Dusty and George:
Thanks so much for all the info.  It was exactly what I was looking for and 
will help alot in convincing the Board which way we should go.  I've spent 
some time making sure we have a strong stand-alone computer for graphics and 
the Adobe Suite to work with.  Since I built the computer (I spent under 
$800 for it), and after this many years in arts and museums, graphics come 
as second nature, so we're on the right track.  It also helps that I'm 
teaching a few volunteers to do mounting.

Thanks again!  And I'll take you up on your offer for offline talk, George.
Cheers to you both,
Tom Bennett
Executive Director
(The Reluctant Director)
Alaska Museum of Natural History
201 North Bragaw
Anchorage, AK 99508
www.alaskamuseum.org




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "George Garner" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 6:38 AM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Question on plotters


> Hi Tom,
>
> A couple of years ago my museum wrestled with the same decision. They 
> decided (before I came on board, FYI) to buy an Epson SylusPro 9600 44" 
> wide plotter. It cost an arm and a leg (seriously, I can't remember how 
> much, but it wasn't cheap then and it's around $5,000 now), but it is a 
> sweet machine. And over time, it is cheaper than outsourcing. My printer 
> has 7 ink wells that cost about $80 each (list price is $110, but I found 
> some cheaper sources), and paper is about $100 a roll (list price is about 
> $150). We sometimes do work for other museums or charge different 
> departments, and my cost for a full color graphic mounted on foam core is 
> about $0.02/square inch. That does not cover costs for the 
> designer/producer's time, nor do I build wear and tear on the machine into 
> my price. I only include paper, ink, mounting adhesive, and foam core 
> costs.
>
> So it is definitely cheaper monetarily to do it in-house versus an outside 
> print company, but be aware of the time and expertise it will take to do 
> it in-house. You'll have to purchase good design software (e.g. Quark or 
> Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and/or Photoshop (around $500–1000 more)), 
> have a good computer (a cheap Dell won't do – look to spend around $1000), 
> find someone who knows graphics design and knows how to print and mount. A 
> typical graphic can take about an hour from start to finish. More if 
> you're starting from scratch, less if you've got a bunch with similar 
> design (e.g. label copy). And if you make a mistake anywhere in the 
> process, you have to do it again.
>
> Producing graphics in-house will force you and your staff to start 
> thinking like print professionals. You'll have to think about equipment 
> maintenance, keeping a steady inventory of supplies, and the significant 
> increase in time and effort required of you and your staff. A lot of 
> people believe printing graphics is an easy task. I can't tell you how 
> many times I've heard, "Can we just have George make a sign?" thinking I 
> need to just plug stuff into Word and hit print like their printers. It 
> doesn't quite work that way. :) Most people – perhaps including your 
> board – are used to the ease that modern inkjet printers offer home users. 
> But to get the quality and size of graphic you're looking for, much more 
> time, effort, and expertise will be required. This may or may not be worth 
> the monetary savings depending on your institution.
>
> Hope that helps, and I'll be happy to talk more offline about our decision 
> and its ramifications.
>
> Best,
> George Garner
>
> ---
> George Garner
> Director of Exhibitions
> Center for History
> 808 West Washington, South Bend, IN 46601
> www.centerforhistory.org // (574) 235-9664
> 

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