(UFT-Print Shop) Trip Report

On Wednesday, November 29. We have a trip with class to the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), Print Shop on Broadway in Manhattan, New York. The purpose of this trip was to took a tour of their faculty and explaining what they do and how the machines they use every day work. Get a close-up look into their print shop, and to learn about the different kinds of machines, paper, ink, etc.

The first machine we were showed was a poster-sized one, that can only print documents with minimum measurements of 11” x 17” in color or black and white. The next was a machine used to print newspaper-type articles with the option of front and back. This machine used oil-based ink and produces a medium-quality picture. The third printing machine we saw was an extremely large one of the ryobi series, used to print large quantities of large-sized documents.

Then we were shown a very large machine that prints off a gigantic paper roll, instead of by individual sheets. This paper would need to be cut after printing, and there is a cutting machine right next to the paper roll machine. This cutting machine can be adjusted so you can cut at any size. the staff showed us how to minimize the time it takes to cut by always cutting from the back. Also, we were shown how mail a piece of paper without using an envelope. the machine also can fold the paper and use a sticker to keep it sealed, and then right on the outside of it as if it were an envelope.

Overall, the print shop was a great experience to seeing how print products on operates because it showed to us how much times and jobs they can save from the machine.