CAL POLY PROVIDES COMMERCIAL PRINT TRAINING TO THE UPS STORE NETWORK

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., Sept. 13, 2011 — The UPS Store and the Graphic Communication Institute (GrCI) at California Polytechnic State University have developed a new training program designed to help The UPS Store network advance its capabilities in the commercial printing industry.

The three-day program, led by the faculty and staff of Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department, provides participants an intensive hands-on experience using the latest software and digital printing and finishing technologies.

“As small businesses look for cost-effective marketing solutions, we feel this training enables us to enhance the print capabilities and support infrastructure for The UPS Store network,” said Bill Martin, vice president of print services for The UPS Store network. “With 80 percent of the U.S. population living within five miles of a The UPS Store location, we are able to efficiently serve the print needs of individuals, small businesses and enterprise customers with distributed workforces.”

Approximately 150 The UPS Store representatives from across the United States recently completed the training program at the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo, Calif. These individuals will act as trainers for the franchisees and their employees of the nearly 4,400 The UPS Store locations nationwide. The intention is to provide The UPS Store network the knowledge and tools needed to produce high-quality print materials for customers, from simple fliers, brochures and letterheads to more complex full-color booklets and customized calendars.

“While much of the commercial printing industry is in retrenchment, The UPS Store is expanding as a new resource for printing services in nearly every community—sort of a rebirth of the neighborhood print shop in a new and improved digital form,” said Harvey Levenson, head of Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department. “This is good for customers, good for the vendors, and good for the printing industry as a whole.”

Approximately 550 hours went into producing the program. Equipment suppliers, including HP, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Xerox, Martin Yale, GBC, Baumfolder and Southwest Binding & Laminating, installed the equipment in Cal Poly’s laboratories for the training.

“This program is by far the most intensive training we’ve ever done in the decades we’ve been doing training for the industry,” Levenson said.

GrCI provides industry research, testing, product evaluations, consulting, training, seminars, workshops, conference and publishing.

“The graphic arts industry is changing, and many more of today's customers are looking for companies that can provide short-run color and on-demand printing,” said Lyndee Sing, who manages GrCI. “I have no doubt that with the training received at Cal Poly, The UPS Store is now better able to understand the expectations of their customers and how to meet them.”

About Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department

Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, has become one of the most selective universities in the United States. The Graphic Communication Department (www.grc.calpoly.edu) was founded in 1946 and is one of the largest and best-known programs of its kind in the nation. The department includes concentrations in graphic communication management, web and digital media, design reproduction technology, graphics for packaging, and individualized study. The program is strongly supported by industry with equipment, supplies and software for the department's more than 33,000 square feet of modern laboratories, and with grants and endowments. The Graphic Communication Institute at Cal Poly (www.grci.calpoly.edu) focuses on services for industry, including research, testing, product evaluations, consulting, training, seminars, workshops, conferences, and publishing. The Department is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Collegiate Graphic Communications (ACCGC).

About The UPS Store

With more than 4,700 locations, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. network comprises the world’s largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal, print and business service centers throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.  In the U.S. and Puerto Rico, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc., a UPS subsidiary.  In Canada, locations are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of master licensee MBEC Communications, L.P.  For additional information on The UPS Store, including information on franchise opportunities for opening a The UPS Store location, visit www.theupsstore.com.

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