Evelyn Rodriguez DIGM 3350 Section: 18661 April 1, 2013 Clampitt Paper 4707 Blalock Rd, Houston TX The firm we visited was called Clampitt Paper. It is located in 4707 Blalock Rd, Houston TX. We went there on February 11, 2013 at 2:00 pm. The name of the tour guides were Ken Drew and Sooze Cisneros. Ken is the paper salesman and Sooze is the creative center coordinator. Our first stop was in a room where Ken started the tour. He introduced himself and talked a little about what he does. He gave us an overview of the places we were going to tour and talked about what Sooze does. The next stop we went to was in the Sample Room. Each wall has something different. There is the wall where there are printed samples that show how the paper looks with ink. One side of the wall is called the swatch book wall that gives paper information such as stocking information, weights, paper finishes and textures. There is another wall that shows different printing techniques that show varnish, binding and felding techniques. There is also a mill wall which highlights products. Sooze also talked about what she does on a daily basis, which
includes working with designers to come up with a printed product. The designers will give her information with requirements, such as the required size, and she has to create the printed product. She is the middleperson between the printer and the designer or end user. She helps designers see how they want their printed to look like. The next stop we went to was the warehouse where we saw many interesting things. Sooze gave us information about Clampitt Paper. It is a family owned business and they have several locations. They carry parent size sheets which work on sheetfed presses. As we were walking through the warehouse we saw giant rolls of paper, which are called web rolls. Sooze also showed us where they have their packages. She talks about the paper climate and getting it acclimated. They don t have to worry about acclimating paper since usually both the truck and the warehouse are the same climate. She also talked about different paper finishes such as satin, gloss and matte. We stopped by the machine that cuts paper; this was one of my favorite stops of the tour because I got to see how paper got trimmed. Our third stop was back in the conference room where Ken showed us a video on the paper making process. In the video they talked about the fiber used by Appleton Coated. I thought it was really interesting how they ensure that the fiber meets the specified regulation. The video helped me understand how they make paper. After we watched the video, the tour guides gave us samples of paper. This was my favorite part of the tour because I got to see the difference of texture and finishes of many kinds of paper. I would choose to do business with the company because they have a variety of different types of paper to get something printed. The employees are very knowledgeable and they can
help me choose the right kind of paper. They are very helpful and they can help me learn about the options that are available to me when selecting paper. This trip definitely increased my knowledge on the graphic communications industry because I now have a better understanding on why choosing the right kind of paper is important. The texture, weight and finish of a paper can have a big impact on how good the design looks. The paper can either help or damage the overall look of the design. After this trip, I have a better understanding on the different types of paper available in the graphic communications industry.
Evelyn Rodriguez DIGM 3350 Section: 18661 April 7, 2013 Wetmore Printing Co. 1645 W Sam Houston Pkwy N, Houston, TX 77043 We visited Wetmore Printing Co. located in 1645 W Sam Houston Pkwy N, Houston, TX 77043. The time of the trip was from 1:45 to 3:30 p.m. on April 1 st, 2013. The tour guides name was John Ristuccia, who is the director of sales. Our first stop was in the entrance of the company. John Ristuccia introduced himself and the company. He told us that RR Donelly is the largest printing company in the world. The location we visited is the second largest commercial printing facility RR Donelly has. He told us that they do commercial printing, and they do many types of prints such as labels, forms and magazines. They can also print bibles and case bound books. They do sheetfed, web and digital printing. We began the tour by stopping by the production and scheduling area. They have a digital system in which they can move jobs electronically. We saw the offices of the estimators. He also showed us the color department, where they do color correcting. Our next stop was in the prepress department, where they make sure the files are correct. The tour guide showed us their proofing equipment, such as the spectrum proof, which can
replicate dot patterns.getting a spectrum proof is expensive, but now they also do Epsom proofs, which can be a cheaper alternative for customers. Once the files are ready they send them to the proofing department behind the glass doors. They also have digital proofs, which allow many people to look at the proof at the same time. He also showed us a printing plate, which was interesting to see since I have read about them. He also talked about the principle of offset printing, which states that oil and water can t mix. The image has an oily material. The plate first comes in contact with a water roller, and it will stay away from the image area. After that, the plate comes in contact with ink rollers. The next stop we went to was the production area. We passed by the sheetfed and web presses. The advantages of sheetfed presses are that they can print on a large variety of papers. I thought it was interesting to see how big the presses are and how fast they run. I also saw the towers, which represent printing units. I also saw a jogger, which was neat to see since I recently learned about them in Dr.Waites class. The next stop was in the raw inventory room. In this room we got to see a variety of print jobs that they have done in the past. The tour guide showed us the Starbucks employee guide and also the application forms for Wal-Mart. I thought it was really interesting to see the variety of print jobs that this company could do. We also stopped by the digital presses. In this department they can be able to do just in time printing, which allows print jobs to be delivered the next day. They can also print postcards in this department.
Our last stop was in the warehouse where they store print jobs that are finished and ready to ship. He showed us the raw goods and the finished goods inventory. Sometimes the customers want the company to store their jobs and send out a certain number of jobs at a time. I would choose to do business with this company because they have a lot of knowledge on commercial printing. RR Donelly works for very large companies such as Wal-Mart and Radio Shack. I think that they have a lot of knowledge on how to successfully print out a job because they work with such big names who expect the best out of print jobs. In this trip, I learned so much about commercial printing. I learned that some companies differ in the number of prints they make. I also learned more about the different positions available in the printing industry, such as estimators, planners, and salespeople. The trip to Wetmore definitely helped me realize that there are many people involved in getting completing a print job.
Evelyn Rodriguez DIGM 3350 Section: 18661 April 14, 2013 A&E Graphics Complex 4235 Richmond Avenue, Houston TX The company we visited was called A&E Graphics Complex. It is located in 4235 Richmond Avenue, Houston TX. We went there on April 14, 2013 at 1:45 pm. The name of the tour guide was Curtis Metz, who is the manager of technology and product development. Our first stop was in the area where all of their large formats start. The expediter takes the files and checks the schedule. The prepress and scanning area are nearby, and they can do color and font adjustments for the customers. They can also scan a variety of things such as maps and old pictures. One of their scanners was a contact scanner and it has 1200 dpi. In the next stop, the tour guide showed us a UV flatbed printer. They use a UV ink and it is cured by a UV light. It is a very high quality printer that prints at 600 dpi. They print for all the local sports team and they also do work for academy. They do a rollout, which consists of large putting large and small formats in a store kit. He also showed us a light jet print, which uses a laser to etch into a photosensitive film. It can come out with a 5000 dpi print. Light Jet printers
are used for backlit and high end graphics. It sells for about $20 a square foot. He also showed us a cutter from Switzerland that can read barcodes. The next stop we went to was where the business started. This is where they originally had the blueprints, along with the ammonia and the sensitized paper. They also have a section where they have files which need adjusting. They also have scanning stations, which can scan 12 inches per second. The next stop we went to was by the 8 color printer. This printer is produces vibrant colors. It is solvent based and it can print billboards up to 16 feet wide. He also showed us what directive fabric printing is. The inkjet printer uses a special kind of ink and prints on polyester. At first the image looks dull but then it goes through a second section called sublimation. When you sublimate the ink it turns into a gas and permeates the fabric. The tour guides also told us that using fabric is much more convenient than vinyl because it is cheaper to ship and it doesn t wrinkle. Printing on fabric has become more popular in recent times. We also stopped by a part of the digital vault. The entire vault is in the second floor, where all the servers are located. They have a software called DFS, which organizes instruction documents by volume and by discipline. The software lets the customer order online. The digital logistics handles the large format files. The tour guide discussed some of the aspects of storing files in the vault. We stopped by where they do binding. The next stop was in the kitting department, where jobs are put together in box and are ready to be sent to the customer. The tour guide also showed us where they do 3d printing. The name of the printer is called Z corp. I thought it was really interesting because 3d printing is gaining popularity rapidly.
Our last stop was in the self-serve department, where customers can print their own jobs. They have black and white, color and inkjet printers. They also have six large format printers. The department is open until midnight, and many customers come to the department to print something. I would choose to have something printed through directive fabric printing because it is innovative and it can print of fabric. I would choose to print something on fabric because it will not wrinkle. Printing on fabric is a good investment and the colors are going pop out with the printer. This trip helped me understand how companies print out large formats such as posters. I learned about different types of printers that can make posters look a lot better by making the colors more vibrant. I also have a better understanding on the types of jobs customers request, and how prepress and scheduling is very important in the printing industry.