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Print shop unveils automated press system
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by George Spain
Information Services
When graphic designers produce a Web site you can expect simple
elegance in form and straightforward utility in function. Visit the new
University Press (UP) site at https://universitypress.musc.edu/musc/Login.aspx to see an example of this in action.
The site is the front end for ordering printed materials through UP’s
small press in the Wachovia Bank Building on Courtenay Street; or its
giant, four-color iGen4 Xerox Digital Press from the printing facility
on Arco Lane. When items are ordered, they generate a job ticket that
is sent to the appropriate press operator, the job is run, packaged,
and shipped to the customer. The system is a customized version of
Bitstream’s PageFlex application.
System designer Geoffrey Cormier and his two staff members, Sherad
Moultrie-Brown and Audrey Czwakiel, have simplified the process for
ordering standard items such as letterhead, envelopes and business
cards. From the document design menu, you can visualize your final
product by adding your name, address, and other details. You also
can view the final product before submitting your order. The team
will be adding other standard products to this process throughout the
year.
Since UP is only available for MUSC enterprise jobs, you can only order
items related to MUSC enterprise business and pay by
Intra-Institutional Transfer (IIT) or User Defined Accounting Key
(UDAK). The items you order will have to conform to the MUSC Graphics
Standards specifying color, font and logos. A link to the graphic
standards can be found at the UP Web site.
Beyond the letterhead and business card standards, you can also submit
a .pdf file of other, customized works created for MUSC services or
activities; anything from brochures to annual reports. UP also
maintains a hotline, 792-8866, to help you sort through problems you
might be having producing your print job, or answer questions about the
application you may be using to create the print job.
“We’ve wanted an online form-fill concept for some time. We wanted
something the customer could easily use and could have a little fun
with,” said Cormier.
A veteran of the Hollywood film industry where he was an art director
for films shooting in local areas, Cormier uses his eye for detail and
background in design to focus on function and simplicity. It
shows in the UP Web site’s home page, which is highly functional.
The business end of the UP Web site opened last Friday [Jan. 30] and had more than 100 sign-ups in the first few hours.
The new ordering system isn’t the only fresh idea coming to UP,
according to James Corr, UP manager. Corr added that within the next
month or so, UP plans to switch to using only recycled paper.
“We’ve wanted to make this switch for a long time, but we had to wait
until our paper stocks ran out in order for the switch to make economic
sense,” Corr said. He said that existing stocks should run out around
the middle of February or early March.
Meanwhile, soy ink is making headway in the printing world, Corr said,
adding “but the inks just aren’t at the point where they are practical
for production use yet.”
Friday, Feb. 6, 2009
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