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CASE STUDY

Konica Minolta Delivers Speed, Savings And Simplicity To Iowa State Fair’s Print Operations

With New Wide-Format Technology, The Fair’s Print Shop Completes Multi-Day Jobs In Hours

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“Our setup and workflow have become incredibly efficient. Once we got comfortable with the Asanti software, we were able to queue jobs quickly and keep production moving without constantly returning to the computer. We simply check materials and confirm manual settings—beyond that, the system runs flawlessly. The Colex cutter has been outstanding as well; we’re able to send one sheet for cutting while the next is already printing, which has dramatically improved our throughput.”

Kent Daugherty

Sign & Graphic Print Technician, Iowa State Fair

The Situation

The internationally acclaimed Iowa State Fair is the largest event in Iowa and ranks among the oldest, most prominent agricultural and industrial expositions in the country. Annually attracting more than a million people from all over the world, the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines is Iowa’s great celebration, a salute to the state’s best in agriculture, industry, entertainment and achievement.

The event, running for eleven days every August, requires a tremendous amount of signage produced in the Iowa State Fair’s in-house print shop. Relying on two small roll-fed machines, the shop spent an excessive amount of time producing signs and struggled to meet the growing workload. When the shop’s devices approached end of life, the team sought out more efficient technology capable of keeping up with the jobs they were intaking.

The Iowa State Fair was looking to print direct to substrate, increase speed and wanted the capability to do both flat and roll-fed printing. A majority of the work – approximately 90% – was printed on Coroplast, since most signs are only up for a little less than two weeks a year. The print shop also needed to produce a lot of banners for the fairgrounds.

The Solution

After assessing the Iowa State Fair print shop’s requirements, the Konica Minolta area sales rep recommended the AccurioWide 250 2.5M hybrid UV LED wide format inkjet printer, Asanti software and Colex cutter - all of which could be installed at the same time. Given limited shop space, equipment size was a key consideration. The AccurioWide 250 not only met their production needs but also fit seamlessly within the existing floorplan. As the shop’s first industrial-size hybrid printer, it marked a significant upgrade in capability without requiring additional space.

“We were able to expand our capabilities without expanding our physical space, and that’s made a tremendous difference. The shop feels larger in terms of production output. The ability to print quickly and have jobs ready to go immediately is a game-changer, and adjusting quality settings is far more intuitive compared to our previous equipment.”

~ Kent Daugherty, Sign & Graphic Print Technician, Iowa State Fair.

Installation was completed swiftly and without disruption, with Konica Minolta’s White Glove Service program ensuring smooth, simultaneous coordination of hardware and software training. The AccurioWide 250 requires minimal maintenance, and Konica Minolta’s responsive technical support quickly resolves any issues or questions – most often by phone. Its intuitive and user-friendly design allows operators to adapt quickly and maintain steady production, according to the Iowa State Fair.

The Impact

Konica Minolta’s AccurioWide 250 has dramatically transformed print production capabilities for the Iowa State Fair, who describes the speed as “overwhelming.” This leap in efficiency has been transformative, especially during fair season when the print shop faces nonstop rapid-fire requests. Because the print shop serves repeat customers with familiar needs, their workflow is highly optimized. Konica Minolta’s technology has allowed them to gain back significant time, meet high-volume demands with ease, and deliver consistent, high-quality results under pressure. Operators who sometimes double as graphic designers now have more time to devote to layout and design.

The introduction of the new devices has significantly enhanced operational efficiency and productivity, while also delivering notable financial savings. Beyond the financial impact, the workload is considerably less mentally and physically demanding, with a notable decrease in required hours to complete tasks. Material costs have been substantially reduced thanks to the streamlined process, eliminating the need for masking materials and adhesive vinyl, and enabling direct printing materials and adhesive vinyl, and enabling direct printing onto Coroplast.

“Our relationship with Konica Minolta has been excellent. Their team is consistently responsive and supportive whenever we need assistance. The installation and training processes were seamless, and the transition has been smooth for everyone involved. We’ve had a great experience – no complaints!”

~ Brian M. Borst, Printing & Graphics Supervisor, Iowa State Fair

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Improvment over previous 20 min prints:

1 - 2 min print time for 24" x 36" signs

Production time reduced:

From 3.5 days to 1 (3 – 4 hours for doublesided prints)

Reduced overtime costs:

$5,000 to $8,000 over just two months

Other benefits:

Material costs substantially reduced, team no longer stressed by urgent job influx

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