Equipment in the Media Service area of the main CopyTechnology Center in Rm 11-004 has been upgraded over the summer, and some prices have been reduced.
Upgraded equipment includes two Macintosh workstations with color scanners, Zip drives and FTP capability (file transfer protocol); one PC workstation; two new Canon 700 color laser copiers, one of which is networked; and a color dye sublimation printer.
Members of the MIT community can use the Media Service equipment for thesis work, to create documents for presentations, and to prepare high-quality illustrations or charts for reports. The equipment is self-service, but a consultant is on hand (from 8am-9pm on weekdays) if customers need assistance or advice. There is a $10 hourly charge for equipment use (pro-rated for shorter periods) plus a charge for the appropriate printout.
It's best to reserve time to use this equipment, either by coming to Rm 11-004 or by calling Judy Radovsky at x8-7630 or Don Choate at x8-7794. Customers should specify the kind of output they plan to produce. (The Media Service area is also open on Saturdays, but there are no consultants on duty.)
Prices for color copies off the Canon copier have been reduced as follows: 8.5x11 color copies requiring no image adjustment are now $1 each; slides or color copies requiring adjustment are $1.50 each, and 11x17 color copies are $2.50 each, even if they need image adjustment.
Customers say they appreciate the quality of the output they can produce as well as the professional help they get from the staff.
"I have a reputation of being quite demanding when it comes to the reproduction of my images," said Felice Frankel, artist-in-residence and research scientist at the Edgerton Center. "A few years ago I wouldn't have dreamed of using laser copies. Now, because the technology has made such remarkable leaps, and because Judy Radovsky is in charge of laser copy reproduction, I use CopyTech as often as I can. Judy takes great pride in her work and is very patient with tough clients like me. And besides, the price is remarkably below that of outside vendors."
Prices for the photo-quality, higher-resolution dye sublimation prints also have been reduced. An 8.5x11 inch print is now $10 (down from $12) and an 11x17 is now $15 (formerly $20). Dye sublimation equipment is fairly rare in the Boston area, and MIT customers use it for reproducing photos, scientific data for publications and high-quality art prints for theses.
"The dye sublimation printer gives you a lot of resolution in your colors and also spatial resolution, which is important for my application," said Stuart Tessmer, a postdoctoral fellow in physics. "I'm reproducing images of electrons flowing through a semiconductor, and there are a lot of fine details and very sharp features. This printer allows me to retain the sharpness of the image and get the colors at the same time."
At the request of students, the fax machine is now self-service. The charge is still $3 for the first page, but the price for subsequent pages has been reduced from $2 to $1. (There is an additional charge for the phone call only if it is international.)
The CopyTech centers, with additional locations in Rms E52-045 and 2-217, continue to offer both self-service and drop-off production copying as well as bindery services. Customers can send DocuTech job requests electronically from anywhere at the Institute, eliminating the need to mail or carry over a hard copy. For community members who are coordinating a conference or seminar, CopyTech can provide copying, assembly and delivery of printed materials.
Additional services include the following: a 35mm slide service with a turnaround time of 24 hours or less, the Copyright Clearance program to help faculty members assemble course readers while ensuring compliance with copyright laws, and the Institute Copier program to assist departments by purchasing the appropriate copier for their needs and then renting it to them.
Payment for services in the Copy-Tech Centers can be made in a variety of ways: by cash, personal check, Visa or MasterCard, requisition, setting up a monthly account with CopyTech, or the MIT Card.
For more information, visit CopyTech's Web site. Watch Tech Talk for upcoming articles about other publications-related services at MIT.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on September 10, 1997.
