University of Missouri Print & Mail Services garners top recognition at the 2023 “In-Print Awards.”
Graphco, distributor of the industry leading eight-up sheetfed offset press in North America, provided an RMGT 940 five-color press (with coater and LED-UV curing unit) that was used to produce two Gold Award winning pieces for the University of Missouri at the 2023 In-Print Awards competition. The annual contest, co-sponsored by the In-Plant Printing & Mailing Association (IPMA) and In-plant Impressions magazine, is held exclusively for in-plant shops from across industry segments.
The University of Missouri faced stiff competition from several other large U.S. universities along with other contestants. Capturing gold in the “Booklet” category, the large-format Viewbook is used to help recruit prospective high-school seniors (and their families) to the University of Missouri. “We mail it as a periodical to optimize postage rates,” explained Jeff McNeeley, Director of the University’s 50,000-square-foot print/mail operation, which employs 33 people. The four-color publication features spot high-gloss varnish on the cover and is saddle-stitched in the bindery. MU Health, as the “Magazine/Catalog” category winner, is also printed 4/C, saddle-stitched and mailed to a different audience: the University Medical System’s healthcare patients.
Derek Gordon, Midwest regional manager at Graphco, stated: “We are proud to play a part of the University of Missouri’s success. The large runs of 100,000 and 50,000 copies [see specs, below] are above their norm—since they average 3,000 and 5,000 impressions per run – but it’s no surprise that their RMGT press brought home the gold!”
Additional job specifications:
· Mizzou Viewbook – 32 pages plus cover / trim size 10½ x 14” / 100,000 quantity
· MU Health biannual magazine – 16 pp. + cover / trim size 8½ x 11” / 50M
“We love the fact that the jobs come off our press dry and we can finish immediately,” continued McNeeley, who, along with his press crew, has fully transitioned from conventional to LED-cured inks on their 8-up offset press. “With the right ink sets and G7 profiling, our colors are extremely consistent. RMGT’s Insta.Color system is closed-loop, and we are dialed in now. There was very little variance on that 100,000, multiple-day Viewbook run,” he said, adding that one of the school colors is gold (PMS 124), which can pose a challenge. “It’s really more of a reddish yellow, which we build from CMYK to match -- and need to maintain extremely tight tolerances for Mizzou branding purposes.”
From a bottom-line, machine ROI (return on investment) standpoint, the RMGT’s fast printing speeds (>15,000 sheets per hour) and substantial paper savings enhance overall production efficiencies for the award winning in-plant printer. “Makereadies are just more efficient,” McNeeley reported. University of Missouri press operators confirm that their RMGT Full Autoplate system changes all 5 plates in less than 3 minutes and they now use much less waste paper on their 9 Series press.
“That’s a huge drop from our traditional 40” press, which was over 20 years old and would need about 1,600 waste sheets per run. So, essentially, we are able to makeready in half the time, and run 42% faster. A win-win for our operation,” he concluded.
These Gold Category winners, along with all the others can be seen at the IPMA annual conference being held on June 4-8, 2023 in Bonita Springs, FL.
www.graphco.com
