A mediocre, Contex-alternative scanner created a host of challenges for Dynamic Reprographics. Image quality issues and a non-intuitive interface made scanning projects of all sizes frustrating for the repro shop and its customers. Some large projects couldn’t even be accepted because the post-scanning editing time was cost prohibitive.
Dynamic Reprographics brought in a Contex wide format scanner to do side by side comparisons with its existing scanner. The difference was like night and day. Easy to use, high quality results, and automated functionality drew praise from the team.
Dynamic Reprographics can easily handle projects of all sizes, and deliver quality results at a fraction of the time. The shop is also courting new client in the arts communities.
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Never one to turn down business, Texas-based Dynamic Reprographics, learned how to be resourceful when it came to its scanning services. To reproduce a single blueprint for one if its architectural design or engineering clients was simple enough, but operating its existing scanner was anything but. The 4-year old, 42-inch scanner was frustrating to use, and making matters worse, it produced mediocre results that required significant touch-ups.
Dynamic Reprographics put a 44-inch Contex scanner side by side with its existing scanner. Immediately, the team was impressed with the speed, quality and productivity capabilities. With just the push of a button, they created the most accurate scans.
This alone was justification to make the switch to the Contex scanner, but there was more. Much more.
Dyanmic Reprographic's Story
Dynamic Reprographics is a 44-year old company with a large customer base of architects, engineers, and others in the construction industry. Customers regularly turn to the reprographics shop to produce RFQ presentations, blueprints and scans.
“Our job is to make our customers look good so they can win more business,” comments Jarrett Hirtz, Color Production Manager, Dynamic Reprographics. “We have a strong reputation for quality service. People come to us because we can do what other shops can’t.”
Scanning is a daily activity at Dynamic Reprographics, from a few times a day to round-the-clock for large-scale archiving projects. Dynamic relied on its relatively new scanner but it was challenging to use, and making matters worse, its mediocre output required significant editing.
Rarely did Dynamic Reprographics turn away jobs, but there were some projects that the company couldn’t accept. Hirtz comments, “Some projects required a ton of digital editing, while others just wouldn’t work out.” He adds, “The scanner couldn’t pick up watercolor artwork or blueprints with light lines. Line weights in a plan set is critical information. If not scanned accurately, a building has the potential to be built incorrectly.”
Side by Side Comparisons
Setting out to improve operations and scan quality, Dynamic brought in a Contex 44-inch IQ Quattro wide format scanner with Nextimage REPRO, for side by side comparisons. The Contex scanners are competitively priced, which Dynamic valued. Moreso, the Dynamic team marveled over the scanner’s speed, image quality, and productivity.
It was a no brainer.
“Our previous scanner had banding issues, and we’d get variations of light and dark strips. With the Contex scanner, we get a nice, clean uniform look. What you put in the machine is what it reproduces. There’s no work afterwards.”
“The results were remarkable, with just a push of the button, ” Hirtz notes. “The main thing for us is the color adjustment. Not having to do anything on the back end after we’re finished makes the scanning process easy. The Contex scanner is very intuitive.”
Nextimage Eliminates Steps and Photoshop
“We love the capabilities of Nextimage. Before, we had to manually rotate documents after the scan. With a click of the button, it automatically rotates. We can assign the whites to be whiter or the darks to be darker. It displays in real time, with the adjustments already made. I can tell it to be whatever color I want,” comments Hirtz. “It’s as close to Photoshop results before you even run the job. The user friendliness of Nextimage is what surprised me the most.”
Hirtz’s team uses the Nextimage scanning software to automatically set sizes, adjust colors, change orientation, and add page numbering. Previously, this was a labor-intensive manual process, especially for large projects as each scanned file was edited in Photoshop to remove black lines or correct banding issues, then saved and compressed.
“Before, we had to look at each PDF to check the quality, and edit accordingly. Today, we still check the PDFs. Fortunately now, we don’t have to edit each one.” comments Hirtz.
With the new Contex wide format scanner, Dynamic simply checks the first scan in a large project, establishes the settings, then begins the scanning process. The new workflow allows the Dynamic staff to complete scans in a fraction of the time, and challenging projects are now welcomed.
Generating More Revenue
Dynamic Reprographics recognizes the potential for increasing its earnings with the investment of a Contex scanner. “We can reach out to local artists, to help them reproduce or archive their valuable artwork,” Hirtz notes.
With fragile documents, Dynamic takes extra precaution by placing it into a protective sleeve. Previously, this sleeve would create light reflection and result in extreme banding. The Contex scanner eliminates any issues with delicate documents.
“Employee satisfaction is a big part of our company, and reducing employee frustration in the workplace is important,” comments Hirtz. “We make sure people are happy with the tools they are working with. The Contex scanner changed everything for the better.”
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