| Newsletter 11, February 1996 |
A considerable amount of time was spent last year looking at different systems and combinations to enhance the central reprographic service. The requirements were based on comments received during LSS User Group meetings, reports from FAST activities and attendances at various committees, as well as a thorough study of our statistical records.
A number of Universities and print groups were also working on similar projects and were used either as guidelines or as part of the research.
What became apparent from the various reports was that Beckett Park needed more copying power and more facilities. The shopping list included the provision for an institutional volume growth over three years, a volume growth at Beckett Park, an enhanced booklet-maker facility, networked copying capacity, and colour copying.
This happened a week before the Christmas recess. A Docutech (top-of-range digital copier) and a colour copier were added to the original 5090 at Beckett Park, and an advanced booklet maker was added to the Docutech at Calverley Street. A print-management server and a Docutech server have been networked on both campuses.
The aim was to introduce the new services gradually without slowing down production.
Beckett Park and Calverley Street central reprographics opening hours are the same: Monday to Thursday 8:00 to 17:00, and Friday 8:00 to 16:30. Both campuses offer continuous opening (no more lunch-time closure at Beckett Park). Any changes to these times would be advertised and only due to unforeseen absences such as illness.
Currently, one full-time staff, Karen Hall, and one term-time staff, Laurel Ranger, are based at Beckett Park, and two full-time staff, Caroline Stott and Therese Shaw, and one half-time staff, Angela Wilkinson, are based at Calverley Street.
At Beckett Park, the Docutech and the 5090 are fully working. The colour copier is networked and fully running. It offers full-colour A4 or A3 copies from photographs, magazines, books and 35mm slides, and full-colour overhead projection transparencies.
At Calverley Street, the Docutech, the 5090 and the network colour copier are fully operating. The booklet maker is still suffering from installation disorder and has caused some delay in the production of folded and stitched materials.
All reprographic staff are due to be trained to work the networked facilities on the Docutech. We need to develop the user interface to allow for accountability and fulfil finance requirements, as well as offering the user full control and error safeguard.
Progressively, a number of staff will be linked to the reprographic room and will be able to send their word-processed documents directly to the Docutech, thus saving time on the outward transport. The quality of the product will be greatly improved - each copy is an original!
However, the agreed delivery time will remain the same as before: three days from the request entering the reprographic room. All fast-track and booking facilities will remain the same.
Both colour copiers are linked to the graphic computer network. This development will bring additional benefit at Beckett Park for the proofing, and sometimes the delivery, of graphic work carried out by our print-production team.
Thérèse Walker