Feature Story

The COVID pandemic has changed the way the world has done business since arriving uninvited in mid-March. One of the departments that has had to adapt to the “new normal” is the Lion’s Edge Print Shop in Cincinnati and the satellite locations in Columbus, Dayton, Lorain, and Toledo.

While the ordering of print shop materials is done online through the new print request form, there is still a natural disconnect with not having the full print shop on location and having Associates stop in to pick up items they have ordered. Despite the adjustments that have been made with some Lion’s Edge Associates working remotely and direct shipping being a preferred method of delivery, all of the print shops have been busy filling orders throughout the company to make sure everyone gets what they need on time and looking great!

Like all of our operations, Lion’s Edge Cincinnati is currently operating with a limited on-site staff. Banner personnel is rotated so that no more than three Associates are in the building on a daily basis. Common equipment is wiped down routinely and everyone works safely in separate rooms. “We have had to overcome a lot of issues from working from home and dealing with our suppliers and vendors,” says Dennis Cook, Associate Director of Corporate Creative Services. “They are working with a smaller staff, have people working from home, are on four-day workweeks or they leave early if work is light. All of these situations can lead to delays in our jobs.”

With the on-premise reopening, one of the biggest issues facing the print shop is printing a large number of disposable menus in addition to the rest of the POS. “Printing 2,000 menus takes up a considerable amount of time compared to a normal table tent order of 10 sheets,” says Dennis. “These larger print runs cause more wear and tear on the printers which cause them to be down for maintenance more often.”

Now when the print shop designs jobs, they use the VPN like many other Associates working from home. It gives them access to all of their graphic files and previous design jobs. But nothing is instant when using the VPN, even if they pay for and have the fastest internet service.

“Our main focus during this pandemic has been communication,” Dennis said. “We can no longer walk over to someone’s desk and say, ‘this file needs a bleed.’ We can’t see the job come off the printer and say, ‘that’s on the wrong paper.’ We have to communicate better than we ever have and that takes extra time and effort. We have more tools than ever these days to communicate, but having that simple human interaction often makes things a whole lot simpler.”

With no immediate end to the COVID pandemic in sight, the best (and safest) way to order anything from any one of the print shops is through the online order form. This new order form and ordering method debuted in March and is a one-stop shop for all of your printing needs. If you are new to the company since this was implemented or just need a refresher course in the basics, check out this informative video that walks you through the basics of the new system. You can also visit the Lion’s Edge landing page on the Team Portal on the Heidelberg Website that will give you tips on ordering as well as identity guidelines for all materials designed and printed by Lion’s Edge.