University Print Shop to close

The University Print Shop will permanently close its doors on May 31, 2010 because of economic concerns.

An e-mail sent to faculty and staff by Assistant Vice President for Business Rex Gidden on March 25 stated the print shop would close. The notice was designed to prepare faculty and staff for the closing, and to inform them of whom to contact for future printing needs.

According to the e-mail, "The purpose of this notice is to advise departments for scheduling and planning. All print jobs after May 31 will be outsourced to external printers. Jobs to be outsourced will be bid on as required by purchasing rules and regulations. Departments should allow adequate lead time for the bid process as well as for print time."

Director of the Printing, Copy and Postal Services Blake Shaw said he is disappointed with the changes, but is eager to begin his new tasks.

He said he has seen many changes in the printing programs during his time on campus.

"Printing Services moved into the building that currently houses the One Stop Shop in 1978 (later named the Staley McBrayer Instructional Printing Facility)," Shaw said. "We moved to the old MSC annex (former bookstore location) in June 2009."

Shaw said the print shop has had several workers retire over the years, and currently staffs four employees in printing services and two in copy and postal services.

Manager of the Digital Copy Center Carolyn Nitson graduated from East Texas State University in 1981 with a printing degree. She has been an employee of the university since then, and is sad to see the print shop close.

"We have to be ready for change," she said.

There are four student workers who assist the facility.

Currently, little to no work is conducted in the print shop as it is prepared for closure.

"We have two production press operators, one composition and typesetting worker, and myself," Shaw said. "The length of time our staff has spent working together certainly makes the shop closure hard on us all."

Shaw said he will still be in charge of handling campus printing needs after the print shop closes, though at a different location.

"Blake will be moving to the Purchasing Department and will continue oversight of Composition Services, the Digital Copy Center, and Campus Postal Services," Gidden said in his e-mail. "Debbie Raney will be available to handle print jobs requiring or needing composition work and those services will be billed separately from the printing costs."

The copy center and post office will continue to provide their current services.