Royal Printing's New Press Sustains Ballot Specialty
OKLAHOMA CITY—Ballot printing specialist Royal Printing has installed a new Océ ColorStream 10000 Flex digital press that is replacing three offset presses. The acquisition enhanced the printer's productivity, but it also helped preserve key accounts.
The move was sparked, in part, by the introduction of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). It mandates that ballot printers accommodate the exacting requirements of electronic voting machines, and that they are able to produce variable size, variable color and variable data (sequentially numbered and barcoded) ballots.
Royal Printing President Kelley Thomas knew that the company’s offset workflow was not up to the task. She spent months researching the digital press offerings before she decided on the Océ ColorStream 10000 Flex Press.
“Digital printing was completely new to us,” Thomas said. “And Océ was the only company that did a thorough analysis of every aspect of the entire workflow before recommending a solution.”
Now, Royal is able to produce 100,000 ballots in one shift. “That means we’ll be able to print 2 million ballots in 20 days, (which is) unheard of,” Thomas said.