THE management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Printing Press has inaugurated five key print-production machines designed to improve the quality and quantity of printed materials in the university community and its environs.
The inauguration of the equipment was also intended to augment the existing ones in the university community and make the University Printing Press a one-stop printing house.
The inaugural ceremony coincided with the refurbishment of the University Printing House which had been in a deplorable state over a long period.
Funding for the project, estimated at GH¢350,000.00 was generated internally from the University Printing Press.
The equipment included an image setter, two colour MOZPS printing machine and a colour MO printing machine, as well as a digital guillotine and stitching machine.
Since the printing press was established in 1961 to provide printing and binding services for the various faculties, departments and units of the university, there had not been any significant maintenance.
The situation greatly undermined the quality and quantity of production, making it difficult for the management to meet the demands of their clients.
In his inaugural address, the Manager of the University Printing Press, Mr Michael Afrifa Darko, assured that “ the one-stop-press would not only offer the best practices in terms of printing various materials, but would also provide a major security printing outfit for both the university community and communities in the northern sector of the country.”
Recalling the history of the printing press, he said: “ 50 years ago, with a student population of about 1,000 and a handful of faculties and departments, the printing press, with its initial staff of seven, was able to meet the printing needs of the university community.”
He stressed that “over the period, technology had changed and most of the printing machines acquired in the 1960’s for the University Printing Press had virtually become obsolete, frequently breaking down, and it was always difficult to get parts for them.”
He explained that the continuous break down of the obsolete machines, cost of repairs and time of delivery among others, forced them to “ out-source jobs that require the use of high-tech printing machines.”
This, he said, undermined their efforts at meeting the cost of production to enable them generate the requisite profits to sustain their operations.
“ With the new machines and refurbishment, we have given the University Printing Press a businesslike outlook, which builds confidence and credibility and makes clients, especially those outside the university, want to do business with us,” he noted.
Mr Afrifa Darko said “it was, therefore, important for educational institutions, particularly those at the tertiary level, to access our facilities to produce their Multiple Choice Questions and staff appraisal scannable sheets, examinations answer booklets, registers, continuous assessment forms and other publications, including books.”
He said doing business with the press would also offer the needed security to tertiary institutions, regarding the printing of examination questions and other sensitive materials.
“ With 50 years of printing excellence and as general printers, we are also able to print a range of materials, including health stationary and corporate publications such as technical and annual reports, application forms, letter heads, calendars and bulletins among others,” he stressed.
In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, commended the board, management and staff of the University Printing Press for their sense of initiative, which had made it possible for them to bring life into the university community.
Professor Adarkwa explained that as a result of constant competition, the world of business was constantly changing, and urged the management of the press “to deliver enhanced print work on a competitive and cost effective basis.”
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