SYSTEM INTEGRATION -- Process Ins and Outs

The work paid off. Today, the direct mail and commercial printer has systems in place that enable it to use data captured in prepress to preset the ink keys on all of its sheetfed and web presses. Along the way, the company did hit another snag when it switched to a new front-end system. "Both manufacturers were very good about working to resolve the problem, but it took some going back and forth. Ultimately, the fix required patches to the software on both ends," the prepress manager says. "Fortunately, we are a large enough company that we could devote the resources to get it done." (In 2000, Japs-Olson's sales exceeded $120 million and it employed almost 700 people.)