K2 Customer Spotlight
PPS / ZIP Print
So here’s the thing about PPS / ZIP Print. They didn’t just wake up one day and decide to be some big-deal print operation. They started in presort mail back in 1999 in Amarillo, Texas — which, if you’ve never been, is serious about getting mail where it’s supposed to go. Then in 2008 they moved into digital print, because apparently just being great at presort mail wasn’t ambitious enough.
And then in 2020, right when the world was losing its mind, they bought Zip Print — a commercial printer that’s been around since the early 1970s. So now you’ve got this whole operation that’s half modern direct-mail machine and half old-school commercial print shop with real history. We kind of like that.
They’re full-service — the real kind, not the “we say that on our website” kind. Retail, nonprofits, agriculture, education, banking — you name it. If somebody needs something printed and mailed without it turning into a disaster, PPS / ZIP Print probably handles it.
CUSTOMER:
PPS / ZIP Print
Neptune, NJ
PRODUCT:
K2 Workflow
Their pressroom is honestly ridiculous. Six digital presses and four offset presses, all in-house. Two Kyocera 15000c inkjet production printers, a Ricoh C9200, a Xerox V280, a Xante Impressia envelope press, and a ColorMax 8. Then on the offset side, a Heidelberg Speedmaster 4-color, two Ryobi 3302s, and a Halm Superjet. It’s not exactly a lemonade stand.
Travis Muniz, their Prepress Lead, is the guy making sure everything doesn’t fall apart before it hits paper. For a while, they were running Xitron Sierra for offset and a Xerox Fiery workstation for digital. Which worked, technically. But it was like having two separate brains trying to run one body. You can do it, but it’s not exactly smooth.
“We were seeking a solution to increase the speed of our workflow,” Travis says. Which is a very professional way of saying they were tired of things taking longer than they should.
So they moved to K2.
Now everything — offset plates, digital imposition, even heavy variable data for direct mail — runs through one workflow. One brain. Travis put it pretty plainly: using a single workflow to move jobs to production, offset and digital, gave them the boost they were looking for.
And here’s the part that’s actually interesting. Printing is full of weird little problems. Files act up. Data gets strange. Something always decides to be difficult five minutes before deadline. Travis said, “Unique challenges will always arise in printing. Having this new workflow has been instrumental in quickly pinpointing a problem and just as quickly presenting a solution.”
That’s the difference. Not that problems disappear. They never do. It’s that you don’t feel like the system is fighting you while you’re trying to fix them.
When asked if K2 performed up to expectations, Travis didn’t launch into some dramatic speech. He just said, “I think so. Our production team’s new challenge is keeping up with our output.”
Which, honestly, is the kind of problem you want.
What’s kind of refreshing is that they’re not pretending the industry is easy. Travis admits you can Google “print online” and get about a million options in half a second. That’s the world now. So being competitive means being dependable. Fast. Efficient. Not flaky. Having tools in-house that let you exceed expectations instead of just meeting them.
That’s really what this whole thing comes down to. PPS / ZIP Print isn’t trying to be flashy. They’re trying to be good. And fast. And reliable. And competitive in a world that doesn’t cut anybody much slack.
When asked if they’d consider Xitron again? “Absolutely.”
No drama. No phoniness. Just a shop that figured out if you’re going to compete, you’d better have a workflow that can keep up.
And apparently, now it does.
Kirms Printing Company
EQUIPPED TO HANDLE everything from high-quality commercial sheetfed jobs to web press runs, Kirms Printing has been serving customers for nearly a century. Founded 99 years ago, this family-owned operation continues to evolve while maintaining the craftsmanship and service that has sustained it for
generations.
Their equipment lineup includes a Heidelberg Speedmaster and a DGM (Goss Community) Web Press, and an alfa CTP system. Together, they form the backbone of production for a wide range of customer needs.
When the shop’s aging Fujifilm XMF workflow began showing its limitations, owner Kevin Kirms started searching for a replacement. “Price, output quality, and usability were the most important features for us,” Kevin said. “The old program had started to develop quirks, and it was clearly being aged out.”
“When switching programs like this, it can get nerve-wracking.
Xitron’s support made all the difference.” – Kevin Kirms
After evaluating their options, the decision was made to install Xitron’s K2 workflow. The transition, often the most stressful part of a major software change, proved smoother than expected. “The customer service has been excellent,” Kevin explained. “When switching programs like this, it can get nerve-wracking and there’s always a learning curve. Xitron was fantastic at getting me up and running — from the sales team, to the two people who sat with me until I was comfortable during install, all the way to the end when I put in some assistance requests. Having a team that’s super knowledgeable and ready to help like this is really just comforting.”
Since the installation, Kirms Printing has enjoyed consistent performance and the peace of mind that comes from a modern, supported system. Kevin says he would recommend Xitron to other shops facing similar needs, and would not hesitate to consider their products again in the future.
Looking to the future, Kevin is optimistic: “We’re hoping to make it another 99 years. Although some parts of printing are dying, there are lots that are growing.”
Missouri State Senate
Equipped to meet the printing needs of a legislative body, the Missouri State Senate’s full-service print shop has been producing everything from customized business cards and letterhead to newsletters and postcards since the 1970s. Serving the employees and members of the Senate, the shop also handles mailing for their publications—ensuring communications reach constituents quickly and professionally.
When their long-trusted Xitron Sierra prepress software and Raster Blaster Tiff Catcher approached end-of-life, Print Shop Supervisor Kurtis Uthe knew it was time to find a new solution. “Our biggest concern was having a smooth transition,” Kurtis said. “We needed something compatible with our older equipment and backed by great customer support.”
The Senate’s pressroom includes two Ryobi 3404E-DI presses, a Konica Minolta 4070 color copier, and two Konica Minolta 6136 black-and-white copiers. All are critical to daily operations, and the shop needed a workflow that could drive them reliably.
After exploring their options, the team invested in Xitron’s K2 workflow. Installation and training took just one week, and Kurtis was impressed with the results.
“K2 has performed excellently for us, said Kurtis. “It makes our existing workflows smoother and creating new ones much simpler.”
The improved, streamlined interface was a welcome change from their previous system, and the ability to integrate seamlessly with both offset and digital equipment meant no production slowdowns. “Xitron made it very easy and pleasant to upgrade,” Kurtis added. “Their personable sales staff and knowledgeable install/training team made it feel like others were invested in helping us succeed the entire time.”
Xitron’s commitment to supporting legacy equipment while delivering modern workflow capabilities mirrors the Senate print shop’s own philosophy—maintain what works but be ready to adapt when change is necessary. It’s a combination that ensures this in-house operation will continue meeting the Senate’s needs for years to come.
CUSTOMER:
Kirms Printing Co.
Neptune, NJ
PRODUCT:
K2 Workflow
CUSTOMER:
Missouri State Senate
Jefferson City, MO
PRODUCT:
K2 Workflow
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together. If you require immediate assistance, click here to contact a Xitron sales manager.