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15 May, 2007
Note: At the time this entry was originally written, the aim of the project was to make a website for just the Meyer Library Poster Printing Service. However, the aim has changed since then to encompass the entire library. A new document has been added to replace this.
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 a more convenient and economical alternative to commercial services such as FedEx Kinko’s as most people do not have access to a printer that costs about ten thousand dollars, whose seven printer cartridges cost almost a hundred dollars each and that can print on 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.
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 transitioned to 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. However, as the number of poster jobs per week steadily increased, we felt the need for a 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 simple 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 add facilities such as a ‘rush’ service for patrons who require very short turnaround times.
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 make it impervious to user 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.
