Discover how Ironmark was able to go from disposing unsold books from a large print run, to producing book-of-one and books on demand as needed, in a completely streamlined and automated workflow thanks to Ultimate Impostrip® imposition software solution and their Ricoh IP5000 Continuous Feed Inkjet Printer. Garner Leidy, VP Prepress at Ironmark, shares their experience:
”Ironmark is a company that’s been around since 1985 in one way or another and under Ironmark for about 8 years. We are a marketing company, printing company, and do design and web services.
At the time, we owned a large book company in Baltimore. And that book company was printing thousands of copies of books on a web, warehousing it, try to sell the same book a couple times a year. By buying that press and buying the Impostrip® software, we were able to get closer to that book-of-one, doing it in a way that didn’t require hundreds of plates and a giant web press. That device solved that problem and took those books that could be done that way and part of that book of work into that digital realm.
Prior to Impostrip® we were using pretty rudimentary imposition software, that was a lot of hand work. Impostrip® allows you to do very efficient imposition, streamlined to the point where it takes less than a minute for a large project. One of our largest project is the neighborhood of 2000 pages. Printing it out on the Ricoh, using the Impostrip® software, it takes no time at all to get it on to that press, into that device, ready for production. Most people would probably think that I was exagerating, but the speed of that is really outstanding. I always remark on how efficient this software is.
And we’ve recently started to experiment with some of the variable workflows that are available in Impostrip®. We can tell that it needs to be on that side of sheet, and the size of the page can vary, depending on what comes in. We don’t have to worry about all those different variables. You can just build-in what your head and foot is gonna be in your phase and it sizes out automatically.
That whole process bypasses the customer service as well as prepress. The work orders are generated next to the presses, so nothing needs to be carried out. It is completely touch-free from the client’s hands to the pressman. There are barcodes and book marks that are all built-in the Impostrip® software that is readable by the Tecnau which is inline with the Ricoh. And those marks are the instructions for the offline bindery for that book. It wouldn’t be possible without that.
This biggest strength of course is time. Trying to get things out quicker, every time. And I think this company more than any other competitive outlet is always looking to find that next edge, to try to find that way to makes things go through easier with less mistakes and less effort.”
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About Ironmark
We’re dedicated to maintaining and improving the images of our clients through a range of support services, from full-service print production to creative marketing support to web-based/web-enabled technologies. We are in business to provide our clients with a rock-solid partnership that leads to creative, effective results. We’re nimble, fast, and focused because we know that our customers want and deserve just one thing: great outcomes. We are committed to staying on the leading edge of our changing industry and solidifying our position as the Mid-Atlantic’s first choice for integrated print, marketing, and communications services.