Michigan Technological University’s in-plant learning about Colter & Peterson’s new PRISM paper cutter

When opportunity knocked, Rodney Thompson answered. The manager of printing and mail services at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan had an opportunity to replace damaged equipment. He’s now had a new Colter & Peterson 36-inch PRISM® paper cutter with Microcut® for nearly two months, and the early reports are encouraging.

“I’m happy with it. We use it every day and the accuracy is very good,”said Thompson, a 35-year printing pro who has run the university’s print shop for 22-1/2 years. “We had an unusual rain storm that stalled and dumped a lot of rain up here. Our shop was eight inches deep in water and the equipment was damaged. When I received approval to replace the paper cutter, I went to see our dealer, Grafix Plus in Wisconsin. We did some research, made some calls and found the PRISM. I liked what I saw and I’m impressed with the quality of the machine.”

Small in-plant operation with a worldwide impact

Thompson’s digital shop at MTU is small by any standard at just 2,100 square feet. But this efficient in-plant operation is all about the quality of the work that is performed. The campus in Houghton, tucked away in the far northern point of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and only a few miles from Lake Superior, is home to 7,200 undergraduate and graduate students that represent 50 countries from around the world. He prints work for nearly every department, which means the new paper cutter is being kept busy.

“It’s typically cutting 26-by-40 inch and 23-by-35 inch sheets.We do a lot of parent size sheets and various sizes down to business cards,” Thompson said. “Our run lengths are all over the board. We’ll cut 100 business cards and run 5,000 commencement bulletins that are eight pages and saddled stitched before we trim them. There’s also new student recruitment information and variable data work on postcards and other things that require personalization. Everything keeps us very busy five days a week.”

Thompson said his print shop uses an MGI Meteor 8700XL printer for 40-inch sheet work, in addition to a Canon C750 that prints up to 30-inches. The MGI machine prints on poly vinyl, which Thompson then cuts with the PRISM.

“Previously we had a Perfecta paper cutter and there is a world of difference between it and this new machine. The PRISM has cut some vinyl labels, in addition to coated and uncoated stocks and booklets,” he said. 

“With Microcut, I like the ease of use of the machine and the on-screen menu. It’s time saving and a lot of easier than what we had before. It’s really a simple and highly efficient machine.”