L to R: Technical coordinators Steve Crossett and Derick LaVine with Manager Cathy Gates of ACT's in-house Printing and Bindery Solutions

Anyone who has ever applied to college is probably familiar with the ACT® exam. Each year this not-for-profit, headquartered in Iowa City, IA, serves millions of people in high schools, colleges, professional associations, businesses and government agencies -- nationally and internationally with a broad array of assessment tools, research, and information and program management solutions.

In a world where test scores are one of the factors considered for college admission, accuracy is absolutely essential for the 15-person Printing and Bindery Solutions (PBS) team. Experience makes the difference; half of their staff members have worked for ACT for more than 20 years.

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1.1 Million Books Annually -- 0% Error Rate 

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Verification System Guarantees 100% Accuracy

Possibly one of the most interesting facets about ACT's operation is its exam booklet verification system.  "Each bin on the Duplo collator has been fitted with a specialized barcode reader," explains Manager Cathy Gates. Individual printed sheets for exams are barcoded prior to printing and contain a job number, pagination and page number information. The barcode readers scan each barcode as books are created. If the system encounters a sheet that is upside down or loaded into the incorrect bin, it rejects the book and production is halted. This system virtually eliminates any operator error that can occur when loading printed sheets into the collator bins. It has also allowed the print shop to maintain a 0% error rate -- a phenomenal achievement considering the shop produces over 1.1 million books annually.

Equipment Operator Tim Herzog

 Another process that demands 100% accuracy is the printing and distribution of ACT admission tickets for students who register using paper registration.Working with the Document Data Solutions group, a bar code scanning system tracks each ticket with a unique number communicated to a database in real time to verify printing and mailing. Incoming records are counted and assigned unique numbers on the front end and then reconciled on the back end. The unique number is printed as a 2D barcode, which is scanned at the Pitney Bowes mailing insertion stage. 

Smartest Strategy

Gates says the smartest move for the print shop was the recent installation of the MBO in-line Plow Folder to the Oce 9230. Previously all 11" x 17" reports were folded using an off-line system, making report creation a two-step, two-operator process. With the plow installed directly to the 9230, one operator can create a folded, finished product in one clean process.  "Not only did this increase our production of reports from 4,000 to 12,500 per hour, it also reduced folder waste and turn times," says Gates. 

Primarily a black +1 spot color shop, ACT produces a never-ending variety of test booklets, conference invitations, agendas, fliers and worksheets. Four-color work consists of high quality short-run brochures, conference and marketing materials, as well as personalized 4-color certificates. ACT also produces a large volume of variable reporting tools. During a four-month production window, approximately 4.5 million 11" x 17" Student Score Reports (SSRs) are produced for examinees who take ACT's PLAN® and EXPLORE® assessments. Accompanying these SSRs are school-level aggregated data reports.

"Having an extremely robust variable data processing system is a must to meet the demanding turnaround times," she explains. "Sending raw data to a reporting system is the fastest way to achieve quick printing. Our data streams to us via a secure network and is transformed into paper AFP reports for the printers."

Utilizing a forms layout tool known as Print Net, ACT has the flexibility to create many types of reports on the fly. Paired with an automation system, the print shop can receive thousands of pages to print one day and have everything output the next day, ready to ship. 

Gates notes that they are currently evaluating the possibility of receiving and printing high-volume, fully composed PDF files. While the shop is primarily set up to run AFP files, there's a need to print on-line reports as well.  "Expanding our current PRISMA Production System to allow for faster PDF ripping throughput is critical to ensure the files are received and printed according to our service level agreement." 

QR codes is another avenue offering huge potential. "This new cross media tool opens endless possibilities for us. It allows our customers to jump from their printed piece to the web in seconds." 

Advice for Other In-Plants

Based on this shop's success, what advice would Gates give other in-plants? "It may sound simple, but always pay attention to how your print work is delivered on your device." For example, while recently using their 4 color unit, they noticed sheets that were not intended to duplex, running through the duplex tray. "Face up or face down can really make the difference when time is of the essence," she says. "By simply switching the output to face up, we increased the amount of work we could run in half the time." 

Another sage piece of advice -- never say no to a print job. "We do everything we can to get the job done and done well. And if we can't produce the job as requested, I always offer alternate printing ideas. Many customers will happily agree to change a binding style or move from 4-color to spot color to hit a deadline or keep the job in-house. Top that off with providing excellent print and you've got a customer for life!"