Learning By Doing

What's it like to run the in-plant at a prominent graphic arts university? We talked to managers at the major schools on each coast, as well as one in the heartland.

By MIKE LLEWELLYN &012;Professor Ken Macro has a lot on his plate nowadays—and he couldn't be happier. Macro is director of Reprographic, Mailing and Shipping (RM&S) Services and a faculty member at California Polytechnic State University, in San Luis Obispo. The fact that he works for one of the most important graphic arts schools in the country has had a large effect on his shop and his career.

Macro says his shop benefits from the enthusiasm and ingenuity of its employees far more than other in-plants for one reason: He employs a large number of graphic communication students.

"The students here are so engaged," he says. "The caliber of student here is just phenomenal."

Macro is not alone. Other schools specializing in the graphic arts, like Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Pittsburg State University, have integrated students into the in-plant at some level. The benefits are clear.

For Macro, one of the best results of using students to fill part time positions is that they're not afraid to roll up their sleeves and start problem solving.

"The students are intrigued," he says. "They've have no problem getting their hands dirty."

Right now, Macro's shop is in the midst of a push into variable data printing, and having the students in his shop is a big help.

"Variable data. There's this huge bridge to cross," he says, "and the students think that's cool and they want to cross it."

Mutually Beneficial Cross-training

On the other side of the country, in the slightly chillier city of Rochester, N.Y., RIT also utilizes graphic arts students in its in-plant.

"We post [job openings], and the students come and work," explains Hilliary Dunn, director of the RIT Hub Print/Postal Services operation. "They receive on-the-spot training."

The in-plant veteran explains that her shop serves as the site for several printing internships, or co-ops, as they're called at RIT. After a semester of immersion in the day-to-day business of the facility, a student can earn required field credit toward his or her degree.

She explains how her shop works this way:

"We are a team," she says. "We work together. We all work as a group. Everybody's cross-trained."

That cross-training is a big benefit for RIT students.

Meanwhile, smack in the center of the country at Pittsburg State University, a Kansas-based school with a large graphics/imaging technologies program, Linda Grilz feels student help is at the core of her Printing and Postal Services operation.

"The number one reason we're here is for education," says Grilz, associate director. "And there is a good deal of education."

Grilz explains that a big plus for the students in her facility is that they are put right into the action.

"The nice thing about Printing Services is that it's a hands-on program. They are actually working on the projects," she says.

Grilz employs about 20 students part time, most of whom are pursuing a printing major.

"They all get hands-on experience with the various printed products that we do," she says.

Grilz explains that a great benefit of having students employed in her shop is the enthusiasm they bring to the job.

"We like to get them young in their career," she says.

For Hilliary Dunn, the big benefit of employing part-time students is that they are user-friendly.

"Having students is beneficial," she says. "It's good for us because we don't have to go through a lot of detailed training." She explains that students come to her shop having already learned the basics.

So Dunn hires a lot of them. She reports that at any given time there are between 30 and 40 students working an average of 12 to 15 hours a week. Eighteen full-time employees staff the in-plant, so the work at Dunn's shop is split fairly evenly between full- and part-time help.

Wouldn't It Be Nice?

Though it's nice to have skilled students working as operators, Grilz says life isn't as easy as some people assume it should be running an in-plant at a graphic arts school.

"It's still very difficult to find skilled full-time operators," she explains. "When I go to hire a press operator, I'm limited in the amount of money I can offer him."

But she says her job is rewarding simply because she has the opportunity to work with the students.

Ken Macro also reports that despite the prestige Cal Poly has in the industry, he faces many of the same problems as other in-plants.

"It's not any easier to find full-time employees," he admits.

To dispel another myth: You might think running an in-plant at Cal Poly or RIT would set you up nicely with vendors eager to donate gear. Fat chance, says Hilliary Dunn. Her shop doesn't get any special deals with manufacturers, she says. Equipment donations go directly to the academic departments for their printing labs.

Hands-on Experience

Still, the students at Grilz's facility get their hands on some pretty impressive equipment. Her in-plant boasts a four-color Heidelberg GTO, a two-color Ryobi, and a one-color Harris.

"We also have an ECRM imagesetter and a Xanté platemaker," she says.

Grilz prides herself on being able to introduce students to the full in-plant experience.

"We like to think of ourselves as the Kinko's of the campus—copy center, bulk mail, USPS," she says. "We can take [a job] all the way to mailing."

Dunn is similarly proud of her in-plant. She says the shop prints four- or five-color jobs, and gets a lot of mileage out of a bank of Xerox DocuColor 12s and a business card printer. The students at RIT's in-plant also have the opportunity to work with a two-color Heidelberg QM46 and a Halm Super Jet press.

And then there's the mailing operation. It's completely automated, says Dunn.

"We have full-blown mailing," she says. "We print per postal regulations and we show customers how to save money by thinking about postage costs when they're designing their project."

Students Run The Show

Ken Macro at Cal Poly explains that his facility breaks down into three major operations: reprographics, mailing and shipping.

"We provide services that are comparable to the services of commercial printers—at 22 percent less money," he says. Macro is proud of the value his in-plant provides for the university, and he knows it's the key to his success.

He staffs 14 full-time employees across the three areas and fills in the blanks with part-time student help. The majority of the students he hires are graphic communication majors.

"I'm trying to get them to receive credit," he says.

In addition to his own in-plant, Macro explains, there is also a student-run in-plant on campus called University Graphics Systems.

"It's a 100 percent student-run printing program," he says, adding that he is an acting advisor. Macro says the students are responsible for marketing their shop's services, managing the finances and running the equipment—and UGS has some of the best equipment in the business, including a Goss Suburban web press.

"In the UGS department all the equipment is donated," says Macro. "And they've got a nice relationship with Heidelberg."

Macro reports that the faculty at Cal Poly works closely with Xerox to create a printing curriculum, and that Heidelberg has been a great supporter, donating "quite a bit of equipment."

When asked how Cal Poly stacks up against RIT, Macro puts it this way: "RIT is like the Harvard, Cal Poly is like the Yale. The difference here is that the students learn by doing—they're here till two in the morning pushing product."

Having Macro on the faculty might just prove to be beneficial for the entire in-plant community.

"Since I've taken on a full-time faculty position, one of the things that I want to try to focus on is in-plants," he says. "I did a presentation at ACUP in Baton Rouge on new and emerging technologies affecting the printing industry.

"It's interesting to see what students are seeing," he says, referring to new printing technology. "It's important for in-plants to stay updated as well."

Linda Grilz sees a wealth of other benefits in running an in-plant for a graphic arts school.

"Being in an educational institution and being part of this industry, you never stop learning," she says.

To top off her career in both education and production, Grilz has also taken up the mantle of professor.

"I have taught a couple of classes in the graphics and imaging department," she says. "I think having young people here and having the chance to influence them has been very profitable for me. I have a lot of contacts in the industry and it has improved my network."