Printing Machines and Other Stuff

Other than making final edits to publications so that they are print-ready, I have also helped make some things that were new and interesting to me. For one, Janet and I worked on a college merchandise brochure. I was not aware that the college was selling t-shirts and hoodies. They looked pretty spiffy.

Also, we worked on some business cards for mentors and such. After finalizing the design and layout of these, I went down to the printing area and watched the entire process. First, multiple cards were printed on the same pages. They were then taken over to the cutting machine and were made into individual cards. Finally, they were sent over to the college's internal mail room.

Not only have I viewed each stage of the design and printing processes of official college publications, but I have also experienced it with one of my personal designs. I made some posters, postcards, signs, catalogs and such for an upcoming art show (see the design here). The college was gracious enough to pay for the printing of these and, as a result, I was able to see the process from start to finish.

Here are some pictures of the printing machines. Something I found to be amazing was how much these things cost; it is not uncommon for one to go for about $200,000.