Signage and mailing discounts were among the new avenues generating the greatest return in the past 12 months. 

 

Some of the most successful new ventures cited by managers included:

 

• Adding parking signs and vinyl cutter to the line-up of services -- adding about $35,000 to one shop's annual revenue
• Wide-format printing of posters, banners and signs has increased over 100% YTD year for one in-plant
• A Mail Center is enjoying huge postal discounts by printing the Bound Printed Matter indicia on books so they can be mailed at $1.46 rather than $5 per book
• Consolidating the in-plant with another local government in-plant that was FM administered. "We went right into their backyard and held a graphics fair in the building where they were located. A bold move, but  it paid off, as their clients soon realized we had a lot to offer -- from concept to design to print."
• Promotion of digital color postcards has proven successful
• New digital printing initiative to print university diplomas in-house
• Creating price charts that hang by all copiers indicating how much it costs to run copies on that particular machine and how much it would cost to run (the same project) in the copy center
• Recycling all of our toner cartridges and all of our paper boxes are either reused or recycled. We've had all of the copiers set to use 50% power in Energy Saving mode. This takes a little longer for the first copy, but the cost savings are significant.
• Our main focus has been to get the staff to use the RSA (Rochester Software Associates) scanning system -- this has been our most successful endeavor in the past 15 years.
• Our wide format printer replacement and print submission tool will have the most impact .... both are in the process of being installed/implemented.
• Mail preparation has qualified us for postal discounts.
• After a brand change, we used up all the old stationery by making 5 ½ x 8 ½ conference journals for the annual meeting. All of our scratch pads are made from used paper.
• Quite a bit of interest in the scanning/digitizing of documents -- mostly in the form of questions, but few actual jobs. This is a service that will evolve as the idea takes hold.
• Our "Keep It on Campus" campaign was successful, particularly when the campaign was launched; however, it requires sending out reminders and creative ways to keep the  message fresh.
• Showing that we can handle projects that were previously considered too large for our shop. By keeping our pricing down and finishing work on time, we have built enough confidence that we handle the largest projects almost exclusively in-house.
• Cutting costs dramatically simply by running our stationery that goes out in mass to members on cheaper stock than we use for correspondence.
• Focusing more on doing what we do better than on adding services. We needed to make sure we are doing everything we can for our company before exploring insourcing options.
• Our awareness marketing has been successful in making new employees aware that print, copy and mail services exist on campus.
• Making sure key departments are aware of capabilities. "Never say no to a project without taking a good, long look."