System Management - Publications

C.E.S.P. 3-14: Print-On-Demand

Date Revised: 5-20-2001

Fact sheets, with a few exceptions, will be stored electronically for print - on - demand by the print media center rather than printed and stored in the warehouse. This change will enable specialists to develop new fact sheets or revise existing fact sheets without having to project the number needed for storage in the warehouse. It will free storage space in the warehouse and will reduce paper waste. Revisions also will be triggered by date as determined by specialists rather than by the quantity remaining in the warehouse.

When a fact sheet is revised or written, approved, designed and sent to the print media center, 200 copies will be printed and distributed, two per county, as notification to the county faculty that the fact sheet is available. One copy each will be distributed to the Associate Director - Family, Youth and 4 - H Education or to the Associate Director - Agriculture and Natural Resources, depending upon the subject area. Five copies will be sent to the coordinator of communications assistants. Remaining copies will be sent to the author(s).

Placement On The Web

Once a fact sheet has been written, approved, edited and designed, the communications assistants will provide the print media center manager with the post script version of the publication for duplication purposes and will forward the pdf and content of the fact sheet to the web associates who mark the contents for html and place the pdf and html on the web.

The coordinator of communications assistants will enter the title and number of the fact sheet, the division, the area, the author(s) and the quantity as nine - thousand nine - hundred and ninety - nine (9999) in the intranet data base for ordering. The coordinator of communications assistants will also ensure that counties are notified about the availability of each fact sheet through the Director's Newsletter or Blue Letter.

Ordering Print - On - Demand

County agents and specialists will continue using the same web - based publication order system that is used when ordering fact sheets stored in the warehouse. The quantity on hand for print - on - demand fact sheets will be shown as nine - thousand nine-hundred and ninety - nine (9999) and will not change.

When the order is submitted for fact sheets that have been developed for print - on - demand, the order will be routed automatically to the print media center.

The printer who operates the Xerox 6180 will receive the request and will make every effort to duplicate the fact sheet, using the appropriate pre - printed shell, within twenty - four hours after receiving the order. The print media center will deliver the printed fact sheets to the distribution center for distribution to the county agent or specialist who ordered the fact sheet.

Charges

The cost of duplicating the first 200 fact sheets will be charged to the fund and organization number determined by the author and recorded on the print request form used for all fact sheets, printed or placed on a print - on - demand status.

When counties order fact sheets, the cost will not be charged against the county budget. The cost will be charged to a separate fund used for tracking the Extension investment.

Fact sheets duplicated through print - on - demand will cost: 8 cents for a two - page fact sheet; 12 cents for a four - page fact sheet; 20 cents for a six page fact sheet and 25 cents for an eight - page fact sheet. Costs will be adjusted to reflect current market prices for paper and supplies. The manager of the print media center will notify the director of communications and marketing when an adjustment is necessary. The director of communications and marketing will approve all cost adjustments before they are enacted and will notify the administration, district directors and specialists of changes in prices before the changes are implemented.

Revisions

When fact sheets are stored in the warehouse, a predetermined minimum quantity triggers the review and revision process.

When fact sheets are stored electronically for print - on - demand, there is no limited quantity. Therefore, the quantity remaining can no longer be used to determine the need for revision. As a result, when the specialist submits the fact sheet for print - on - demand, the specialist will determine the life of the fact sheet in its current version and the responsibility for revising the fact sheet in a timely manner becomes the responsibility of the specialist(s) who authored the fact sheet.

Once the fact sheet is revised, the process for placing a revised fact sheet on the print - on - demand list will be followed.

Exceptions

There are three exceptions when fact sheets will continue to be printed and stored or distributed at the time of their development.

1. Three - or four - color fact sheets will be printed and stored in the warehouse and will not be available through print - on - demand. When writing or revising three - or four - color fact sheets, specialists will determine the quantity needed. Once the three - or four - color fact sheets have been designed, they will be forwarded to the print media center by the communications assistants and the quantity ordered by the specialist will be printed on the press and stored in the warehouse. The plant warehouse assistant foreman will enter the title, author and quantity available into the publications order list. Two copies of each fact sheet will be distributed automatically to all counties or to those counties identified by the author / specialist. The coordinator of communications assistants will assure that counties are notified about the availability of the fact sheet through the Director's Newsletter or Blue Letter as well.

The communications assistants will forward the p d f and content of the multi - colored fact sheets to the web assistants who will mark the contents as h t m l and place the p d f and h t m l on the Cooperative Extension web site in its appropriate location.

2. Fact sheets that are funded through grants will be printed and stored in the warehouse or distributed as directed by the author(s). Specialists authoring or revising a fact sheet will determine the quantity needed, which will be printed by the print media center and stored in the warehouse unless distributed entirely at the time of printing. The cost will be charged against the designated grant fund.

When the fact sheet is stored in the warehouse, the plant warehouse assistant foreman will enter the title, author and quantity available into the publications list. When the entire run is distributed, the fact sheet will be made available through print - on - demand unless the grant calls for and funds additional printing.

Two copies of a fact sheet will be distributed automatically to all counties or to those counties identified by the author / specialist except when the author(s) choose to distribute the entire run and provide a complete distribution list. The fact sheet will also reside on the web site in its p d f and h t m l versions, but the print media center will neither save nor keep the post script version until the supply in the warehouse is exhausted, or in the event that the initial run is completely distributed, the author(s) request that the fact sheet be made available through print - on - demand.

When the supply in the warehouse nears depletion, the plant warehouse assistant foreman will notify the specialist who authored the fact sheet and the specialist will then determine if a revision is required or if the fact sheet in its current version should be made available on a print - on - demand basis.

If it is determined that the fact sheet should be made available on a print - on - demand basis, the author(s) will notify the communications assistant coordinator who will forward a post script version of the fact sheet to the print media center for duplication. The communications assistant coordinator will notify the computer programmer who will alter the program to redirect future order forms to the print media center. The communications assistant coordinator also will alter the quantity on hand to read, "nine - thousand nine - hundred and ninety - nine (9999)."

3. When a specialist requests immediate distribution of fact sheets, they will be printed and distributed according to the distribution list provided by the specialist. The fact sheets will also be stored electronically and future orders may be handled through print - on - demand.

In this case, the communications assistants will provide the p d f and contents to the web associates who will mark the content for h t m l and place the p d f and h t m l on the web. The communications assistants coordinator will forward the post script version to the print media center. The communications assistant coordinator will enter the title, author and quantity as nine - hundred and ninety - nine on the publications order form.

When counties want additional fact sheets, their order will be directed to the print media center and the procedure for other print - on - demand fact sheets will be followed.