A wave of new services is bringing a wave of new customers to Parkland Community College's Print Shop. "We have only had our HP 3200Z wide-format printer for about a year and a half, but it is already becoming very popular," explains David Weckhorst, the Print and Mail Manager. "During just 18 months, we have produced 10 to 20 banners and posters per week promoting many athletic, theater and art gallery events. As more customers learn about our wide format capability and quality, we are getting more and more requests." Weckhorst says one of the biggest challenges has been producing signs that will stand up to outdoor use. "Currently, we are kind of limited in this area because we only have a small laminator."

QR Codes 

The full-service print/mail operation, located in Champaign, Illinois, uses Xerox equipment--a color 7002 and two B&W 4127s to produce a million impressions monthly (over 2,500 print orders) for the school's 600 full-time and part-time faculty members and 17,000 annual students. The bustling print shop withtwo full-time and one part-time employee and two students soon plans to add QR codes to its growing menu of services. "It's a fairly easy and pretty inexpensive field to get into," Weckhorst says. "I've experimented with it a couple of times." He explains how those interested can wade into the process by simply printing QR codes on the back of business cards. When scanned, the QR code can provide all the contact information on the front of the card.

Variable Data 

This innovative in-plant team has also been testing the variable data waters by producing personalized postcards, letters and recruitment materials for the college to recruit students within their district.

Data List Management

Printing, however, is just half of this successful team effort.  Approximately 20,000 pieces of mail are processed monthly by just one full-time and three part-time employees, plus two students. "We offer data list management services for about 22 different departments throughout campus," Weckhorst notes. "We get data lists from the departments and run them through our AddressRight Pro which checks for move updates, produces all of the paperwork for the post office, presorts the list, and then exports it back out to use with our PrintShop Mail software which is used to create personalized communications."

A firm believer in the value of networking with other in-plants, Weckhorst plans to host a gathering of in-house shops from colleges in the Illinois area on his campus March 22. "You can learn so much from your peers. Although I plan to have some guest speakers, the real value of the event is the roundtable discussions that are planned. It's so important to learn what our peers are doing and what we could be doing too."