Amongst the many services that the second floor of Meyer Library offers, such as equipment checkout and technical consulting, Wide Format Poster Printing is one of the unique services that we offer.
History
The poster printing service was started at Meyer Library in 2004 as demand among the student population grew for a more convenient and economical alternative to commercial services such as FedEx Kinko’s. Most people also do not have access to a printer that costs anywhere from five to ten thousand dollars, whose seven ink cartridges each cost almost a hundred dollars and that can print on archival- and exhibition-quality paper that is forty-four inches wide.
When first introduced, poster printing was a do-it-yourself affair, in which the patron logged on to a computer and sent the print command to the poster printer just like a normal print job. To help the patron, there was an informational notice next to the computers with instructions on printing. Patrons then paid for their prints at the Desk and waited to pick it up.
Growing Requirements
Within a few months of operation and a lot of wasted ink and paper, it became apparent that patrons were not the ideal persons to be in charge of printing their posters because poster printing was more expensive than the usual print job and, as it turned out, a lot more complicated. The system then evolved into a more controlled operation in which trained consultants, who were already doing helping patrons with multimedia tasks, would assist patrons with choosing all the appropriate settings before printing. (Part of this phenomenon was merely a product of clients not wishing to send the print job until a consultant had actually double-checked all of the settings from the beginning.) However, as the number of poster jobs per week steadily increased, we felt the need for an even more structured and organized system.
'Now Full Service'
In the very beginning of 2006, poster printing at Meyer Library was transformed into being a “full service” facility. With the new service, patrons simply had to fill out a one-sheet form and provide basic contact information and their poster would be on its way. The full service model was a huge improvement over the old consultant-assisted system and thanks to the fact that the print queue was no longer a free-for-all affair, we were able to accomodate queue systems such as a ‘rush’ service for patrons who require very short turnaround times ("under 4 hours'').
The Future and eCommerce
Looking towards the immediate future, we see a need for transitioning the initial client interaction to a web form where clients can fill out all the required information and make payments using Stanford University’s eCommerce service. This would not only be a lot more convenient for patrons but also allow us to keep extensive records of poster print jobs.
A few years from now, the basic concept of poster printing is not expected to change much beyond general improvements in technology and equipment allowing, for example, larger print sizes, more accurate color reproduction thanks to better calibration, etc. However, from an organizational point of view, our aim is to automate as much of the printing process as possible so as to minimize the possibility of client/operator error. The patron’s document would be automatically checked for potential printing issues, print settings would be chosen appropriately, a record of the print job would be created in our database, and the print job would require minimal human intervention.
That's all for this short history of poster printing at Meyer. Join us in the future for more glimpses into the past!
