Bob Jones University Press has installed a new digital press that can print a 700-page biology textbook within 6.5 seconds. Stephanie Mirah/Staff
GREENVILLE — For decades, Bob Jones University Press operated in an old-fashioned way, starting and stopping metal machinery to change printing plates and relying on human eyes to catch errors.
The Christian textbook publisher has now replaced its outdated machinery with a newer version. This will allow BJU Press to become a fully digital print shop.
The university invested $12 million with financing help from Truist Bank to bring in a Hewlett Packard T-485 PageWide Digital Press — which operates like a giant laser ink printer — and a binding machine from Muller Martini.
In 6.5 seconds, a 700-page, fully bound biology textbook can be thrown out of the press. In 30 minutes, President of the BJU Press Bill Apelian estimated the new press can go through nine miles of paper — almost 158 football fields.
Bob Jones University Press invested $12 Million to acquire an HP T-485 PageWide Digital Press. This will allow the printing company to move closer to being fully computerized. Provided by Bob Jones University
The press has increased production speeds by nearly 300%, which is important as sales have increased more than 48% since 2019. There are many benefits to the new press, such as a lower rate of errors. You can correct mistakes immediately and save money by running small runs.
Apelian was able to make an easy decision to invest in physical printing.
Apelian stated that “schools and homeschools still need paper textbooks.” “That’s not going to change.”
Apelian explained that textbook buyers typically buy both the physical and electronic versions of a textbook.
Most of the materials printed by the press consist of K-12 educational textbooks that are distributed to both homeschool and school groups. Apelian stated that they strive to produce biblically-integrated, academically rigorous material.
This nearly 470-person company sells textbooks in about 130 countries. It estimates around two million students use its materials every day. With the help of a team on-site of writers, the print shop strives to revise their textbooks every five to 6 years.
Steve Pettit, Bob Jones University President, said that “as the largest manufacturer within Greenville’s city limits this new equipment… represents a major investition in the Upstate.”
Because it was becoming more difficult to find repair and replacement parts, the aging machinery had to be replaced. Apelian explained that in order to fix a problem, the university used to have to take someone out of retirement.
Apelian stated that it was time to “move forward into the digital age”.
Bill Apelian (Bob Jones University Press) is second from the right and started the press April 6, 2023. Stephanie Mirah/Staff
The new press was installed in 2022. It runs three shifts daily. The new press uses water-based inks, which adds to its efficiency.
Apelian declared, “It is much more environmentally-friendly.”
The facility’s old press remains in place and is being used to increase capacity. Apelian stated that the old press will likely be taken out of service once all staff are trained in the new press.
BJU’s printing division and distribution centre are approximately 106,000 square feet. The new press occupies about 7,800 square footage. The majority of the books produced are shipped between May to August. The press was founded in 1974.
Follow Stephanie Mirah @stephaniemirah