Inkjet & Digital Printing

Océ Collaborates with Michelin to Help Preserve a National Treasure

Tuesday 09. October 2012 - See the "Official Guide to Yellowstone Park" printed live at Graph Expo booth #400

Océ, a Canon Group Company and an international leader in digital document management, today announced an exciting collaboration that’s playing a key role in helping to preserve one of America’s most awe-inspiring wonderlands.
Océ has joined Michelin North America in supporting the Yellowstone Park Foundation, the official fund-raising partner of Yellowstone National Park. At the heart of the collaboration is the publication of the inaugural edition of “The Yellowstone Park Foundation’s Official Guide to Yellowstone National Park.”
More than a maker of tires, Michelin has also established itself as one of the world’s foremost providers of travel guides. Yet the company had never produced a national park guide. So when Michelin approached the Foundation about producing the first official guide to Yellowstone National Park, the Foundation immediately recognized the tremendous potential. The only question that remained was how the nonprofit organization was going to fund its production.
“This Guide was an enormous opportunity to help spread the message of the Park, but we didn’t quite know how we were going to be able to afford to produce it,” says Tom Porter, corporate relations manager, Yellowstone Park Foundation. “A major hurdle was cleared for us when Océ stepped up and offered to print the Guide.”
High Expectations, Impressive Results
Océ printed the Guide on the Océ ColorStream 3000 series inkjet printing system with covers printed on the Canon imagePRESS system. The resulting 106-page publication captures the magic of a visit to Yellowstone National Park through in-depth, carefully curated content that includes tours, time-maximizing itineraries, insider tips from park experts, and reliable recommendations for sightseeing and shopping, along with full color photos and maps of the park.
“Océ exceeded all of our expectations in terms of the quality of the printing, the quality of the paper, and ultimately what this guide would deliver in terms of its impression upon a visitor or a potential buyer that picks it up,” says Porter. “It feels like a high-quality piece that’s worth the price that’s on the cover and that’s worthy of the Michelin name.”
“The Océ ColorStream 3000 series inkjet press was the ideal choice because its high-resolution, vivid full-color inkjet printing brings all the wonders of Yellowstone to life,” said Kris Albee, Director, Product Marketing, Production Printing Systems division of Océ North America, a Canon Group company.
Attendees of Graph Expo can see a demonstration of the Guide being printed in the Canon booth #400. Limited quantities will be available for attendees to take home with them.
The Foundation expects to raise upwards of a quarter-million dollars from sales of the Guide’s initial run of 100,000 copies. That kind of funding is crucial to preserving one of America’s most beloved natural treasures for generations to come. The success of the venture also speaks to the larger message of how great things can be accomplished when public and private entities join forces to benefit the greater good.
“The Michelin Guide is a great example of what can be accomplished with a public/private partnership,” says Porter. “It really embodies how we work by bringing in partners with expertise to work together for a common purpose, which is to help spread the message of protecting and preserving Yellowstone National Park.”
The official fundraising partner organization to Yellowstone National Park since 1996, the Foundation has raised $65 million for over 200 projects in the last 15 years. In addition to donations from private individuals, the Foundation relies on corporate partners to help fund key projects that are not covered by federal appropriations. Since 2002, Canon USA has been a proud partner of the Foundation, contributing millions of dollars to aid in the preservation of endangered wildlife. Through its Eyes on Yellowstone program, Canon also provides the web cam and supportive technology that makes it possible to feature live streaming video of Old Faithful, allowing millions of people to experience the wonders of Yellowstone.
“The Yellowstone Park Foundation’s Official Guide to Yellowstone National Park” can be ordered at http://www.shopmichelin.com or purchased on-site at the park.