Once the exclusive domain of copy and print shops, full-color output systems are finally making their way into faith-based organizations. These systems, originally deemed too expensive for everyday use, are showing up in churches of every size, enabling staff members to produce attractive, eye-catching documents — including bulletins, handouts, newsletters, membership directories, Sunday school materials and a variety of documents used to promote fundraising, outreach and mission work.
           
The main driver of color is capital cost. A growing number of color systems are becoming more affordable for faith-based organizations to purchase and more easy to cost-justify.
           
The challenge, of course, is knowing what color system will best meet your needs.

Color Is in the Eye of the Beholder
Because there are so many variables to consider, comparing color output can be frustrating. Some color output devices cost less than $1,000, while others cost more than $10,000.
           
Although many types of color output seem similar, each one can be placed on a continuum that stretches from “business color” at the least-expensive end to “creative color” at the most-expensive end. Here are four key reasons why business color is more affordable.
           
1. Color quality. This refers to color characteristics that are visible to the naked eye. Business color quality is pleasing and familiar. It is acceptable for all non-photographic images (such as charts, graphs and illustrations) and is adequate for some photographic images. Creative color, however, is ideal for reproducing lifelike photographic images and highlighting subtle differences in color and tone. Creative color is generally used in high-end graphic design and print-for-pay applications.
           
2. How color works. This refers to the science behind the output device. (Don’t run for cover — it’s not as complicated as you may think.) Business color output devices use a color print engine similar to that of a black-and-white laser printer. When the electronic file is sent to the device, two pieces of data (“bits”) are used to describe the color of each pixel. With a monochrome printer, the engine describes each pixel as on (black) or off (white). Color devices use the same process four times, once for each of the four primary printing colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). For example, during the cyan pass, each pixel is characterized as on (cyan) or off (white). By combining these four colors of toner with gradations in different combinations, business color devices can generate a wide variety of colors. Creative color devices can reproduce 256 shades of each primary color, representing up to 16.8 million colors. Generally, this level of color is not critical for the documents faith-based organizations use every day.
           
3. Type of output. This refers to the kinds of documents generally associated with each kind of color. Business color is generally used in documents that combine text with a handful of color images and graphics, as well as documents that use “highlight colors” to lend special emphasis to a certain section or block of text. Business color is also appropriate for organizations that produce a variety of color and black-and-white documents. Creative color is used in dedicated full-color printing environments, where high-end color output is used for page layouts, photo reproductions and finished marketing literature.
           
4. Application software. One of the easiest ways to tell whether you should be using business color or creative color is to look at your application software. If you’re working in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint, business color would best fit your needs. If you’re working in QuarkXpress, Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop, you probably require a more robust and higher-priced creative color output device.

The Right Fit for Your Application
Just as there is a wide range of color output you can produce, there is a similarly wide range of equipment available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. When choosing a color output device, you should always start with your application — what do you need to do? — not the specifications of the hardware. Common applications of color output in faith-based communications generally include the following:
• Church communications that are customized with photos and new information, including newsletters, pre-printed bulletins, youth ministry materials, bi-weekly or monthly newsletters, music programs and parishioner directories
• Educational materials, including classroom handouts, flyers, and posters, daily lesson plans and Sunday school materials — all of which can be energized with color
• Administrative documents, including registration packets, committee and budget reports, and other correspondence

By starting with your applications — instead of the bells and whistles on the system in question — you can ensure your organization acquires a color system that makes financial sense, improves productivity and allows you to reach your audience quickly and efficiently.

Kicking the Tires
Now you’re ready to look at some hardware. The good news is that you have a lot more choices than you did as recently as five years ago. Here are some of the categories you will want to explore:
• Laser printers. A desktop color laser printer is suitable for printing low volumes of color documents. A console laser printer will be the right choice if you run higher volumes but you do not have a very wide variety of documents. In other words, if you always create bulletins, newsletters and reports but are not focused on education or marketing materials, a laser printer will likely suit your needs.
• Digital duplicators. Digital duplicators can handle very high volumes and can produce documents with one or two spot colors. Digital duplicators have more limited print capabilities than copiers and printers, but are generally faster and have a lower price-per-page for high-volume jobs (more than 30 copies). Newer models can print up to 130 copies per minute, making them perfect for predictable large-run jobs, like bulletins.
• Digital multifunction products (MFPs). Digital MFPs combine laser printing, digital copying, scanning and faxing in a single device. These MFPs provide the most options in terms of color mix. Some handle mostly black-and-white with some color; others handle equal volumes of black-and-white and color. These systems are also good for faith-based organizations that want to consolidate several office systems to save space and eliminate the costs of separate, single-function units.

Of course, there is a wide range of options for each device, from output speed to color quality to finishing options. Here are some additional factors to consider.
• Productivity. You will need a reasonably accurate estimate of the number of documents you produce and the average size of the document. Even if the monthly page count is identical, two churches will have very different needs for output speed, depending on the type and frequency of the documents being produced. Do you print large batches of four-page weekly bulletins several times a month, or a parishioner directory with 50-plus pages that is produced quarterly?
• Cost structure. Like many faith-based organizations, your purchasing decisions are made infrequently. Budgets are tight, so “nice to have” investments are few and far between. When it comes to color output systems, you may need to educate key decision-makers about the practical, cost-saving benefits of color and its positive effect on the ministry.
• Color balance. How often will you produce color output? An organization that uses black-and-white and color in equal percentages will need a different system than an organization that uses color for 80% of the time, or one that uses color just 25% of the time.
• Finishing. Faith-based organizations frequently produce finished communications that require collating, stapling and folding. With electronic finishing, a digital MFP can manage the job from start to finish. This means users don’t have to stand at the machine and wait for copies, then collate, fold and staple documents manually.
• On-demand printing. A document server is a hard drive within a digital MFP that can be used to store frequently used documents and print them on demand. In fact, the MFP can store the document along with instructions on how to prepare the document in its finished form. This allows your staff — including volunteers with little computer experience — to produce documents quickly and easily.           
• Service. Service is an important aspect often overlooked by organizations when evaluating color output systems. But, in reality, service is just as important as the system. Even though digital systems are easier to use than older machines, they still require regular maintenance and attention. Inevitably there will be a time when you need prompt, helpful service. The best vendors provide exceptional, responsive service, because they know it is the secret to a successful long-term relationship with any customer.

Weslie Powell is a product marketing manager for Lanier. He has more than 28 years of experience in the office equipment industry, serving in roles as sales representative, sales trainer, digital specialist, sales manager, district manager and regional color sales manager.

Product Roundup

MZ790 Printer-Duplicator from Riso
RISO, Inc. recently unveiled its newest product, the MZ790 Printer-Duplicator.  Engineered to provide speed, versatility, high-quality output and outstanding ease of use, the MZ790 gives users a choice between printing in a single color or adding the power and immediacy of a second color, all in a single compact machine. RISO’s advanced technology makes color separation, master-making and two-color printing easier than ever before. With RISO’s new Easy 2 Colorprocess, the MZ790 eliminates the need to prepare separate originals for each color. Now users can easily print in two colors with just one original. Master-making takes just seconds for either one- or two-color jobs, so jobs are ready to start printing in less than one minute. 
www.riso.com

Canon Color imageRUNNER C2620/C3220
With the introduction of the Canon Color imageRUNNER C2620/C3220, Canon's definition of true multifunctional color has finally been met. As the premier Color imagePlatform device incorporating MEAP (Multifunctional Embedded Application Platform), with the unique ability to adapt to your specific business applications, the Color imageRUNNER C2620/C3220 will set the new industry standard for general office-color multifunctional devices. With the ability to attain speeds of up to 26/32 pages per minute for both color and black-and-white output, in a compact, user-friendly design, the Color imageRUNNER C2620/C3220 delivers unsurpassed productivity and versatility to every workgroup user. Exceptional multifunction performance is achieved through a dual 250Mhz processor design, 1GB RAM and a 40GB hard disk provided as standard equipment.
www.usa.canon.com

DP-460H from Duplo
Duplo introduces the world’s first and only air-fed duplicator, the DP-460H. The revolutionary vacuum-feed system of this digital printing system reduces markings caused by conventional feed rollers and can handle a wide variety of paper stocks and sizes. Two separate fans ensure accurate and consistent feeding, quickly making image shift a problem of the past. This versatile new printing machine offers a cost-effective, alternative solution to short run offset printing, providing single and spot color at 600x600 dpi resolution, perfect for the commercial print market. The DP-460H upholds immaculate registration crucial for spot color, NCR, and envelope printing. It has the industry’s only feed and stack capacity of 3,000 sheets. The offset stacking function allows jobs to automatically offset at the end of a print run, which means jobs can be separated without the use of a tape inserter kit.
www.duplousa.com