So Much Fun!

Last Friday, Hillary arranged for me, Jenny, and Natalie (a fellow intern) to take a tour of the University of Georgia printing department located on campus. We were all excited to learn about this process, and the permeating smell of ink that we noticed upon entering the building only fueled our enthusiasm and heightened our curiosity.

It was amazing! Once again, the process is extremely complicated, yet also simple when you think about it. Jeff Allen showed us the stages of the actual printing of a book or other publications. He began by explaining how plates are made on aluminum sheets from a digital source and are then “copied” when the actual pages of the book are printed in the printing press. UGA has two printing presses at this location. The newest one is enormous! I could not believe the size and speed capabilities of this machine that costs millions of dollars. It was amazing to see the freshly printed pages of a book before they are cut and bound by other machines also located in the basement. Despite the volume of pages and publications, I was shocked to learn that so few people work there; much of the process of production has now been computerized. The entire tour was fascinating and I left the building with a greater appreciation for published materials. I highly recommend taking this tour!