Type Center Inc. meets challenges of changing industry

During the 30 years Fred Lorenz has owned the Type Center, he has encountered all kinds of situations that might cause him to miss an important deadline bad weather, power outages and equipment malfunctions.

However, it wasn't until Nov. 20, 2001, that Lorenz faced his biggest challenge. That's the day a driver lost control of his car and literally drove into the Type Center, causing extensive damage to the building and to several pieces of equipment.

Amazingly, none of the shop's six full-time employees were hurt, and after they recovered from the initial shock, they got back to work. Somehow, they managed to meet their deadlines for the day.

Employee commitment is just one of the things that makes the Type Center stand out. The ability to keep up with changes in publishing technology is another.

It's hard to imagine all the changes 64-year-old Lorenz has weathered since he first got into the publishing business. When he was a student in high school, Lorenz took part in a work/ study program in which her worked as a typesetter for a newspaper in Lexington, Mo. Back then, Lorenz used a Lino-type machine to set type.

He would sit at the front of the machine, place the copy that needed to be typeset on a stand located on top of the keyboard, and adjust the machine to the required point size and line length. Once that was done, he would heat the metal to the correct temperature approximately 550 degrees Fahrenheit and start "setting" type by keying in each word.

Each keystroke released a small piece of brass that had a character stamped on it. These characters traveled down a channel into an assembler box where they formed words. A "spaceband," or tiny steel wedge, separated each word.

When the assembler was nearly full, Lorenz would de-cide when he should send the line of type off for casting. He could finish at the end of a word. If the word was too long to fit on the line, however, he would have to figure out where to divide it. All of these decisions were made quickly, and if he made a mistake, he would have to reset one or more lines of type.

These days, typesetting couldn't be more different. Now, Lorenz uses one of the PCs or Macintosh computers in his office to set type. These computers contain software programs that automatically di-vide words for him. They also allow him to move entire paragraphs or rearrange photos on a page with just a few clicks of the computer mouse.

Computer technology has not only redefined the way Lorenz does his job, it's also redefined the jobs he can do.

When the Type Center opened 30 years ago, roles in the publishing industry were clear. A designer was a designer, a typesetter set type, a lithography house did prepress work and a printer did printing.

As computer publishing technology became more advanced, however, those roles began to blur. Designers could do color separations, printers could create negatives, etc.

In short, Lorenz had to adapt or die. He chose to adapt.

Adapting in this new environment was difficult and risky, however. Lorenz could use computer technology to do almost anything in the publishing industry. So, he examined his strengths and weaknesses and decided to become an "in-betweener," the person who takes a graphic designer's work and converts it into a format that can be used by a printer.

Today, the Type Center does much more than just set type. The company offers prepress services, high-resolution scanning, proofs and a wide variety of darkroom services, including reverse prints, veloxes and film positives.

Recently, Lorenz purchased a new piece of equipment that allows him to do large-format printing up to 43 inches wide and 82 feet in length. This equipment primarily is used to make large vinyl banners, pos-ters and trade-show graphics for customers.

Another piece of new equipment allows him to laminate and mount images. These im-ages are usually mounted on foam-core boards, which are used in retail displays.

Offering a wide variety of services has helped Lorenz stay competitive in a very competitive industry. Five years ago, he took stock of the competition and identified more than 75 other printers who do business in the area. In addition, some of his customers were beginning to use computers to "self-publish" their own work.

Despite these factors, the Type Center has continued to attract new customers.

The company also has managed to maintain a strong base of repeat business.

"Our overhead is so low here that some customers still use us even when they move out of state," Lorenz said. "It's cheaper for them to use us than a printer in their own area."

In addition to offering competitive prices, the Type Center also is regarded by many customers as the place to go when they have a problem with a project.

According to Lorenz, working with a wide range of customers who use a variety of different software publishing programs has enabled employees to spot many common problems and fix them quickly.

Currently, the Type Center is gearing up for its next big transition a change in management. Once Lorenz turns 65, he plans to pass the reins to his son-in-law, Jim Meinsen, who joined the company in 1995. Meinsen will head up operations, and Lorenz will move to part-time status.