The Copy, Print, and Delivery Services department at the University of Houston marks 75 years of operation at UH in 2024. 

In their 75 years of operation, the department has been known by several department names. Initially, it was called the University Printing Plant. When Delivery Services joined the Printing Plant around 2000, it was renamed the Printing and Postal Services Department, and finally, Copy, Print, and Delivery Services. 

“The Copy, Print, and Delivery Services department has served the university superbly during its 75 years in operation. The department plays a crucial role on campus, and its consistency is remarkable,” said Emily Messa, senior associate vice president for administration. “The talented team of professionals continues to evolve to support printing and mail project needs of the university community.” 

Despite its longstanding history, the department has only had four directors in its lifetime. S. Wayne Taylor, who started the print shop, was the first, followed by Parker Floyd, Sally J. Rowland-Ketley, and current director Nalan Giannukos, who has been at the helm for the past seven years. 

Before taking the helm of printing and delivery services, Giannukos served as print manager for 13 years. Karen Flores serves as Delivery Services Manager. 

“I find it amazing that we’ve been open for 75 years,” said Flores, who first started as a student worker in the department and now serves in the capacity of Delivery Services Manager. 

Over the years, as the university has grown in size and population, so has CPD. Among the significant changes for CPD was overcoming a two-alarm fire in 1960 that caused $100,000 in damages and essentially destroyed the printing plant. The plant was rebuilt, and the department continued to serve the university and evolved with technological changes. 

Retiree Tommy Craft worked at the university’s printing plant for 50 years, starting in 1965. The 78-year-old remembers being paid $300 per month as a linotype operator when he first started. 

But that’s not all that Craft remembers. 

“When I started there, 95 percent of the printing was done by a method called letterpress. It was all hot metal, and you had to lock up forms, and these big heavy corrugated plates you had to put on the press,” said Craft. “And when I left [in 2015] it was pretty much punch buttons.” 

Craft eventually became the print shop’s assistant manager and served in this role before retiring in 2015. 

During his 50 years at the printing plant, Craft had to constantly learn how to operate new machines as technology kept evolving. 

“Every time we bought equipment, whoever we bought it from would bring it, and train us to operate it,” said Craft. 

The knowledge he obtained at CPD paid dividends as he could then teach new incoming employees. One of those employees, Sami Snelling, credits Craft for teaching her everything she knows about CPD. 

Snelling began her career at CPD in 1999 as a pressman and now holds the manager title. Much like Craft, she saw the department change with the times, especially as the internet came to fruition, with digital printing leading the way. 

Snelling said when she joined CPD, the department produced all letterheads, envelopes, and business cards on the small presses. Now, it’s all digital. 

The advancement of technology and the demand for more printing has increased the department's output over the years. 

When the printing plant opened in 1949, it supported $50,000 worth of campus printing projects annually. In 1973, that number jumped to $500,000. Last year, the department supported the production of 2,733 printing projects, totaling just under $2 million. 

In its 75-year history, some consistent university projects have been produced by CPD, and commencement is one of its most important projects as this is a direct way for the department to connect with university student success goals. 

CPD prints all commencement collateral materials, including commencement programs, signage, credentials, and commencement banners. The programs alone are a hefty job as the department prints the equivalent of an 18-wheeler worth of programs on average for each commencement season. 

The commencement work order comes via the Special Events department at UH. Special Events has been tasked with handling commencement duties for the past 30 years, making them one of CPD’s most consistent clients. 

Tonja Jones, Executive Director for Office of Protocol and Special Events, said that aside from commencement, Special Events commissions other print jobs that keep CPD busy, such as event signage, event-specific banners, stage backdrops, stage backdrops used for groundbreaking, and ribbons cuttings. 

The Copy, Print, and Delivery Services department has been a mainstay on the university campus for 75 years, and with the university population increasing, there’ll be no slowing down the department. 

More recently, the Delivery Services department implemented the use of smart lockers to make it easier for the campus community to access their packages. 

As Copy, Print, and Delivery Services enters the next quarter century, the campus community can rest assured the department will be there for their printing and delivery needs.