Printing Services Process Overview

Determining your Printing need - items to consider prior to order placement 

Production Time Frames and Delivery

Order placing 

Online Form –IDD

          Hospitals, Clinics and Affiliated institutions

The Production Process - Additional information to assist you in understanding the print process

Pre Press

Copy Center 

Printing

Finishing 

Bindery

Shipping

Billing

 Determining Your Printing Needs

Prior to submission of an order, there are specific criteria required by Printing Services to properly produce your product and proper communication of the criteria is the basis of order entry.  Printing Services personnel are always available for consultations as needed.

 Budgetary Requirements:

Initial planning should encompass budgetary requirements for the printing. Communication of these requirements enables Printing Service to determine the most applicable configuration to produce your product, delivering the product at a price that meets your needs.

 Design Work:

Printing Services currently provides typesetting services. Any existing brochures may have minor changes made through Printing Services, although substantial revisions should go through Design Services. Forms, stationary systems and miscellaneous typesetting are handled by Printing Services. If you have any questions regarding the proper source for your job setup, please call, as we are available to assist in this regard.

 Graphic Standards:

All printed matter must adhere to Graphic Standards (link here for current Graphic Standards). As the primary source for Printing at the University, Printing Services is tasked with upholding these standards. When presenting a job for production that does not meet Graphic Standards, Printing Services will advise you of this and make the necessary changes to bring the job into compliance. At that time, it may be required that the piece go through proper administrative approval procedures prior to production. Although Printing Services is tasked with this duty, ultimate responsibility lies with the customer to obtain proper approval prior to production runs. 

 Paper Stock:

Determination of the paper (stock) should be done prior to placement of the order. In most instances, your printed job has been produced in the past and the stock has already been determined. In these instances, communication of the stock to be used can be done by referencing your prior IDD number. In the event you are planning a new project, a consultation is recommended to assist in determining the stock needed for your printed piece.

 Quantity:

Determination of the needed quantity is very important. As printing is a manufacturing process, there are numerous processes involved in the production of your product and there can be substantial per unit price savings associated with larger order runs. Although not applicable in all cases, it is good practice to determine your needs in advance, and if acceptable, purchase additional quantities.

 Inks:

The number of inks to be printed and the appropriate Pantone colors should be determined in advance and communicated to Printing Services prior to production of the job.

Finishing:

All binding and finishing options should be determined prior to submission of a job and communicated to Printing Services.

 Production Time Frames and Delivery:

Delivery instructions and turn time requirements should be determined in advance and, proper time allotments allowed for completion of the work in the course of normal business.

Placing Your Order:

 Online Form – IDD:

The online form is the primary resource for communication of all your printing needs. All Printing Services orders are entered, tracked, and billed based on the IDD form, with the Exception Of University Hospitals. Note: Getting your job into production is dependent on accurately entered forms.  All online forms should contain the following information:

1.  Quantity

2.  Date Needed

3.  Description

4.  Stock

5.  Inks

6.  Size

7.  Finishing

8.  Delivery Instructions

9.  Contact Information

10. Estimate Number if Applicable

Printing Services is required to have a properly approved form prior to initiation of work, and in fact, will not even see your form, until approved by your appropriate department head and put in process through OAS. It is a good idea when placing the form online, to call a few days later to see if the form has been received by Printing services and already in process. Additionally, by faxing us a sample of the job along with a print-off of the online form, you can ensure that the order entry process is expedited. Any incomplete information on a form or lack of needed samples will require follow up communication from Printing Services staff and adds delays to the order entry process. Printing Services utilizes a Print Management system for order entry and job tracking. All work is estimated through this system, providing a balanced approach to estimating. Once your order is successfully entered, it progresses to the appropriate department for production.

For a hard copy IDD Click Here

 Invoicing and Affiliated Institutions:

University Hospitals and Affiliated Institutions are invoiced and the order entry and job tracking falls outside of the IDD system. Please contact Printing Services for information when placing a non IDD order.

 Production Process Information

 Pre – Press:

The Pre Press area of Printing Services is composed of all the resources needed to prepare your print project for production. This an extremely important area for the customer, as all proofing is done at this stage and any changes needed made at this point have minimal charges associated with them. As well, your awareness of the proofing process and its implications are extremely important.

Pre Press job types:

Standing Film:

Standing Film job types are those jobs that are exact repeats of previous orders, in other words, there are no changes whatsoever to the composition of the job. These require no film output; only file retrieval and production.

Typesetting:

Typeset job types are those jobs that require typesetting or composition changes. These jobs will require proofing and film output. Typesetting of jobs is the process of setting the structure and layout (composition) as well as the text of piece to be produced. The time involved in this process varies dependent upon the complexity of the job, the timely response to proofs supplied the customer, and the number of required revisions. Although often underscored, the importance of proper proofing cannot be overstated. Once approval on a proof is given, any errors become the responsibility of the signatory, and subsequent reruns are charged accordingly.

Additional Information

 Proofing:

Proofing is the process of proof reading typeset work. Proofing of typeset jobs is an extremely vital step in the production of your job.  A poorly proofed job with errors could conceivably cause the project to be reprinted, incurring additional cost to the customer. Although all typesetting requires internal as well as customer proofing levels, it is the customer’s responsibility to verify the accuracy of the type, size and composition. Once you have signed off on the proof, any errors that were missed during proofing are the customer’s responsibility. Any errors made by Printing Services that are deviations from the approved proof will be corrected by Printing Services at no charge.

 Film Output:

Film output is when the electronic file is sent to a laser imaging system for film production and developed.  Prior to film output, the electronic files are paginated (imposed) in the needed order for press or copier production. Printing Services utilizes a Scitex Dolev 4V imagesetter for film output. It can accommodate a sheet of film 30” in length by 22” in width (or 4 - 8.5 x 11 sheets), commonly referred to in the industry as a half sheet.

 Stripping:

Stripping is the process of mounting film on a mask in proper position to burn plates. Although mostly automated, some work requires manual stripping produced by our skilled technicians.

 Copy Center:

Copy Center work consists of work that is to be run on a high speed photo/Digital copier. Printing Services currently utilizes IKON digital copiers.  The bulk of the work driven through the copy center arrives in digital format and this work is subject to the same proofing procedures listed in pre press. Any hard copy work can be scanned into electronic format and sent to any copier as needed for production workflow. Typical turn times are 7-10 working days for most projects. In the event you have a copy project that requires a tighter deadline, communication of this time line is imperative. Our base house stock for photo copiers is a 24#, 95-98 brightness sheet (on a scale of 100), and a number one grade. Printing Services does not use a 20#sheet, as the opacity (ability of the sheet not to bleed through from side one to side two) is not appropriate for most applications. Our house card stock for photo copy work is 90# index, as are photo copier tabs. We can accommodate up to 11 x 17 sheet size.

Printing services also utilizes IKON color copiers. Our house stock for Color copies is Hammermill 32# Color Copy Paper with a brightness of 98. Our house color copy card stock is Hammermill 80# Color Copy Cover with a brightness of 98. We can accommodate up to 11 x 17 sheet size.

 Printing:

Press Work

Press work consists of those jobs that are to be printed on an offset press or duplicator. Offset printing is the process of printing with ink and water on flat stock. It is named offset due to process of using a light-imaged plate made of an anodized and chemically treated sheet of aluminum, burning the image on from a negative. The plate is then mounted on a press where it contacts rollers carrying ink and water. The ink bonds to the imaged area of the plate and the water based solution to the non-imaged area. The sheets run through the press at up to 10000 sheets per hour and engages the impression cycle. This, in turn, transfers the image to a rubber blanket wrapped around a metal cylinder and then to the paper which is squeezed between the blanket and another metal cylinder.  Thus, the image is offset from the plate to the paper via the blanket. The Printing Services offset department can print from a 3” x 5” card up to a 19” x 22” sheet in any configuration of inks and on almost any sheet stock. All letterhead systems, business cards, brochures, and large run forms are produced offset, as well as any printing to be run through a laser printer.

Finishing:

Bindery

The finishing department is the most labor intensive of all our departments and is responsible for the final look of the product. Finishing is also the final Quality checkpoint for finished work. It is here that padding, cutting, folding, binding, slitting, collating, numbering, perforating, and many other processes are handled. Once finishing is completed, the job is boxed, prepped and shipped.

 Shipping

Once shipped, the job is closed in our print management system. Most shipping is handled through the Shipping and Receiving Department of the University. Printing Services has no authority over time frames for shipped goods. Skid size shipments are handled by Physical Plant and subject to their time frames. Most jobs are received within three days of shipment from the plant.

 Billing

It is internal policy to bill work upon completion. There is a good chance you will receive your billing confirmation prior to receiving your order, as the order will be in transit, this is normal and if happens, expect your job to arrive shortly thereafter.