 59 ft roll length
Ability to print on plain paper, coated & glossy paper, films, and vinyl fabrics
Automatic loading of paper rolls
Ability to have 2 paper rolls loaded at the same time
Bi-directional take-up capability to rewind long printouts
Convenient output trays or baskets, such as foldable stacking trays

Print speed

If print speed is critical for your business, look for:

Up to 904 ft/hr on uncoated media, or 144 D-sized prints per hour
Ability to print a full color 2400/1200 dpi resolution image on plain paper as fast as 42 seconds
While there’s often a tradeoff between print speed and price, Canon’s imagePROGRAF TM line offers the best speeds for mid-volume printing at the lowest prices.

Other helpful features

Here’s a few features you might not think to look for, but you’ll be very glad to have them:

Security features such as 802.1x user authentication, secure communication with the cloud, and self-encrypting hard disk
Touch screen controls that let you modify documents right at the printer
Ability to print directly from a USB memory drive
Tools to track printing costs for client billing

Price

Depending on the capabilities you need, MSRP costs for Canon’s award-winning wide format printer / scanner line range from $2495 to $9495. However, remember to consider more than the equipment price:

Cost of supplies
Cost of ongoing service
Ability to manage print usage & behavior to control print costs

Read these related articles to learn more:

Printing Cost Per Page: 4 Ways to Spend Less

Canon Accounting Manager: The Easy Way to Calculate Print Costs & Bill Clients

Can you get both high speed & high quality in a fine art printer?

The post Wide Format Printer/Scanner: How to Choose the Right Model (Infographic) appeared first on Superior Office Solutions.

Can You Get Both High Quality & High Speed in a Fine Art Printer?

Ike Oji — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 13:00:15 +0000

Can You Get Both High Quality & High Speed in a Fine Art Printer?

Slow fine art printer + inefficient workflow = lots of lost time and money

When you’re making prints of artwork (and especially selling art prints), it seems like you always have to make a choice:

Get a fine art printer that’s slow but produces the best quality prints

Go with faster commercial art printers, but sacrifice quality.

For most in the fine art business, the second choice is not an acceptable option, because with fine art you really can’t compromise on quality. So that leaves you struggling to produce the quantities you need with a slow fine art printer.

It’s not only the printer itself that slows you down. It’s inefficient workflows that waste time during the process of fine tuning and outputting large art prints that meet your quality standards.

Sacrificing speed costs you more than you realize. Every extra minute that you waste waiting for prints or trying to get your final product exactly right is time you could be spending doing work that adds to your bottom line.

But is there really a better way… a fine art printer that gives you both top quality AND speed?

In this article, we’ll share not only the best printer for art prints, but also the best software to speed your workflow as well.

Top 10 reasons why Canon’s imagePROGRAF PRO is the best fine art printer

With hundreds of museums and galleries in New York City, not to mention untold thousands of artists and photographers, we see plenty of demand for fine art printers. Here at Superior Office Systems, we have been providing technology advice, solutions and service to the NYC fine art community for decades. In our experience, people who care about art love Canon’s imagePROGRAF PRO line.

Need more evidence? The imagePROGRAF PRO line was named Wide Format Line of the Year by Keypoint Intelligence Buyer’s Lab, the most trusted source of independent printing technology reviews. (Watch their review video.)

1. Ink set

Canon’s LUCIA PRO 12-color ink set is formulated to produce smooth gradients, an expanded color gamut, more accurate color reproduction, and stunning image clarity.

What’s more, the imagePROGRAF line has separate nozzles for matte black and photo black inks. That means you don’t have to waste time swapping out ink tanks when you want to switch from printing on fine art paper to glossy paper.

2. Chroma Optimizer

Canon’s imagePROGRAF PRO wide format fine art printers also have a Chroma Optimizer that works like a clear coat on your prints to enhance dark areas, reduce graininess, enhance the uniformity of gloss, and also make your prints more resistant to scratches.

3. Efficient color calibration

Color consistency is everything when it comes to a quality fine art print.

The imagePROGRAF PRO line has a built-in desitometer, a three-color LED and condenser lens that make it simple to calibrate color on the printer’s operation panel, and apply the calibration to media in all printing modes.

You can even do color management on a remote console for quickly and easily calibrating color and managing device status for an entire fleet of printers.

4. Fast processor

Canon’s L-COA PRO image processor is the key reason why the imagePROGRAF fine art printers can deliver both high quality output and impressive print speed.

In fact, this powerful print engine now has three additional processing chips to handle massive amounts of image data. And it precisely controls the optimal ink layout to produce high resolution images with the quality you need and expect.

5. Smart print head design

There’s nothing like a clogged print head to ruin your day and kill your productivity. That doesn’t happen with Canon’s PF-10 print head that as over 18,000 nozzles with anti-clogging FINE technology. If the 27 sensors detect an ink ejection problem with any nozzle, another backup nozzle automatically takes over.

The PF-10 print head is also wider than previous models, which means the printer needs only one head instead of two to achieve the same print quality. Why is that important? It means the printer is smaller and faster.

6. Time saving media handling & loading

How frustrating is it to have to stop during a print run and spend the time to load more media and feed it into the printer? With the imagePROGRAF PRO, media loading is automatic: set the roll holder and the printer feeds it for you.

Canon gives you back more time with its multifunctional media roll system, that you can use to load two different media at the same time, or use for bi-directional media take up and rewinding. That means you can print more without stopping.

Of course, you’re not limited to printing on rolls of paper. You can print on individual sheets, and you can print on other media besides paper, including fabrics, films, and outdoor vinyl for signs and banners.

The system even has a convenient multi-position output basket that can act as a catch basket or flatbed stacker. You can even set it in a slope position to display a print.

7. Better ink management

Running out of ink in mid-run is another big time-waster that Canon has managed to cut down with its imagePROGRAF PRO printers.

That’s because ink tanks now come in 3 sizes, including high capacity 700ml tanks. So you now have the ability to buy ink according to the quantities you’ll actually use. And the Sub-Ink Tank System makes sure all the available ink gets used so there’s no waste.

8. Connectivity

In modern production print operations, the fine art printer is not a standalone device. Canon’s imagePROGRAF PRO fine art printers are built for connectivity:

Standard WiFi for easy network connection
USB port to print PDF and JPEG files direct from a thumb drive
Built in connectivity with Canon’s EOS Digital Cameras for the fastest input-to-output workflow and Crystal-fidelity image quality

9. Embedded storage

Do you have jobs that you re-print frequently? Print files that are shared by multiple team members? You’ll really appreciate the on-board 320 GB hard drive that lets you store data in protected mailboxes for quick access both at the printer and via a web browser.

10. Efficient editing & workflow management software

The imagePROGRAF PRO series comes with Print Studio Pro plug-in software, a tool that streamlines your print workflows to get to the final product in record time:

Start it directly from Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.
Import multiple images, arrange on a paper roll, then print all at the same time.
Fine tune color and grayscale and soft proof the final prints.
Optimize images for canvas framing.
No more trial and error printing that wastes time and supplies!

Watch this video to see how it works:

Poor service also slows you down

When we ask people to name their priorities in a fine art printer, most will say:

Image quality
Speed
Price

However, there’s another critical thing you might forget to mention because it doesn’t come in the box: reliable service. Without that, production print operations grind to a halt in a hurry.

If you’ve checked those other 3 boxes, but you wait forever for parts and service, or your equipment has the same problem repeatedly, your projects get delayed and your productivity suffers.

Think it’s impossible to predict the kind of service you’ll get from a new print technology vendor? It’s not. Read this guide to learn the secrets: How to Evaluate Digital Press Service BEFORE You Buy.

The post Can You Get Both High Quality & High Speed in a Fine Art Printer? appeared first on Superior Office Solutions.

How to Create Your Own Trade Show Banners & Signs for Less

Ike Oji — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:00:52 +0000

How to Create Your Own Trade Show Banners & Signs for Less

Why create your own trade show banners and graphics?

Chances are, you invest in trade show marketing because it seems like the most cost-effective way to reach a lot of potential new customers. After all, there are hundreds or thousands of them gathered in the same place at the same time! If you’re smart with your marketing strategy, you can connect with a bunch of new prospects who are actively looking for what you do.

However, there are two problems with doing trade shows:

The cost to exhibit is growing
It’s getting harder to get the attention of your target audience

Producing your own trade show graphics can actually help with both of these problems.

Save money by creating your own trade show graphics

You’ve probably noticed that you’re spending more every year to do the same trade shows. That’s especially true when your products, services, and market are constantly changing and evolving. That means you need to keep paying for new trade show banners and signs every time you have new offerings or want to change your messaging.

That expense really cuts into your trade show ROI.

Here’s some good news: you can design and print your own trade show banners, signs, and other trade show graphics and save money. There will be an up-print cost to purchase a large format printer, but if you do a lot of events, it won’t take long to see a return on that investment.

And there’s another equally important reason for having the ability to create your own signs and graphics: you can customize them to the specific audience attending each event.

Grab more attention with customized displays for each audience

Each event you do probably has a somewhat different audience or focus. Why use the same signs and graphics for every event? If you’re currently doing that, you’re missing out on a chance to hone in on what each show’s unique audience is interested in seeing.

Here’s what you can do when you have the ability to create your own trade show banners, signs, and graphics:

Promote different products or services depending on the trade show or event
Test different offers or promotions
Test different messaging
You can even change your displays DURING the event to capture more attention
No waiting… you can produce anything you want on-demand

You don’t even need to be an expert graphic artist to create your own graphics. Using one of Canon’s large format printers plus included PosterArtist Lite software, it’s surprisingly easy to create professional looking trade show banners, signs, posters and more.

Here’s how it works.

How to design & print trade show banners and signs with Canon’s PosterArtist Lite software

Using Canon’s PosterArtist Lite software, included with Canon’s imagePROGRAF large format printers, it’s easy to make your ideas come to life. Even if you’re not an artist!

PosterArtist Lite provides ready-to-use templates, royalty-free photos and clip art and simple editing features that let you quickly create your own high quality custom graphics.

The software walks you through 4 basic steps to create your design:

STEP 1: Select a template

PosterArtist includes lots of beautifully designed templates organized by category. When looking for something you like, remember that you can change colors, images, text and even fonts to make the design work for you.

Simply double-click to open the template in the design area.

STEP 2: Set paper options

Before you work on the content, select your paper size from a list or set a custom size. You’ll also choose the orientation (portrait for vertical, or landscape for horizontal) that matches your template design.

Next, select your imagePROGRAF printer as the output device, and a paper source (cut sheet or a paper roll).

Finally, select the specific type of media you plan to print on.

Now you’re ready to work on your content!

STEP 3: Edit your content

Now it’s time to make the template into a custom creation by changing content elements.

The PosterArtist software shows a list of design options to choose from, such as background colors and textures, high quality photos, clip art and icons.

For example, if you like the design but want a different color in the background, just click on the background and replace it with something you like better. You can even import your own images, such as your logo or product photos.

Do the same to add, remove, replace or modify images, shapes, colors and text. Every time you make a change, you can see exactly how your piece will look.

When you’re happy with the results, you’re ready to print.

STEP 4: Print

This is the really gratifying part… you no longer need to wait for an outsourced print provider to produce your finished banner, poster or sign. You’ll have it ready to use in minutes!

You can choose from 3 levels of output quality, so you get exactly what you need for this particular sign or graphic. There are also optional color matching settings you can adjust based on the type of piece you’re printing.

Simply specify the number of copies, check your design one last time with print preview, and start printing.

That’s it! It really is that easy.

Choose the right printer for trade show signs and graphics

When making a decision to produce your own signs and graphics for shows and events, you want the transition to be easy and uncomplicated.

So you might run into a roadblock as soon as you try to figure out which printer to buy. The truth is, there are great large format printers out there that can do exactly what you want, but none of the manufacturers make it very easy to pick the right model for your needs.

Here’s an example. Do you plan on using your banners outdoors or in bright sunlight? Canon has outdoor durable inks that are also UV safe for 6 months. If you didn’t know that feature was available (or which large format printers use the UV safe inks), you could easily choose the wrong one. Then your printed displays might not perform as well as you’d like.

This is where Superior Office Systems can help. We are happy to talk over your needs, and recommend the best options for your marketing goals and your budget. We also stand behind what we sell with hassle-free and proactive service.

If you’re in the NYC metro area, give us a call!

The post How to Create Your Own Trade Show Banners & Signs for Less appeared first on Superior Office Solutions.

Digital Printing Equipment: Latest Canon Production Print Innovations

Ike Oji — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 12:00:21 +0000

Digital Printing Equipment: Latest Canon Production Print Innovations

The capabilities of digital printing equipment and technology seem to be evolving much faster than the typical lifespan (or lease term) for a digital press. Gone are the days when you could wait until your lease was expiring to catch up on new production print technology.

We work with many commercial and in-plant print managers in NYC, and they are always looking to stay on top of the latest digital print solutions that can speed workflows, improve efficiency, and help meet customer demands.

So, we’re making it easy for you by consolidating information about the latest production print technology Canon has introduced this year.

Feel free to start a wish list for new digital printing equipment that will make your job easier and your production print operation more successful!

Canon’s new production digital printing equipment for 2018

New print servers boost efficiency and color management

It’s no secret that choosing a print server to manage your digital printing press equipment is an important decision. The right print server helps you streamline workflows, boost performance, ensure quality output, and manage costs across your entire operation.

Every shop has different requirements for a print server, based on volume, job types, quality requirements, equipment fleet, and technology preferences. Canon offers a variety of print servers so you can choose the digital front end (DFE) that’s perfect for your needs.

In June, Canon introduced the following new print servers:

imagePRESS Server G200: Fiery-based embedded DFE

This brand new embedded DFE is perfect for print operations that need easy, accurate color management and the ability to do personalized print jobs.

What’s new:

It uses the latest Fiery FS300 software platform.
Fiery fans who are embracing the personalized printing trend will appreciate the Fiery FreeForm software that makes variable data printing about as simple as it can get.
Color management is often a print manager’s worst headache, and this server helps you take control of color accuracy.

imagePRESS Server H300 Version 2.0: Fiery-based external DFE

This mid-volume external DFE is designed to boost your output while ensuring consistent, outstanding image quality. In fact, this server processes files as much as 50 percent faster than the imagePress Server G200.

What’s new:

It uses the latest Fiery software platform (FS300) and Microsoft Windows® 10 operating system.
The server lets users easily switch between Fiery Command WorkStation and the imagePRESS digital color press control panel for easy monitoring and adjustments.
Fiery fans will love that this server comes with Fiery JobFlow software pre-installed! If you’re not familiar, this tool helps you streamline job processing and get more done.
You also get Canon’s new Media Librarian software, which is an amazing time-saver! This tool makes it simple to create, edit, and organize all your media stocks on every compatible imagePRESS device.

BONUS: Both new imagePRESS servers work with Canon’s uniFLOW print and scan management software that helps you and your IT staff take control of all production print and MFP equipment, including security, accounting, reporting, job routing, scanning workflows and mobile printing.

COMPATIBILITY: The new imagePRESS servers are available for available for Canon imagePRESS C850, C750, C650, and C65production printer models.

PRISMAsync Color Print Server Version 6 brings speed and color uniformity

If you need to manage color consistency across a fleet of Canon color production printers, you’ll definitely want to look at this new G7® certified print server from Canon.

What’s new:

Embedded color verification and validation makes it easier than ever for all your users to achieve predictable color output and print quality.
The server has a new tool called PRISMAsync JDF/JMF that communicates job accounting and transformations to third-party MIS and pre-press systems.
G7 Greyscale calibration and verification helps to cut waste, lower costs and increase profitability by helping you increase output and meet tight deadlines.
Tighter security with more admin control over security policy and user rights management.

AVAILABILITY: You get the new PRISMAsync Print Server Version 6 when you order an imagePRESS color digital production press. If you’re using Version 5, you can also get Version 6 as a field upgrade.

New sheet feeder and output tray add-ons for long sheets and high volume

If you are printing long sheets such as point of purchase signs, book covers, or posters, you know how much time-consuming manual work it takes to feed the paper and catch finished prints to prevent damage.

Now Canon has developed the POD Deck Lite XL Long Sheet Feeder and the Plockmatic Multipurpose Stacker (MPS) output tray to make it fast and easy to produce continuous auto-duplexed long sheets of sizes up to 13 by 30 inches with one seamless workflow.

The MPS also detaches from the printer so you can easily transport heavy stacks of prints for offline finishing.

COMPATIBILITY: The new POD Deck Lite XL Long Sheet Feeder and Plockmatic Multipurpose Stacker work with Canon’s imagePRESS C850/C750 digital color press equipment. The MPS is also compatible with imagePRESS C10000VP/C8000VP.

Need to know more? Feel free to reach out to us with your questions about Canon’s new production print solutions.

Why is Canon’s digital printing equipment so popular?

There’s a reason Canon is a market leader (and gaining market share every year) for digital printing equipment.

The company reinvests 7 to 10 percent of revenue back into R&D. As a result, Canon is always one of the top 3 companies in the U.S. registering patents for new technology. So, when it comes to continuous innovation, it’s so surprise that Canon comes out on top.

Learn more: Winner of BLI Production Printer Award: Canon imagePRESS c850

Uptime is everything

For high volume digital printing equipment, reliability is critically important… you can’t afford downtime!

It takes more than well designed equipment to prevent problems that slow you down. Even with very dependable digital printing equipment from Canon, you also need expert, proactive service to keep everything running like clockwork.

Learn more: Best Practices for Digital Printing Press Maintenance

The post Digital Printing Equipment: Latest Canon Production Print Innovations appeared first on Superior Office Solutions.

Tips for Setting Up an In-House Print Production Process

Ike Oji — Thu, 24 May 2018 08:00:19 +0000

Tips for Setting Up an In-House Print Production Process

Last week, we discussed how you can benefit from doing your print production and mailing in house. We also looked at the types of pieces you can produce with the right production print process, equipment and software.

In case you missed it, read this: Why Bring Print Production & Mailing In House?.

Setting up an internal print production process is not right for everyone. Take our free quiz to find out if outsourcing or in-house production is the better choice for you.

Now let’s talk about how to set up your own cost-effective production print process and operation.

STEP 1: What materials do you want to print?

Believe it or not, people tend to overlook this critical step when establishing a print production process and operation.

For example, a marketing manager may be looking to produce sales and marketing materials. However, there may be other departments within the organization that do a lot of printing… or pay a lot to outsource that printing. Accounting may print & mail thousands of invoices every month. Human resources may need benefits enrollment materials. The list goes on.

When you understand ALL your needs for high-volume and high-quality printing, you can factor those needs into your production print process and equipment decisions. Doing so sets you up as the hero who reduced printing and mailing costs across the organization.

STEP 2: What will you need to produce those materials?

At this stage, you may begin to research printing equipment. However, it’s important to think about other resources you’ll need for setting up your internal production print process and operation.

For example, do you have the space needed to set up a central reprographics department (CRD)? Or will you need to get additional space for equipment and processing?

Don’t forget to think about mailing the printed materials you produce. Do you already have a mailroom? If so, you may need to upgrade equipment to handle the increased volume. If not, you’ll probably need to set up this capability. Read this to learn more: Does your business need a mailroom?

Expertise is another critical resource. The good news is, production printing equipment has become so much easier to operate. Many CRDs only need a single key operator to run the equipment. However, you’ll also need to design pieces, manage data and mailing lists, and manage your internal production print process. If you don’t currently have the expertise needed for these tasks, be sure to factor in the cost of training or additional staff.

STEP 3: Develop your production print process & workflow

An efficient and effective production print process is all about developing the right workflow. Before you make a decision about equipment, it’s important to understand how you plan to:

Take print orders
Prioritize jobs
Handle approvals
Track and communicate job status
Test printed materials for consistent quality
Deliver completed jobs
Order supplies

The point is, you need to plan your production print workflow BEFORE you select the right equipment and software for the job.

Here are a couple of important tips and resources that can help you put together your production print process.

Create a web-based print order submission process. Trying to process print orders with a file on a memory stick and instructions scribbled on a piece of paper is time-consuming and prone to error. Read this to learn more: 11 Reasons to Implement Print Workflow Automation for Job Submission.

Automate your print production process as much as possible. Print workflow automation software makes that easy. Doing so reduces mistakes, speeds processing and cuts costs. Read this to learn more: How to Speed Prepress Workflow for 6 Challenging Job Types.

Don’t worry if you’re not an expert on the production print process just yet! The experts at Superior Office Systems and Canon (the print production industry leader) and answer your questions and guide you through the process. We’re here to help, so feel free to reach out for a no-obligation consultation.

STEP 4: Select equipment and software

Now that you have a better idea what you need, you’re ready to choose production print equipment and software.

Here are just a few capabilities you must factor into your decision:

Paper. What types of paper do you need to print on? Can the machines handle the sizes, weights and finishes you want to use?

Speed and volume. Can the machines produce the volume of printed materials in the required timeframe?

Finishing. What type of finishing capabilities do you need? Consider stapling, binding, hole punching, trimming and more.

Personalization. Can the equipment and software do variable data printing? Especially for sales and marketing materials, shorter print runs with more personalization are becoming the norm. Even if you’re not doing it yet, it’s smart to plan ahead for this capability that can greatly increase engagement.

Mailroom equipment. As we mentioned earlier, do you have the postage machines, inserters, and sorters needed to process mailing of your printed pieces?

As you evaluate equipment options, you might want to create a production print checklist that prioritizes your must-haves and your wish list. That can help you make the best choice and stay within your budget.

SERVICE. Don’t underestimate the value of good service for production print equipment. It’s easily as important as the equipment itself. Learn more from this helpful guide: How to Evaluate Digital Press Service BEFORE You Buy.

STEP 5: Promote, track and improve

Once you’re up and running, there’s more you can do to get the most from your print production process and operation.

1. Promote. Make sure everyone in your organization knows you can now produce their printed materials internally. Explain the cost benefit, the process, and what types of jobs you can print. There’s nothing worse than going through the effort and expense of setting up a production print process and operation, only to have people continue wasting money by outsourcing their work.

2. Track. With the right automation and software, you have access to all kinds of cost and production analytics. Take advantage of these to track how your operation is performing.

3. Continuously improve. When the analytics reveal areas of your print production process that need improvement, get on that right away. Your automation software can help with that. Learn more: 6 Steps to Improve Your Digital Press Workflow.

The post Tips for Setting Up an In-House Print Production Process appeared first on Superior Office Solutions.

Simplify & Speed Print Workflow Using Print Job Templates

Ike Oji — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 08:00:53 +0000

Simplify & Speed Print Workflow Using Print Job Templates

If your print workflow goals include increasing your print job efficiency, accuracy when accepting orders and communicating with clients, then optimizing your job submissions through a more streamlined and productive automated print workflow is the solution you’ve been looking for.

The benefits of job templates to speed print workflow

Job templates are one of the most useful tools in achieving those efficiency gains and order accuracy. Simplifying and speeding the print workflow through automated job templates brings a number of benefits to the customer, including:

Ordering and tracking is easier
Easier tools for proofing and providing feedback
Better control of branding (such as correct usage of logos and colors)
Reduction in turnaround time
Reordering/reprinting is far easier
Clear communication
Supply chain is far more efficient
More competitive as a result of a quicker time to market

Overall, your client develops increased confidence in your print organization due to timely and accurate job delivery.

Get more information about automating you entire job submission process from this helpful guide: Meeting the In-Plant Job Submission Challenge.

How do print job templates simplify and enhance print workflow?

Here’s a summarized tour of some of the benefits to the CRD operation of using online job templates as part of your automated print workflow.

Predefined templates are one of the many tools available when utilizing an automated digital print workflow, and it’s a tool that creates greater ease in ordering and the production of print materials. Here’s what we’ll cover in the following paragraphs:

Types of jobs that are ideal for templating, including variable data applications and non-print catalog items
How content is controlled for consistency while providing flexibility
How templates save time for users placing orders
How templates streamline the print production process and speed delivery

Job types that are ideal for templating

Business cards represent one great example of a job type whereby the print workflow can be greatly simplified and sped up through the use of job templates. The online job templates for this type of product can offer the customer enough flexibility that they can feel they’ve got some control in the design of their cards, but branding, layout and, if applicable, legal copy won’t be changed. Using job templates also provides a reduced turnaround time for job completion, opening the door for last minute deliveries. That’s a fairly common request when it comes to business cards.

Another common job template that can simplify the print workflow process is an invitation template. Again, the client is provided with a kind of “controlled flexibility,” but the proven elements of an effective invitation will still remain, no matter what. In the case of invitations for corporate events, controlled branding (such as correct usage of logos and corporate colors) is an obvious advantage, but other benefits include a far easier method of reordering and reprinting, as well as a reduced turnaround time and quicker time to market.

Job templates for variable data print jobs

Job templates can also enhance print workflow when it comes to variable data applications and non-print items, too. Documents like internal and external stakeholder reports, or any variety of company catalogs can be set up using templates. This ensures that all the appropriate data is there and it’s easy to read, but it also ensures that the material suits the appropriate audience. Cataloged items like corporate gifts (mugs, pens, backpacks, etc.) can also benefit from templates, and if a company has satellite locations and salespeople these items can be ordered online and delivered with location-specific elements printed on the articles.

How templates save time for users placing orders

“Controlled flexibility” and incorporating job templates into the user’s ordering process is what saves them time and ultimately enhances the print workflow process.

Users will be able to create their own unique products, but the variables will still be limited. This process will help reduce errors, make it easier to pre-flight jobs during submission and streamline the actual production time.

By using a job template as part of the print workflow process, common problems like issues with resolution and readability are identified quickly. Those potential issues can then be fixed before a single letter of font is ever printed. All of that translates to a far more efficient process for the user.

How templates streamline the print production process and speed delivery

Let’s dive a little further into how exactly job templates can streamline and speed the print workflow process, as well as speed up the delivery time. We’ve already mentioned how templates reduce errors and delays due to mistakes and miscommunication. That obviously speeds up the production process, but templates also enhance the print workflow by promoting faster customer approvals for jobs.

Another way to speed the process is to integrate order information into other business platforms, such as IT and accounting systems. With IT integration, print organizations can add quality control tools to the order process which cut down on costly errors.

Order information can also be automatically integrated with a company’s accounting platform, making it easier to process, track and finalize orders and costs associated with each and every job.

The result? You get a streamlined process with enhanced communication, a more efficient supply chain, faster proofing & delivery, reduced errors and ultimately a better end-product and a happier customer.

An added benefit of a more streamlined process and faster delivery is your operation’s ability to take on higher volume jobs and projects that require a greater number of variables. When your print workflow is enhanced through automation, and the result is a better-balanced workload. Ultimately, a print workflow automation tool like online job templates allows for an organization to take on more work and do it more efficiently, all while reducing costly mistakes.

We’ve reviewed a lot of the benefits of job templates to the print workflow process, but the simple summary is that templates ultimately simplify the job submission process. That creates a more efficient print workflow and improved productivity. Costs are more easily managed and customer satisfaction and loyalty goes up. If that sounds like the kind of action your print organization might want to get in on, contact Superior Office Systems to learn more automating your print workflow.

The post Simplify & Speed Print Workflow Using Print Job Templates appeared first on Superior Office Solutions.

11 Reasons to Implement Print Workflow Automation for Job Submission

Ike Oji — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 20:54:43 +0000

11 Reasons to Implement Print Workflow Automation for Job Submission

If you’re reading this there’s a good chance you’re looking to optimize your print job submission process by streamlining and automating your workflow. You’re certainly not alone, and the trend within the digital print world (especially for in-plant or central reprographic departments) is certainly heavy with automation right now. A successful print workflow automation process will increase an organization’s productivity and efficiency in how they accept, process and communicate their print orders.

The advantages of implementing print workflow automation

The advantages of applying print workflow automation into a print process are many, most of which will translate to increased efficiency within the operation and, in turn, greater profitability.

If that’s enough to peak your interest, get this guide to learn more about how Canon’s print workflow automation tools can bring value to your organization: Meeting the In-Plant Print Job Submission Challenge.

However, if you’re interested in learning a little more about just what kind of value we’re talking about, here’s a more in-depth look at 11 of the most common benefits of introducing print workflow automation.

1. Make the job submission process more convenient for customers and drive orders

Print workflow automation will reduce the turn-around time for customers, and you’ll be able to get their print job feedback faster than ever before. Automation will also make it easier for customers to submit and track orders, and print projects will make it to market quicker, in turn making your customer more successful.

Print workflow automation also promotes greater communication with the customer, as well as within the print organization itself. Online templates allow for more control over the use of your company’s brand, and the organization’s supply chain will also see efficiency gains. Finally, one of the most obvious benefits is the newfound ease in reordering and reprinting existing projects.

Keep an eye on this blog for more information about print job templates!

2. Enable access to a wider group of internal customers (e.g. sales, remote users)

While the overall organization will see efficiency gains by implementing print workflow automation, each department within the organization will, to some degree, see their own gains in efficiency. Automation and easier access to the process will also promote better communication between departments.

Read on for more in depth explanations of how print workflow automation benefits various departments.

3. Reduce errors and delays due to miscommunication

Miscommunication is one of the biggest reasons businesses lose money. Email and word of mouth open the door for communication delays and misinterpretations. A solid print workflow automation tool virtually eliminates those costly miscommunications.

It also allows for more efficient remote work, which has its own set of benefits. Automated messaging and job tracking ensures that no tasks get left by the wayside and all deadlines are met. Ultimately, this communication enhancement reduces costs associated with “misunderstandings.”

4. Improve turnaround time for print quotes, customer approvals and job delivery

The more automated a system is, the fewer variables there are in estimating production costs, so companies that employ print workflow automation (especially for job submission) are able to provide a job quote more quickly and accurately. This, in turn, hopefully means the customer approves the proposal faster. That results in a quicker turnaround time for delivering the job, which makes the client happy and allows the print organization to move on to new projects.

5. Provide financial controls for more accurate accounting

Manual accounting can get expensive, and it leaves a lot of room for error given the amount of data entry, archiving, filing and retrieving files. Print workflow automation permits companies to go paperless with its job accounting. That makes it easier to retrieve data and greatly reduces the likelihood of accounting errors.

This cleaner approach and virtually error-free process means that invoices can be retrieved and approved faster, once again allowing the organization to move on to more projects.

6. Better control of corporate branding through templates

While print jobs vary, print workflow automation allows a company’s brand to be consistently established across the jobs. Templates help establish a company’s brand through its unique layouts, colors and specific brand images. Templates also streamline the job creation and submission process for customers.

7. Pre-flight jobs during submission and identify problems before production

The bigger the job, the more expensive a mistake is. Common problems, like issues with resolution and readability, are identified quickly when utilizing a print workflow automation tool. Those potential issues can then be fixed before a single letter of font is ever printed, saving the print organization the time and money associated with these types of mistakes.

8. Integrate order information into business platforms (i.e. IT platforms)

If a print workflow automation tool is being used, that software can normally be integrated with other software and various IT platforms. This allows print organizations to introduce enhanced quality control tools, further reducing the likelihood of costly errors. Order information can also be automatically integrated with a company’s accounting platform, making it easier to process, track and finalize orders and costs associated with each and every job.

9. Streamline your production processes

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of print workflow automation is the streamlining of the production process itself. This advantage is extremely useful for high-volume jobs and those projects that require a number of print variables. The automation speeds the workflow and you’re left with a better balanced workload. Ultimately, the print workflow automation tool allows for an organization to take on more work and do it more efficiently, all while reducing costly mistakes.

10. Drive faster “go-to-market” push for new sales campaigns

As mentioned above, a print workflow automation tool impacts several areas of the business, including marketing and sales. More efficient and productive work processes means the ability to take on more work. That, in turn, will enable an organization’s sales team to launch more sales campaigns faster.

11. Reduce manual intervention

We all make mistakes, and while usually forgivable, it doesn’t change the fact that mistakes can cost an organization money. The more manual a printing process is, from job submission through final delivery, the greater the likelihood there is for mistakes. Utilizing print workflow automation means that once a job is dialed in at the beginning of the operation, manual intervention is greatly reduced and the operation can roll on more efficiently and free from mistakes. All of this results in yet another boost in efficiency and productivity.

Get started with print workflow automation

The benefits of a print workflow automation are many, and the advantages vary. However, virtually all of these roads lead back to happier customers and a more efficient, productive and profitable print organization.

Superior Office Systems is your resource in the NYC metro area for Canon’s print production automation solutions. Contact us to find out how your organization can reap some of these benefits.

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