Winter 2007

Into Print aims to educate, inform, and entertain its readers, with a goal of fostering positive communication between its participating departments, their staffs, and their clients.

In this issue

News briefs

Hospital customers: visit us at Vendor Fair on February 1
Process change for colored paper, reconditioned toners
Printing Department 2007 calendars still in stock

TypeStrikes

General news

MBSB front entrance open
Check our classes, tours
Busy beavers leave telltale evidence

Central Mail Services

Postal Service to make dramatic changes in mail categories
UPS and FedEx parcel rates go up
Ensure address quality - or pay

General Stores

UI saves over $600,000 with office-supply contract
OfficeMax distribution center a hub of activity
Catalogs, directories in stock
Fall Product Show well attended
Character Counts: Meet Brian Mead

Parking and Transportation

Parking and Transportation offers Night and Weekend parking permits
[But how would I get home if...?] Emergency Ride Home program a good solution
Energy Expo features sustainable energy alternatives
In Memoriam - J. Dawn Jensen

Printing Department

New digital press brings color to the masses
CopyHawk opens at IMU
Med Labs Copy Center: quality color, free pick-up and delivery for hospital
New contact for customer IT support in Printing, Copy Center Services
Dress up your communications with preprinted UI identity products

Surplus

Surplus conducts large-item auctions

We like feedback

Send story ideas, address corrections, additions, e-mail
We are . . .
Directories
The University of Iowa Nondiscrimination Statement

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NEWS BRIEFS

Hospital customers: visit us at Vendor Fair on February 1

Central Mail and General Stores will participate in the second annual Internal Vendor Fair at University Hospital, to be held Thursday, February 1, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the East Room (8th Floor Carver Pavilion). Refreshments will be served. The fair aims to give the University's internal vendors an opportunity to provide information about their departments and services to hospital staff. UIHC Procurement Services, in conjunction with the Value Analysis Program, invites all interested employees to attend. Take a minute to stop and visit with us... the Mail and Stores staff look forward to meeting you!

Process change for colored paper, reconditioned toners

These items are no longer stocked in General Stores' SIGS inventory. The new catalog and the OfficeMax website, www.officemaxsolutions.com/html/index.shtml, list the stock numbers. Contact the OfficeMax account representative for UI, Matt Ehn if you wish to establish an account for ordering on the web.

Printing Department 2007 calendars still in stock

The Printing Department is still distributing its complimentary 2007 calendars. The theme for the black-and-gold, poster-size calendar is "Be remarkable." The other sizes are 4-1/4x 11 inches and 14x1-3/8 inches, which fits across a keyboard or monitor. Order online at www.uiowa.edu/~printsvc/forms/cal-ordr.html or contact Jenean Arnold.

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TYPESTRIKES

from our typo treasure chest

Burger Hall

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GENERAL NEWS

MBSB front entrance open

It is once again possible to reach the Mossman Building from the front drive: the new intersection of Mormon Trek Boulevard and Highway 218 South is open, with a left-turn lane into our parking lot. The second phase of the project has McCollister Boulevard passing south of our building and across the Iowa River to connect with Sand Road. That project is scheduled to begin in 2007.   — Gary Anderson

Check our classes, tours

Central Mail

A series of classes is scheduled for Wednesday, February 21: "Producing Successful Mail Pieces," "Using Business Reply Mail to Your Advantage," and "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Central Mail." Another Spring class is "2007 Postal Changes: The good, the bad, and the ugly…" It will inform mailers of Postal Service changes that will occur this spring. This class will be held March 14, April 17, and May 23. UI Learning and Development, www.uiowa.edu/~fusstfdv, handles registration for the classes.
Central Mail makes presentations to provide information and money-saving suggestions that are tailored to each department's mailing needs. Contact Chris Kula.

Tours

Classes and small groups are welcome to tour Printing, Mail, and General Stores at the Mossman Building. Contact Jenean Arnold.

New staff orientation

Business Services staff participate in the monthly new faculty and staff orientation sessions conducted by Learning and Development. Contact Linda Noble, Parking Services, or Jenean Arnold, other Business Services departments.

Historical Printing Studio

The UI Center for the Book, www.uiowa.edu/~ctrbook, conducts workshops in historical printing technologies, including typesetting on a Mergenthaler Linotype, at the Mossman Building. Contact Gary Frost, UI Libraries.

Busy beavers leave telltale evidence

The road in front of the Mossman Building was not the only construction site in recent months. The photo at left shows hard evidence of beavers at work outside Equipment Rental, on the south side of the building. Rental manager Gerry Miller says he hasn't seen hide nor hair of the critters, though: "They haven't come up to the door to ask for a glass of water yet." On the other hand, Central Mail's Flo Velterean says he's seen them venture out to dine on apple cores he discards after lunch. "They're really big animals," he says.

Beavers range from about two to three feet in length, weigh around 60 pounds, are herbivores, and are among the largest of rodents, according to the National Geographic website. Those neighboring the Mossman Building have built two small dams on the creek and appear to live in burrows along the bank, their preferred habitat.

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CENTRAL MAIL SERVICES

Postal Service to make dramatic changes in mail categories

The U.S. Postal Service is in the process of making the most dramatic changes in postal history. With a proposed rate increase scheduled to take effect May 6, the Postal Service will shift away from postage based on weight alone. First-Class Mail postage rates will be calculated using a combination of weight and shape, causing a great deal of change in the way mail is designed and processed in this and other mail categories.

The changes will affect many UI departments that rely on the Postal Service for external communications. Current prices do not distinguish between some letters, flats, and parcels. In the proposal, flats up to 6 ounces and parcels would see greater increases than letters because their handling costs are higher. If the contents of a flat can be folded and placed into a letter-size envelope or if a parcel is reconfigured as a flat, the mailer will be able to save money.

The shape of things to come: proposed changes

Letters

The maximum weight for all First-Class Mail letters and automation-compatible Standard Mail pieces will be reduced, from 13 ounces to 3.5 ounces. Mail pieces that weigh more than 3.5 ounces, are rigid, or exceed one or more of the dimensions for a letter will not be eligible for letter rates. They will be reclassified as flats. Nonmachinable Standard Mail letters weighing more than 3.3 ounces will be classified either as flats or as Not Flat-Machinable (NFM) mail - a proposed new category.

Flats

The standards for flat-shaped mail pieces will become tighter: all flats except custom marketing material must be rectangular, flexible, and uniformly thick. The dimensions of the envelope, wrapper, or sleeve must remain constant. CDs mailed in jewel cases or cardboard mailers will cost more, as much as 62 to 115 percent for some mailers. Items bound by plastic comb, coil, "pro-click," and other methods that result in a non-uniformly thick mail piece will cost substantially more to mail. The weight limit for First-Class Mail flats and parcels will remain at 13 ounces. Non-rectangular, non-uniform, or rigid Standard Mail pieces will ship at either parcel or NFM rates, both higher.

Not Flat-Machinable mail

This category comprises Standard Mail pieces with parcel-like characteristics and includes flat but rigid mail pieces. The rates will be higher than for flats but lower than for parcels. NFM pieces are defined as Preparation for nonmachinable letters will not change, and mailers of nonmachinable letters will continue to pay higher prices that reflect their more costly manual handling. Regardless of weight, letters that do not meet aspect ratio, that have any other nonmachinable characteristics, or that may be too rigid, will not be eligible for letter rates.

These changes are part of the same proposal that calls for a three-cent increase in the price of a First-Class stamp and a new "forever stamp" for one-ounce, single-piece, First-Class Mail letters. For more information on the proposal, visit the USPS website at www.usps.com/ratecase/welcome.htm. Contact Chris Kula with questions or for help with planning your mail pieces.

UPS and FedEx parcel rates go up

Parcel service rates for the University's major carriers have gone up. UPS increased its rates an average of 4.9 percent for ground shipments and a net average of 4.9 percent on air express and international shipments originating in the United States. FedEx increased rates an average 5.5 percent for U.S., U.S. to Puerto Rico, and U.S. export service for standard list package and freight; and 4.9 percent for FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery® ground standard list rates. Both companies now use parcel dimension and weight to determine rates, as the Postal Service will begin doing in May. See the above article for more information about this.

Ensure address quality - or pay

Effective August 1, 2007, all CASS-certified software will have to verify that the primary address number is truly deliverable in order for a mail piece to qualify for postage automation discounts. The currently optional Delivery Point Validation will become mandatory. [See Into Print, Summer/Fall 2006, for more information.] In July 2009, mailers of letters or flats must have processed their address lists with CASS-certified methods within twelve months of the mailing date and must use the correct ZIP+4 code on each piece in the mailing.

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GENERAL STORES

UI saves over $600,000 with office-supply contract

The OfficeMax contract has saved our campus customers more than $600,000 in the past twenty-one months. General Stores' staff thanks you for participating in this very successful program. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.   — Gary Anderson

OfficeMax distribution center a hub of activity

Business Services' associate director Gary Anderson toured the OfficeMax distribution center in Itasca, Illinois, in October to learn how UI orders are processed. "It is an impressive operation," he says. "With so much movement of goods in and out it is amazing how efficiently, quickly, and accurately they can pick, pack, and ship orders within a few hours, every day of the week."

The Itasca facility houses the OfficeMax corporate headquarters and one of its 35 distribution centers in the United States. Approximately 23,000 line items comprising about 7,500 orders are shipped daily from the 330,000 square-foot warehouse. It takes 140 employees to pack and 80 to deliver this kind of volume with a short turnaround: UI orders placed by 4 p.m. are delivered to customers the following business day. "It really helped me understand and appreciate what happens after our orders are placed on MIGS or the web," says Anderson.

Catalogs, directories in stock

Office supply catalog

The 2007 General Stores/OfficeMax catalogs are now in stock. Some numbers and vendors have changed, so it is important to use a new catalog. Email your name, department, campus delivery address, and the number of catalogs you need to genstores@uiowa.edu. Hospital staff can pick up catalogs at the Shipping and Receiving dock.

University Directory

The 2006-2007 University Directories (herd books) are still available from General Stores for $3.45 each. The stock number is 10000. Please use the SIGS ordering system or fax your order to 384-3918.

Qwest Dex directory

Qwest DEX phone books are available free of charge from General Stores. Complete a University or General Stores requisition form with your name, phone number, delivery address, and the number of directories you need and fax it to 384-3918. They cannot be ordered online. Call Judy Rockafellow with questions. Hospital staff may order their phone books at www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/FS/Index.htm. To request phone books for College of Medicine departments, contact Robert Bontrager.   — Gary Anderson

Fall Product Show well attended

Vendors, product displays, samples, popcorn, beverages, and dozens of door prizes attracted several hundred people to the fall General Stores/OfficeMax Product Show. Watch for information about future product shows in Into Print or the General Stores listserv.

Character Counts: Meet Brian Mead

As a storekeeper at General Stores, Brian Mead picks and receives orders: he finds and packs in-stock items that customers order, and he checks, logs, and routes merchandise shipped to the University. On a given day his work might involve copy paper, coffee, paper towels, lab equipment, computers, dentistry supplies, animal cages, or athletics supplies such as power drinks, gymnastics mats, and soccer goals. Sometimes he helps at the Gas Cylinder Service, delivering tanks of hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, air, and helium used for research and health care.

After work, Brian heads for his part-time job at Ruzika's meat locker in Solon, where he trims and debones beef for hamburger meat, cuts up deer that hunters bring in, and delivers and sets up food for catering jobs. He's especially busy during deer season, from early October through late January.

"We did more than 800 deer this year," he says. Customers bring them to Solon from as far away as Des Moines and Dubuque because they like the signature seasoning the locker uses for the meat. And it's not just deer meat that draws fans.

"People who used to live here, when they come back for a visit, stop and pick up a package of hot dogs to take home with them, or maybe they buy some bratwurst to send to a friend who lives out of state," he says.

Brian fishes for trout in northeast Iowa and for panfish in lakes around the state. He says he and a fishing buddy like to "load up, take off, and make a day of it. That's fun." He also hunts near New Hartford, a small town west of Cedar Falls, on property owned by an uncle. He says summers are especially nice, when he and his daughter, Haley, 11, and son, Cody, 14, spend their days there fishing and wading in the shallow West Fork river. Sometimes the family strings a volleyball net across the river for all-day games. If the water is a little higher, they'll go tubing.

An enthusiastic cook, Brian claims to make good stuffed mushrooms, chicken noodle soup, and burrito meat. "I like using different seasonings and experimenting. It's fun to see what you can create," he says. To see how that approach works, find him when his venison jerky is coming out of the dryer. Still warm, slightly crisp on the surface but soft and tender inside, it's the best you'll ever taste.

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PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

Parking and Transportation offers Night and Weekend parking permits

If you need to park on campus during nights and/or weekends, Parking and Transportation's Night and Weekend (NW) parking permit may help reduce your parking costs. Displaying the NW permit allows individuals to park in designated facilities on nights and weekends without additional charges.

The permit provides access during designated hours to Hospital Ramps 1, 2, 3, 4; the Newton Road, North Campus, and IMU ramps; the Field House and Library lots; lots 13, 14, 21 (in the Pappajohn Business Building); and posted 24-hour reserved areas, including portions of lots 2, 27, and 29.

The permit costs $8 per month and is available to University employees and students who qualify. Payment options for faculty and staff are payroll deduction on a pre-tax basis, if eligible, or prepaid annually. Students' permits are billed to their University accounts.

Eligibility

The permit is available to Daytime permits include Student Day, Student Storage, Myrtle Law, Mayflower, Parklawn, Hancher, Finkbine, and Hawkeye Permits. For more information about the permit and eligibility requirements, visit the Parking and Transportation website at www.uiowa.edu/~parking/NW_information.html.   — Michelle Ribble

[ But how would I get home if...? ]

Emergency Ride Home program a good solution

Have you ever thought about ridesharing but decided against it because you worried about how you would get home if an emergency happens? The Emergency Ride Home Program (ERH) can help address this concern by giving qualifying commuters a ride - home or to a daycare center, for example - if there is a personal emergency. Faculty and staff who are enrolled in the Employee Van Pool, TRIP, or Employee Bus Pass programs are eligible for the program.

In ERH, participants can take a taxi home and be reimbursed for the cost of the ride. Prearranged appointments, meetings, weather emergencies, and work-related travel are not eligible for rides under the program. Parking and Transportation will reimburse the participant for the cab fare, not including the tip. ERH can be used up to three times per year and may not exceed a cumulative total of $100 in reimbursements. Specific details concerning eligibility, procedures, limitations, and policies can be found at www.uiowa.edu/~commprog/erh_program.html.   — Michelle Ribble

Energy Expo features sustainable energy alternatives

Parking and Transportation participated again in the University's fall Energy Expo, an exposition of renewable energy technologies. The Expo drew industry, students, academics, government, and the public together to focus on energy conservation initiatives, innovative technological solutions, and sustainability. Philippe Pierre Cousteau, grandson of legendary environmentalist and deep-sea explorer Jacques Cousteau, was among the nationally recognized guests who attended.

The exposition included more than 100 exhibits of wind, solar, and renewable fuel designs and devices. One of those was an affordable wind turbine appropriate for farms and residences, on public display for the first time. The Parking and Transportation exhibit featured the benefits of alternative modes of transportation, the fuel savings from the Van Pool and Bus Pass programs, and the energy savings from Cambus and Fleet Services. In addition, the exhibit showed how biodiesel and ethanol are made.

More than 40 workshops and presentations were held throughout the day. Topics included Iowa's renewable energy resources, notably biofuels and wind; river cleanup; climate change; and green building supplies. The Expo was supported by a grant from the Iowa Energy Center; UI business partners; the UI Energy Conservation Advisory Council; and UI Facilities Management.

In Memoriam - J. Dawn Jensen

J. Dawn Jensen, a customer service representative in the Parking Services Office, passed away September 6, 2006, after an extended illness. Dawn started working in the Parking Office on September 6, 1983, after working in Admissions since January of 1980. Dawn had many passions: as a gifted musician she loved music, and enjoyed her plants and her dogs, May Whisper and Buddy. She will be missed by her coworkers. She is survived by her husband, Ed, and two sisters and their families.   — Michelle Ribble

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PRINTING DEPARTMENT

New digital press brings color to the masses

Check out our color! The print version of this issue of IntoPrint was produced on the Printing Department's new Hewlett Packard Indigo 5000 digital press. The technology makes full color an option for many who could never consider it before, including us. The press is designed for short run, quick turnaround, high-quality color at a reasonable cost. In general, quantities less than than 3,000 are cost effective; turnaround, on average, is less than a week.

"There are a lot of runs of 200 to 500 - customers who could never have affordably done color before in that quantity," says area manager Mike Cash. "There's a lot of interest, once they get out here and see what the press can do. Somebody will see what we're doing, mention a project idea, and off we go."

"We've printed business cards to books and everything in between. Lots of short-run brochures, post cards, greeting cards." Other applications include posters, flyers, signs, appointment cards, prototypes, promotions, press proofs, and test runs for larger jobs.

The press prints crisp, high-definition images onto 12-1/2x 18-1/2-inch sheets. Laser technology reapplies the image to the printing plate for every impression, so each sheet is a high-quality, first-generation print with consistent color and image quality throughout a run. The patented liquid ink produces reliable color for proofing, and the spot color, approved by the Pantone Matching System, simulates most PMS colors. The standard papers the department uses are gloss and matte stock in text and cover weights. Contact Cash or your Printing Department customer service representative if you're interested in this short-run color option.

CopyHawk opens at IMU

A newly renovated Copy Center reopened at the Iowa Memorial Union after winter break. Improvements, some of which are still in progress, include new equipment and a self-service center with color and black-and-white, fax, and scanning capabilities; FedEx and UPS shipping; a customer work area; retail sales; postage stamps; and a new name - CopyHawk. UI faculty, staff, and students are welcome to use the Center.

The two new printers are running well, says Copy Center operator Gary Sammons. They produce at an overall faster speed than the DocuTech, which they replaced. The color capabilities have improved, too. "We can now do three-hole punch on the fly, staple, and make booklets," he says. "Our customers are very happy with their color jobs."

Med Labs Copy Center: quality color, free pick-up and delivery for hospital

The Med Labs Copy Center has added high-quality color to its menu of services and, if you work at the hospital, you don't even have to leave the building to get it. A new 7132 Xerox color printer produces full-color images on paper up to 11x17 inches and in a variety of weights. Invitations, posters, brochures, book covers, and inserts are typical of the jobs that are produced.

A regular pick-up and delivery schedule offers convenience for busy hospital staff. The route comprises one stop per day at each of thirty-three areas. Customers can expect delivery at about the same time the following day, but this can be affected by the size and complexity of their orders. Contact Jill Sterner for more information.

New contact for customer IT support in Printing, Copy Center Services

Why do I have to send fonts with my files? What is Acrobat? How do I make a pdf? Where do I go to send a file on the web?

Next time you call Printing or a Copy Center for information technology help, you may be hooked up with Steve Fulwider, a guy who loves his job. "If I were ever to retire, I would do this for free," he is known to have said. He's been providing IT support in Equipment Rental and now covers other areas as needed. Count on getting good advice when you call. See the Spring 2004 issue of Into Print for a Character Counts feature on Steve.

Dress up your communications with preprinted UI identity products

Thanks for responding to Printing Department survey The Printing Department would like to thank those who responded to its survey in October. The data provided valuable information for the consultant performing the Regents' departmental review. All the comments - and there were many - were forwarded to the appropriate departmental administrators.

Add some life to your communications with products that use the University's graphic identity system. The Copy Centers stock preprinted trifold shells, note cards with matching envelopes, report covers, and binders. All are designed for customers to add their own information.

One style of brochure and the report covers are printed in gold and black, the note cards have an embossed gold dome, and the other items are printed in black ink only. The Copy Centers can print your information or you may do it yourself with an office printer.

The brochures are sold in packages of 100 for $28 and the note cards and envelopes in packages of 25 for $9.50 and $6.50, respectively. The binders and report covers are sold by the piece, with prices broken out for front cover, back cover, binder, binding charge, and zipper opener. Check the Printing Department website at www.uiowa.edu/~printsvc/prices/uidprice.html, or contact any Copy Center for more information.

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SURPLUS

Surplus conducts large-item auctions

University Surplus conducted two successful auctions in November to help UI departments dispose of large items. Working with the UI School of Music, Surplus first auctioned three classic Steinway pianos. Advertisements were placed nationwide, with photos and specific details about the pianos posted on the Surplus website. Two weeks later, Surplus auctioned several vehicles for Fleet Services, including trucks, a van, a boat, and a Bobcat loader.

If your department wants help disposing of surplus items contact Joe Hennager. Surplus can provide the expertise to facilitate the process for you. Items can be sold in the Surplus Store, auctioned, or listed on eBay. Surplus has the know-how and contacts to help you get the most money for your department's surplus goods.   — Gary Anderson

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WE LIKE FEEDBACK!

Story ideas

Are there topics we haven't covered that you would like to see in our newsletter? Do you have questions you would like us to address? Send an e-mail to the editor or a memo to Into Print, 129 MBSB.

Address corrections and additions

If you wish to be added to the Into Print mailing list, fill out and send our form. Use only University of Iowa campus addresses and @uiowa.edu e-mail suffixes.

E-mail us

Send questions and comments about departmental topics to:
Bionic Bus
Cambus information
Central Mail
Commuter Programs
Fleet Services
General Stores
Parking Facilities Operations
Parking Services
Copy Center #2, 100 Mossman Building
Copy Center #3, C102 Pappajohn Business Building
Copy Center #10, 180 Boyd Law Building
UPACS and Copyright Service

We are . . .

Business Services: Equipment Rental, General Stores, Laundry, Parking & Transportation, Printing and Mailing Services, and Surplus, serving The University of Iowa community. The print version of Into Print is distributed free and on request to UI faculty, staff, and students.

Contributors to this issue

Gary Anderson/Business Services, Stores, Surplus; Chris Kula/Central Mail, Copy Centers; Michelle Ribble/Parking and Transportation.

Editor and web administrator: Jenean Arnold, phone 319-384-3723, 129 Mossman Building.

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