It’s our first visit over to the east side of the building, and we are fielding some Q&As with the Print Department. You submitted the questions over the last few weeks, we pulled a few of those for the team to answer.
Q: With the Tablet, the Table, branham.org, and the microSD, what are you forecasting for printed material to be like?
A: We foresee the possibility of only printing small quantities of books for new languages, the William Branham Evangelistic Association (WBEA) books, and for areas that do not have access to a reliable power source or to the internet.
Q: When printing in other languages, how or who sets up the text in that language? Are these the same people who would proofread it?
A: The Text Department does all the typing and formatting of the files that the Print Department uses to print the books and covers. They have access to all the different type and fonts we need to print with, here and overseas. The manuscript is proofread by the translation team after the type is formatted into book pages.
Q: Who comes to maintain the machines, and how often does the process slow down due to machine malfunction?
A: We do all of the maintenance and most of the repairs in-house and are reminded regularly about staying safe. Several times a year we will run into a situation that will slow us down due to a part failure on one of the machines. They are mechanical devices, so parts will fail periodically.
Q: Do VGR employees photograph the scenes on the Message book covers? Do the photos always remain the same or do you ever change them when more copies are printed?
A: No, although there would be no shortage of volunteers for that assignment. With a few exceptions, the photos were purchased from a stock library of scenic photos and Brother Joseph picked a different one for each tape date. Each time we print or reprint that tape date, it will have the same photo in all languages.
Q: How do you make sure that every crease is folded right and how much extra paper needs trimmed?
A: For accuracy, on some jobs, we pre-crease the paper while it is running on the press. This assures that when the paper is folded it will fold right on that crease and minimize any cracking of the paper. The amount of trim varies depending on size but typically we will only trim 1/8" to 1/4" inch. We purchase paper that is just large enough to allow us to have a minimum of waste for the best efficiency, and we also sell the trimmings back to the paper company for recycling.
Q: How many gallons of ink do you go through a month?- Tyler age 11
A: In large printing shops, they buy ink by the pound. Last year we used almost 1,000 pounds of ink in the big web press and about 1,200 pounds in the color press.
Q: How long from the time Brother Joseph picks the message to be printed until it comes off the press ready to be shipped?
A: Depending on the quantity of an individual title to be printed, we can have it ready for shipping in as little as 2 or 3 days, especially if we have already printed the title before. Generally, though, it takes about 4-6 weeks because of many other circumstances.
Q: Working around the machinery day in and day out can be dangerous for a variety of reasons. Has there been any mishaps or injuries that has ever slowed production down?
A: Yes, it can be dangerous working around machinery and Father has so graciously watched over us and kept us from serious harm. As far as I know, there have been no injuries to slow down production other than a breakdown in the machinery itself.
Q: The quality of your printed booklets is so beautiful. Are You using CMYK and two colors or Pantone?
A: We do use CMYK (a combination of four inks that produce what you see in color printing) plus two spot colors (these colors are not a combination of the 4 CMYK inks, but a standard color that will not vary) for the cover of the individual Message books when printed in house. The two spot colors have a Pantone code associated with them. When printing the covers overseas or when printed digitally, they will print them using only the 4-color process (CMYK with no spot colors).
Q: With new technology, is it now cheaper to print the same amount of material than before? Do you still see the need to print English books as before since the Message can be accessed from computers, tablets, etc?
A: While new technology has allowed information to travel much faster, allowing us to translate and record quicker than any time in the past, printing material costs have stabilized rather than gotten cheaper.
We still print some English books for special meetings, witnessing, the WBEA books (like the Church Age and Seven Seals books), and for areas that do not have access to a reliable power source or to the internet.
Q: Does Drumstick really sleep under Bro. George's desk? (see the color press section of the CC videos)