Stan Prints Wipes the Slate Clean
One of the toughest situations any new in-plant manager faces is taking over an operation that already has a bad reputation.
That’s the predicament Nic Webber found himself in back in 2020 when he was promoted to supervisor of Stan Prints, the three-employee in-plant at California State University, Stanislaus.
“To this day I’m still paying for the sins of my predecessors,” quips the 2012 graduate of Stanislaus State.
The in-plant supervisors before him, he says, displayed a variety of less-than-customer-friendly traits, engendering animosity from some departments: one supervisor was very rigid about procedures, angering customers; another refused to take the blame for jobs that were done wrong; one didn’t communicate well, leaving clients confused about their projects. As a result, customers at the central California university, about two hours east of San Francisco, found ways to avoid using Stan Prints.
“When I took over, I told everyone, ‘Let’s try to wipe the slate clean. How do we move forward? Let me show you why I’m better,’” says Webber. “I want them to know that we’re there to help.”
That message, in a nutshell, is the secret to running a successful in-plant: treat it like a business, with customers who can go elsewhere if they’re not happy with your service — because when enough of them leave you behind, the clock is ticking on your in-plant’s future.
Rebranding Stan Prints
Marc Putnam cuts lawn signs for Stanislaus State’s annual Science Day.
Located in Turlock, California, in the heart of California’s Central Valley, Stanislaus State is a public university with about 10,700 students. Stan Prints sits in the basement of the Mary Stuart Rogers Educational Services Gateway Building, where a trio of full-time employees and one student worker print everything from business cards, letterhead, and envelopes, to postcards, recruitment materials, and course packs, using Ricoh and Lanier digital printers.
A pair of Mutoh wide-format devices, including a brand new Mutoh ValueJet 1638UH Mark II hybrid flatbed UV-LED printer (see sidebar below), stay busy printing student research posters, A-frame signs, acrylic signs, lawn signs, foam boards, and stickers. Overseeing the in-plant, along with the mail room, shipping, receiving, and property control, is Support Services Manager Frank Borelli.
In his efforts to rebrand Stan Prints, Webber knew one thing mattered most of all:
Marc Putnam and Nic Webber monitor a lawn sign job being printed on the new Mutoh ValueJet 1638UH Mark II hybrid flatbed UV-LED printer.
“Communication has always been key,” he notes.
Over the past three years, Webber has met repeatedly with the in-plant’s customers, even those that have avoided the shop for years, and let them vent their grievances. He’s offered to print jobs for free so they can see how the quality of the shop’s work has improved. He explains print processes in layman’s terms so people can better understand what he means (e.g., Instead of asking if they want 80-lb. or 100-lb. gloss cover stock, he asks “gloss card stock light or medium?”) His patient efforts have paid off.
“I’ve gained a lot more trust from the campus,” he says.
Active on Campus
An active member of the campus community — Webber is chapter president of a staff union, sits on multiple committees, and serves as “brand ambassador” in conjunction with the Office of Communication & Public Affairs — Webber has had multiple opportunities to talk with campus departments. With his long beard, nose ring, and tattoos, he stands out a bit on campus, but those who meet him find a sympathetic, helpful person who is eager to please.
“I’m there to help them,” he says.
Webber was able to convince a student group that wanted to set up its own print shop to send its work to the in-plant by creating a separate price structure; he got the campus art gallery to give Stan Prints a second chance after the in-plant botched its catalog in the past; and he has steered many more departments into the in-plant’s copier management program, which now includes almost 80% of the copiers on campus.
Though technically the in-plant has “right of first refusal” for all print jobs, disgruntled departments have been quietly finding other ways to print their work. Rather than thrusting the policy in their faces and demanding their print jobs, Webber has chosen a different method.
“I try more of the honey versus vinegar approach, because I need to maintain the ‘good cop’ status,” he says.
Students Take Priority
As a former student at the university, Webber feels a kinship with students and gives their work preference.
“If a student comes in, they take priority,” he insists — even over University President Dr. Ellen Junn, as he gently told her once. “We’re here to serve the students.”
He has a good relationship with Junn, and says she is impressed with Stan Prints and its new capabilities, such as being able to print on Plexiglas.
“She’s excited for the future and what we can do,” he says.
Nic Webber shows journalism students from Pitman High School how the Duplo DBM-350 booklet maker puts their school newspaper together.
Passionate about helping students succeed, Webber puts his master’s degree in fine arts to work helping students with their design work. Previously the graphic specialist at Stanislaus State’s School of the Arts, he leads design classes on tours of Stan Prints and offers tips on how they can design their work for optimal printing. He also invited the staff of a student art and literary journal (Penumbra) into the shop, after learning they were printing the journal off campus.
“I said, ‘share a copy of your most recent one and let me print you a copy to show you my quality,’” he says.
He showed the students how to improve their design so it would print better and sent them off with notepads and stickers. They were very happy with the tour and are excited to visit again.
Webber did the same with the staff of a high school newspaper that is printed in the shop and offered design tips to the students.
“I was a student, and I know some of the struggles … these students go through,” he says.
Seeking New Services
Stan Prints’ Mutoh ValueJet 1624X eco-solvent printer stays busy printing stickers, posters, and other items for customers.
When he’s not busy promoting Stan Prints, Webber has plenty to do in the shop, which is on track to bill at least $600,000 this year. He never stops looking for new services the in-plant can offer to benefit the university. This is what prompted the acquisition of the new Mutoh ValueJet 1638UH Mark II hybrid flatbed UV-LED printer, which has been staying busy producing signage.
“I want to be the one-stop shop on campus for all printing, designing, you name it,” he says. “Even promotional items.”
He has been working to bring promo product sales in as a new service, so all departments can order them through Stan Prints instead of individually. As “brand ambassador” for the school, he is well positioned to ensure these items are branded correctly.
“Having one single source for all of it and having one control over it … helps keep the legitimacy of the brand,” he notes. He has been negotiating with SwagForce, a promotional products e-commerce agency, and hopes to start handling this service for the university this summer.
Webber is pleased with the progress he’s made since he started at Stan Prints and has every intention of continuing to strengthen the in-plant, both its services and its reputation.
“We’re burning the midnight oil to make sure someone has something they need first thing in the morning,” he says.
- People:
- Nic Webber
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 180 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
