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Meet Archie Crawford, Print-Tech's 1st Shift Digital Operator |
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Occasionally we feature an employee in our newsletter because part of what sets us apart is our people. Some employees interact directly with customers, while others do not. Regardless, we're proud of our whole team and hope you enjoy getting to know them.
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In this issue, meet Archie Crawford.
1. What's your role at Print-Tech and how long have you been there?
I'm the first shift digital operator, and I've been at Print-Tech over 15 years.
2. Tell us a bit about your background. Have you always worked in printing?
After serving a tour in the Marine Corps, I worked at an automotive seating plant. When the plant shut down, I was hired by a different print shop.
I worked there for six years before being hired by Print-Tech.
3. What exactly does a Digital Operator at a printing company do - and what does a typical day look like for you?
I image a wide variety of primarily short-run print jobs, including business cards, wedding invitations, company newsletters, books, and much more. It may sound straightforward, but there are a lot of steps to the process.
At the beginning of every shift, all machines are color calibrated to G7. Each job requires the loading of a specific stock from our wide selection. Next we import the job into the RIP, making sure to verify back-to-front alignment as well as job specs (like quantity, orientation, and color matching). I then produce a proof, which I compare to a previous sample or send to the customer for approval. With both digital presses running, I can easily produce 100,000 images in a shift.
 4. How do you interact with other Print-Tech personnel, like sales and service reps?
Aside from the occasional day when someone forgot their coffee (LOL), I feel all of us at Print-Tech interact very well with each other. From one department to the other, we go over the details of any given job and make sure everyone knows what's needed to produce it correctly.
5. Do you interact directly with customers? If so, in what ways?
I interact with them occasionally. If a customer has a specific concern that involves my part of a job, I'll speak directly with that customer.
6. What's the most satisfying part of your role?
For me, it's seeing a particularly attractive finished project - some of them can be quite impressive.
7. How has your role changed since you've been at Print-Tech?
While my role hasn't changed significantly, the ever-improving technology provides frequent changes in this industry. When I started at Print-Tech, we had a Xerox DocuTech for black-and-white printing and a Xerox 2045 for color printing. Our upgrades for black-and-white printing went from a Kodak 110 to a Canon 1135. For color printing, we upgraded to a Canon 7000 and then to two Canon 7010's. We just recently updated to two Canon 10000's to handle both color and black-and-white printing.
8. What's one thing that customers would be surprised to learn about the role of Digital Operator?
Probably the sheer number of adjustments and controls that are made from the print engine itself to the individual job files. There's a lot of finessing and tweaking of job files that goes on to help us produce the best quality jobs we can.
9. Outside of work, what sorts of activities or hobbies are you passionate about? In other words, where might we find you on the weekends?
I enjoy reading, craft beer, motorcycle riding, and college football - especially Michigan football. In fact, I have attended every Michigan football game since the 1994 season opener. (Yes, away games as well.) This season's game against Ohio State will make 300 consecutive games for me. I've even been featured in the local news for being a super fan. Go Blue! 10. What's your favorite thing about working at Print-Tech?
The people I work with. I'm very lucky to be in a group of such good individuals.
11. Why do you think customers love working with Print-Tech?
Our expertise. Print-Tech employees have a lot of years of experience, and it shows in what we produce.
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At Print-Tech, you'll get the highest level of
expertise available anywhere! |
