Production Flexibility with Solimar Systems Keeps Customer Communications Flowing

Shortly after becoming a state, the State of Washington recognized the need for printed communications and, in 1890, established an official State Printer. Always evolving to meet the needs of the local jurisdictions and residents, the print and mail operation continues to adopt and implement technology to provide timely and cost-effective print communications as part of the state’s Department of Enterprise Services (DES).
Managing an entire state’s printed communications is a challenge under normal circumstances. Adding remote and hybrid work schedules and enhanced safety and security protocols to the mix requires a scalable and flexible print production workflow to keep operations flowing smoothly. Washington State’s Print and Mail Services rose to meet customer needs thanks to its robust IT infrastructure supported by highly-automated processes and workflows that leverage solutions from Solimar Systems, including Rubika, SOLfusion, Solimar Print Director Enterprise (SPDE), and, more recently ReadyPDF.
DES Print and Mail prints approaching 160 million pieces annually, with an average monthly mail volume of over 3.7 million. To keep up with the average and peak demand cycles, the operation uses toner and inkjet digital printing technologies in roll-fed and cut-sheet configurations from two vendors. Adopting inkjet printing technology provided speed and cost advantages but required additional workflow considerations to optimize customer-supplied files, often in PDF format, for the AFP and PostScript output formats used by the two print platforms. Solimar caught up with Michael Zimmerman, the Digital Print and Mail Solutions Architect for the State of Washington, to get an update on how Solimar’s Chemistry™ Platform continues to increase flexibility and improve print operations.