Week 8-10 OFFICE REPROGRAPHICS AND MAIL SERVICES

1. Week 8-10 OFFICE REPROGRAPHICS AND MAIL SERVICES By Nampa Hamutumwa 2012 Semester 2

2. Content • Definition • Reprographic centre - organisation of the reprographic centre - determining needs - centralised control - advantages of centralised control - personnel - Layout - policies and procedures - maintenance of equipment - standards - cost control - equipment • Mail room

3. Definition Reprography is: • Reprographics is a term encompassing multiple methods of reproducing content, such as scanning , photography, and digital printing. The term applies to both physical ( hard copy ) and digital ( soft copy ) reproductions of documents and images.

4. Reprographic centre • Is concerned with the technology of reproducing and copying visual data • Includes the study of all machines and methods used in the reproduction of documents • These machines have simplified work operations in organisations by allowing organisations to establish their own in-house printing, where documents can be reproduced cheaply and efficiently

5. Reprographic centre…(cont) • Quality work is produced at a faster rate and at a lower per unit cost than before • These centres are designed to provide copying and printing services • They are the responsibility of administrative office manager

6. Organisation of the reprographic centre • Efficiency depends on how properly and organised the centre is. • The appropriate organisation for a reprographics centre is determined by the various need it fulfils

7. Determining needs • Needs for the reprographic unit are determined by administrative office managers/ or supervisors responsible • The needs are affected by the organisation’s copying and printing requirements • There are a number of factors that need to be considered in determining the needs of reprographics centre. And these are as follows:

9. Centralised control • The office administration has overall responsibility for and control over the operation of the centre however, • The day-to-day operation of the centre is the responsibility of a supervisor • To facilitate user accessibility, reprographics centers are generally located centrally in the organisation • Location is a primary concern because most of the departments are likely to use the reprographics services

10. Advantages of centralised control • Have greater control over reprographic functions • Centre is likely to operate with greater efficiency • The process of purchasing is likely to be performed more efficiently • The selection and utilisation of the equipment is likely to be more efficient

11. Personnel • The quality of the services produced in the reprographics center is directly related to the care with which personnel produce work • It is critical to employ individuals who are skilled in and knowledgeable about reprographics. This is because of the many processes that are quite specialised • A number of techniques are used to teach personnel how to operate the equipment found in the reprographics center

12. Personnel…(cont) • Manufacturers generally provide short, comprehensive training sessions for less sophisticated devices • For more sophisticated equipment, the personnel may need to complete a formal education program provided by a variety of schools, including high schools, technical schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges or universities • Participants in these educational programs frequently enrol in a printing or graphics program • Heavy equipment are more likely to be used in firms that specialise in printing

17. Layout • The layout of the reprographics center needs to be considered. Because a considerable amount of work in the centre involves several steps, the flow of work through the center must be planned • Manufacturers can provide both excellent suggestions for the layout as well as help an organisation develop efficient operating procedure • Planning the layout of the center involves: • Determining the placement of the equipment in the center • Providing washroom and darkroom facilities, if needed • Providing adequate storage space for the enormous amount of supplies that are typically needed in printing and copying operations

18. Policies and procedure • The policies and procedures used in operating the center are mainly concerned with the delivery of user services • Some of the areas covered by policies and procedures include:

19. Policies and procedure…(cont) Those who use the services of the reprographics center are generally required to complete a requisition form, which is basically a work order that includes the following items: • The number or name of the document being produced • The desired reproduction method • The number of copies needed • Special directions (such as color of paper, ink, reduction, collating, and stapling) • The name of the department to be charged • The name of the individual making the request, and authorization

20. Procedures involved in handling of confidential materials is very important • To maintain the integrity of this materials, some centres assign the processing of confidential material to certain individuals who can be trusted with maintaining its confidentiality • A policy governing the processing of high-priority items should be established • This policy is important because some employees believe that each item they send to the reprographics centre has a high priority so that it requires immediate attention • Most centres operate on a first-in, first-out basis except for legitimate high-priority or rush job (must be certified, abuse the privilege of rush job)

21. Maintenance of equipment • Specialised nature of the equipment found in reprographics centers requires quality maintenance that extends its life and improves the quality with which work is produced • Improper maintenance is often responsible for increasing the centre’s operating cost and producing poor- quality work • Equipment operators need to have a routine equipment maintenance, which helps keep the equipment clean and properly adjusted • Complex maintenance is provided by trained individuals • In some cases these individuals are employed by the organisation or work for equipment vendors and only provide the maintenance service on request

22. Standards • For the reprographics centre to be financially feasible and cost effective, its efficiency is paramount. • One way to judge the centre’s efficiency is to determine how well production standards are attained

23. Cost control • The nature of the reprographics center make cost control very crucial • The following suggestions are useful for controlling costs: • Use the most economical printing and copying process the jobs will allow • Request or reproduce only as many copies as are needed • Keep the equipment in proper adjustment as that very few, if any, pages are ruined in the printing or copying process • Print on both side of the paper when possible • Use the services of the reprographics center for a particular project unless some organisation is able to provide more economical services • Take advantages of quantity purchasing of supplies

24. equipment • The equipment that is used also has a significant bearing on the efficiency of the reprographic center • The centre’s equipment determines to a great extent the type of services the centre is able to provide

25. Mailroom • There is usually a sections in the organisation that collects, processes, and store or disseminates all the information needed or received by the organisation. • In some organisations, one or more employees have full-time responsibility for mail services The personnel, layout and equipment requirements of the mailroom are determined by several factors: • The number of employees in the organisation • The correspondence volume of the organisation • The speed with which the mail must be handled. Organisation that receives large sums of money through the mail each day may require faster mail-handling procedures than others • The volume of accountable mail, which is rapidly increasing in many organisations • The nature of the outgoing mail that is processed in the mailroom

27. Mailroom personnel • The type and number of people required in the mailroom is determined by the size of the organisation and the variety of functions performed by the mailroom • When one or more full-time employees are needed, a supervisor is typically responsible for the day-to day operations, while the administrative office manager is more likely to have ultimate responsibility for its operation

28. Mailroom layout • Special consideration should be given to the work flow when designing the mailroom layout • The processing of mail should move from one point to the next with minimum amount of physical effort and distance • The layout has an effect on the efficiency of the mailroom • Functions performed will determine the layout of the mailroom

30. Mailroom equipment • Addresser-printer equipment • Opening equipment • Stamping-sealing equipment • Automatic envelope emptier • Label preparation equipment • Inserting equipment • Electronic scale • Bundling equipment

32. Functions of mailrooms • To process incoming and outgoing mail • Distributing internal correspondences • Receiving and shipping parcels

33. Conserving mailing costs • Organisations are suing a number of techniques to conserve mailing costs • Imprinting of POSTNET bar codes on the envelope • Affix the proper amount postage to each piece of mail • Keeping mailing list up to date • Using light–weight mailers • Using fax delivery, when possible, rather than an overnight delivery services • Notifying senders of mail to employees no longer affiliated with the organisation that names of these individuals should be removed from the sende’s mailing list

34. Homework • Visit any organisation of your choice. • Investigate whether they have a records management system in place. If they do have, • Is it manually or electronically done? • What is their records management cycle like, if any? • Does the company/organisation have a centralised or decentralised control and storage? 1-2 page (s)!!!!! NO CLASS ON THURSDAY. This task prepares you for the next topic on Records management

35. END