Fall 2008
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
Bulk mailers: mailing list requirements to change
Printing Services taking orders for 2009 calendars
Order UI event calendars from General Stores
Surplus changes hours
52-inch flat screen for rent
General news
Variable data printing now an option
Requisitions must have two signatures
New HR assistant joins Business Services
General Stores
Fiscal '08 best ever for General Stores
Reminder: UI Optical new vendor for safety glasses
MIGS or SIGS?
Mailing Services
MUST-READ FOR BULK MAILERS: USPS to require address cleansing for discounts
Business reply mail helps improve response to mailings
Parking and Transportation
P&T offers prepaid athletic event parking
Cambus offers special service for art, music students
Barnhart leaves P&T after 39 years
Printing Services
New platesetter, press sail in
CopyHawk renamed Copy Center 2, will stay at Mossman Building
Relocated Course Packs & Copyright Service still at MBSB
Quality tip: Send pdf files - not laser prints
Customer service rep named for digital color press area
Character Counts: Meet Chris Swart
Surplus
Surplus: read all about it in fyi
We like feedback
Send Story ideas, address corrections, additions, e-mail
We are . . .
Directories
The University of Iowa Nondiscrimination Statement
NEWS BRIEFS
Bulk mailers: mailing list requirements to change
The U.S. Postal Service will require bulk mailers to update their mailing lists every 95 days with an approved system beginning November 23. Those who fail to comply will lose their discount. See the
full article below.
Printing Services taking orders for 2009 calendars
It's time to order your Printing Services 2009 calendars. There is no charge, but there is a limited supply. Order online or send a request to Calendars, Printing Department, 126C MBSB, or jenean-arnold@uiowa.edu. Specify the number of calendars you want in each size (20x28, 4.25x11, and 14x1.25 inches) and provide your name, department, and campus address.
Order UI event calendars from General Stores
The 2008-2009 UI Events Desk Calendars are available from General Stores. The stock number is 40000 and the cost is 95 cents. University directories (herd books) are typically delivered in November, Qwest telephone books in December. Notices are sent out on our listserv when these products are available. To join our listserv and keep up-to-date on products, shows, and so forth, send a request to gary-anderson@uiowa.edu.
Surplus changes hours
As of October 16, Surplus is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays, its public sale days. It is open to University of Iowa departments, for sales by requisition only, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays.
52-inch flat screen for rent
Equipment Rental service has a 52-inch Sony flat-panel television screen in stock and available for departments to rent. Contact manager Gerry Miller for more information.
TYPESTRIKES
from our typo treasure chest
first think in the morning
GENERAL NEWS
Variable Data Printing now an option
Printing and Mailing Services is offering full variable data printing (VDP), giving you the ability to tailor your document to each reader. In this issue of Into Print, we demonstrated VDP to readers of the print version. We printed the subscriber’s name and address and asked him or her to update it if incorrect. The text varied according to whether our data base contained the person’s name, title, or both. VDP can help increase readership and response rates. Contact Mailing Services manager Kathy Battin for information about using it in your publications.
Requisitions must have two signatures
Please remember to include two signatures on your requisitions. University policy requires this. The following is from the University of Iowa Operations Manual:
11.17 REQUISITIONS.
a. Workflow approvals.
(1) Two individuals must approve all requisitions. The first approval shall be that of the individual requesting/initiating a purchase, and the second approval shall be that of a departmental executive officer, designated subordinate, dean of the college, or other chief administrative officer.
The entire section is at www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual/v/11.htm#1117. Contact Purchasing for more information.
New HR assistant joins Business Services
Jessica Voelker has joined Business Services as its new human resources assistant. For the past four years she worked in human resources at Yellowbook USA, in Cedar Rapids. She graduated from Mount Mercy College in 2004, with a Business Administration degree. Her hometown is Ryan, Iowa, and now she lives in Cedar Rapids. Jessica likes working at UI: "The people around here are very nice and friendly," she says. We are happy to have Jessica as part of our department. —
Sanda Pop
Top of page
GENERAL STORES
Fiscal '08 best ever for General Stores
General Stores just completed its best year ever. Sales on our OfficeMax contract were up 10 percent over last year. Thanks to all our customers, new and old, for making fiscal 2008 a great success! This year has started out even better, with sales and the number of customers we serve increasing every week. Again, thanks - we appreciate your business and look forward to meeting all your office supply needs. —
Gary Anderson
Reminder: UI Optical new vendor for safety glasses
The vendor for safety glasses has changed to UI Optical, on the second floor of Pomerantz Family Pavilion near Elevator L. It is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is 384-9922. Previously, the vendor for safety glasses was McDonald Optical. General Stores appreciates its service to the University. The
General Stores website has more information on safety glasses.
Questions? Answers.
What is the difference between MIGS and SIGS?
MIGS is the online system for ordering office supplies from OfficeMax.
SIGS is the online system for ordering stock items from General Stores.
Top of page
MAILING SERVICES
A MUST-READ FOR BULK MAILERS: USPS to require address cleansing for discounts
Beginning November 23 - less than a month from now - the Postal Service will require that all presorted or automated mailings use address lists that are updated through an approved address cleansing method in order to receive postage discounts. It will also require that mailers show proof that their lists have been updated within ninety-five days before mailing. This is the culmination of a plan, known as Move Update, which the USPS began to implement in 1997.
What does this mean for me as a mailing customer?
Bulk mail will be the most affected. If you apply labels to a mailing, place it in zip-code order, and submit it without first processing the list through an approved software, you will not be eligible for a presort or automated discount. The mailing charge will be the single-piece, First-Class rate - 42 cents or more, depending on the weight of the piece. Single-piece First-Class letters and flats, priority mail, media mail, and parcel post will see no change.
What can I do?
If you maintain your address database, print labels, and sort into zip-code order for bulk mailing, you must have your address list cleansed by a USPS-approved process such as National Change of Address (NCOA), NCOA Link, or FastForward. They can be costly and time consuming, however, and must be regularly maintained with updates and changes.
UI Mailing Services can process these mailings for you!
Some fees would be incurred, but they would be substantially less than full First-Class postage rates. Additionally, the time you save in mail preparation could also benefit your department. Remember, if the address files are not Post-Office approved, you will be paying First-Class rates. On the other hand, departments that currently send files through Envoy or directly to Mailing Services will be in compliance, as we process them through an NCOA service. You do not need to make any changes. Please feel free to contact UI Mailing Services if you have any questions regarding Move Update. We will provide as much clarification as possible. —
Kathy Battin
Business reply mail helps improve response to mailings
Business reply mail can help improve response to your mailings. The idea is that you print your delivery address on cards or envelopes that your clients can easily return. It is considered First-Class mail, with the University's permit number printed in lieu of a stamp. Your department pays postage and a fee for the pieces that are returned to you by clients.
There are specific guidelines for layout and design of the mail piece. It must have your department's mailing and return addresses; permit information; a facing identification mark (FIM: vertical bars to the left of the postage area); and a delivery-point bar code printed on it. UI Printing and Mailing Services can help you meet these requirements.
It is important to comply with the requirements, because mail that does not can potentially cost the entire University to lose its postage discount. Given that departments send out thousands of pieces of business reply mail each year, the financial impact could be substantial. Also important - never alter a business reply mail piece or label by writing in a different name or department number - because the Postal Service will not process it. And remember: treat your unused business reply envelopes like cash: Do not share them with other departments or units unless you want to pay for their mail!
Courtesy reply mail: The respondent pays for postage when you provide courtesy-reply mail pieces. You must have your mailing and return addresses, a FIM, a place for a stamp, and a delivery-point bar code printed on them.
Contact Mailing Services manager Kathy Battin for more information about reply mail.
Top of page
PARKING & TRANSPORTATION
P&T offers prepaid athletic event parking
This year, the University began offering prepaid football game-day parking, as a way to streamline entry into UI-managed parking lots by eliminating the need to handle cash transactions. This allows fans to spend less time waiting in line and more time getting ready to cheer on the Hawkeyes. Prepaid passes also give the University a better idea of how many vehicles will be parking on game days so it can plan accordingly.
In this first year, all individuals parking in contributor lots are required to prepay for their game-day parking. The general public has the option of prepaid parking for this season's games. The first five home games have been very successful in this transition. With all of the contributors on board and a small number of the general public taking advantage of prepaid parking, cash transactions in the field have been reduced by almost 50 percent.
Prepaid parking is not entirely new to the Parking and Transportation Department. For the last several years, the University has had prepaid football parking for the 150 spaces at 609 Melrose Avenue. Individuals parking there are required to prepay for a season-long parking pass. This area has given the University valuable experience in formulating the new system.
Anyone interested in getting a prepaid parking pass for the remainder of the season should contact the UI Athletics Ticket Office at 335-9327. Passes for the general public are valid for the Finkbine commuter lot, Myrtle lot, and Finkbine golf course. A pass is required for entry but does not guarantee a particular lot. The cost per game is $10 for a car and $20 for an RV. An interactive map showing the University parking lots available for football games is located at http://www.footballgameday.com/wp-content/themes/gameday/images/parking-map.pdf.
Prepaid parking will also be available for the upcoming basketball season. If football is any indication, all should go well. — Michelle Ribble
Cambus offers special service for art, music students
The flood of 2008 ravaged the facilities on the UI Arts campus. In order to hold classes for the fall semester, extraordinary efforts were required to determine how and where to relocate classrooms. The old Menard's building on Highway 6 West was transformed into a studio arts facility, and Iowa City West High School became the location for several music programs. As both are off campus, transportation via Cambus became an important component in these efforts.
At the start of classes, Cambus established two new routes to serve these locations: Studio Arts Shuttle and Music-West High Shuttle. The Studio Arts shuttle provides 30-minute service between the main campus and the new facility. It operates from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. weekdays and has a reduced weekend schedule, providing 84 hours of service per week. The Music Shuttle provides service specific to class times, and operates at times from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The routes, schedules, and maps are on the web at http://transportation.uiowa.edu/routes-schedules-maps.
Fortunately, Cambus received twelve new buses this summer, which enabled it to schedule the additional service. The riders have been understanding, and the service has run remarkably well, considering the short planning and design period. There are typically 500-600 rides per day between the two routes, and the students seem to have adapted well.
It has been somewhat of an adventure - for employees and students - as Cambus travels to parts of Iowa City not usually visited by UI students. — Brian McClatchey
Barnhart leaves P&T after 39 years
In October 1969, Dan Barnhart began working for the University of Iowa as a light-equipment operator. Thirty-nine years later, he left the University as an engineer. Every one of those years was spent working for the Parking and Transportation Department.
In January 1971 Dan was promoted to a meter repairman position and by the end of the year was promoted again, to assistant operations supervisor. He continued to move up the scale, to supervisor plant service, program assistant, and, in September 2005, engineer.
Dan was involved in many Parking and Transportation projects, including the construction of Hospital Ramps 3 and 4, Newton Road Ramp, North Campus Ramp, and the development of several large commuter lots. If you had a parcel of land and wanted to maximize your number of parking spaces, Dan always had an answer. Many on campus looked to him for ideas and solutions.
We wish Dan the best of luck. His coworkers in Parking and Transportation will miss him and all the help and guidance he provided for thirty-nine years. Good luck! — Linda Noble
Top of page
PRINTING SERVICES
New platesetter, press sail in
Printing Services has made a major equipment upgrade with a new platesetter which has computer-to-plate technology, and a mid-size, four-color, offset Komori press which can print long runs in full color. This, along with a digital color press, three small presses for letterhead and envelopes, and a web press for forms, allows Printing Services to offer customers a much wider range of print options.
Customers can look forward to fast turnaround and high-quality printing with the new press. Its features include the ability to print up to four colors on one side of a sheet or two colors on both sides; a maximum print area of 20 x 29 inches; running register for exact image placement; computer-based controls for paper size, caliper, and ink densities; and a dampening system for better color and image consistency.
The new platesetter eliminates film production and assemby, a stage between creating a file and printing it. "It has reduced our carbon footprint because the film contains silver," says prepress supervisor Chris Swart. "We always recycled, though. The film and chemicals would go through a silver recovery process. Now we don't have to use them at all."
"We still have to process all of our metal plates, but they're eco-friendly," he says. "Also, we are still making our polyester plates. Line art jobs such as envelopes and letterhead are a better fit here and it's more economical."
Swart, production supervisor Allen Bales, and plant manager Steve Wilson are working together on developing and adjusting a work flow process. "My job is trying to figure out the best way to use this automation," says Swart. "If you start something new and haven't properly planned, you get into work-arounds. Then that becomes the way it's done. I'm trying to avoid that."
The last Printing Department Unit Review recommended the prepress and press upgrades. The equipment is comparable to Iowa State's, so the two universities could act as a backup for one another if needed. The antiquated presses that were replaced could print only two colors, and had presented major printing challenges - so the production staff has looked forward to this for some time.
"It's fantastic," say press operators Keith Young and Jerry Kilts. "It's everything we hoped for."
"People are really excited and want to make it work. Now that we have the tools, we need to do everything we can to make the best use of them," says Swart.
CopyHawk renamed Copy Center 2, will stay at Mossman Building
Copy Center 2, formerly the IMU CopyHawk, has been permanently relocated to Mossman Business Services Building. It moved there when the IMU flooded in June. The staff wants customers to know that the Center is up and running, providing the same services, quality, and turnaround time. In fact they have expanded their capabilities. With easier access to Printing Services' digital color press, they offer more color options. And their mail merge service has grown into full, black-and-white variable data printing.
One factor that influenced the decision to keep the Center at MBSB was that it had been so close to Copy Center 3 in the Pappajohn Building - just up the hill from the IMU. The move also helped with parking problems in that area. MBSB is located ten minutes off the UI main campus and is easily accessible.
"The move to Mossman Building is a stress reducer: it takes ten minutes to get here, but you save a lot more time not looking for parking. Customers can park right in front of the building. When we were at IMU, it was an advantage to be right on campus, but customers spent ten to fifteen minutes looking for a place to park," says Copy Center operator Kathy Gregory.
Other reasons the Center will remain in MBSB are that it is more cost effective and environmentally sound. The easy access to Printing and Mailing Services, in the same building, saves time, money, and resources. The staff has a better knowledge of the workflow and can provide customers with a more realistic turnaround time. "Understanding the printing, binding, and mailing processes, it helps a lot in providing our customers with better services," says Copy Center operator Tracy VandenBerg.
Customers may still upload files to the Center at printing.uiowa.edu/webprint. The phone number and email address remain the same, but the fax number is now 384-3707. The finished product can be either picked up or delivered by courier.
The staff embraces the change with great enthusiasm and confidence. The bottom line is, the move "is a wonderful thing, because most of our work is electronic anyway, and with the courier service we provide, it just works great," says Gregory. — Sanda Pop
Relocated Course Packs & Copyright Service still at MBSB
The Course Packs and Copyright Service, which helps faculty produce classroom educational materials, will remain at the Mossman Building for the time being. The office was moved to MBSB when the Iowa Memorial Union flooded last summer.
"We are still offering the service," says Ken Knopik, who coordinates it. Faculty who need to meet with Knopik to discuss their course packs, get copyright permission, or provide materials should feel free to contact him to make arrangements.
"I'm very flexible: I can meet at their office on campus if it's more convenient, or they can come out here and meet with me if they prefer," says Knopik.
Check our map to the Mossman Building if you don't know where it is. The address for the service is 183 MBSB; the phone number and email remain the same (335-3410, upacs-printing@uiowa.edu).
QUALITY TIP
Send pdf files to Printing Services - not laser prints - if the quality of your printed document matters to you. The edges of the type and images will be more clean and crisp on the finished piece.
Customer service rep named for digital color press area
When will my job be finished? What will it cost? How do I make a pdf file? If you're printing a job on the digital color press, Kim Burda can answer your questions. She's been designated the customer service representative for that area of Printing and Mailing Services. Kim has been with Printing for twenty-one years, working as a compositor, platemaker, and press operator. Contact her at printing-dig@uiowa.edu or 384-3724.
Character Counts: Meet Chris Swart
After ten years with the Printing Department, prepress supervisor Chris Swart finds that everything is changing. That's fine with him. "I'm really excited about all the change. We needed to do it, and I like the direction it's going," he says.** "The new Workflow software for prepress automates some processes. With the new platesetter, in conjunction with Workflow, we're eliminating many of the steps, time, and material it takes to produce plates for the presses."
Well, maybe not everything is changing: "We're not like most commercial shops, in that we don't always get files that are ready to go to the press," Chris says. "We encourage customers to send pdfs, but we do spend a lot of time updating archived files. Or the customer sends pictures and a sample, and asks us to make it like it was the last time. The Color Center also keeps us busy, with color copies and posters."
Chris previously worked at a small printing business after earning a degree in graphic design from Iowa State. The company was just beginning to use computers, so he set up the systems in addition to working on design, layout, and prepress. It was much like his work here, although now he concentrates on prepress and uses his design skills for personal projects.
Chris and his wife, Tammy, a legal secretary, their daughter, Amber, 6, and son, Blake, almost 2, live in Kalona. "It's far enough from Iowa City to have its own identity, and it's a good place to raise kids," Chris says.
He grew up in northwest Iowa, where "you have to drive an hour just to get to an interstate!" he says. He wanted to be near a bigger city - but not too big. Iowa City appealed with its activities, cultural events, shopping, and restaurants. "One of the things I like about Iowa City are the trails, parks, and paths. I'm an avid runner and can go for miles and not see the same place twice," he says. It was a good move on all counts.
"I really like my work. It's challenging: there's always a variety of jobs, where you have to take what you know and use it to try to get where you need to be. It's changing all the time."
**See "New platesetter, press sail in," above.
Top of page
SURPLUS
Surplus: read all about it in fyi
"It's a public sale day at UI Surplus, which collects unwanted items from University departments, redistributes them to other departments, and resells the rest to the general public. Surplus also recycles or gives away many items that can't be sold. Above all, the Business Services unit hopes to advance the University's green goals." . . . .
full article
-
Top of page
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;
Kathy Battin/Mailing Services;
Sanda Pop/Business Services;
Michelle Ribble, Dave Ricketts, Mike Wilson/Parking and Transportation;
Jo Anne Worley/Laundry.
Editor and web administrator: Jenean Arnold, phone 319-384-3723, 129 Mossman Building.
Top of page
