"I feel very fortunate because I learned the business of printing literally
at my husband's side," says Algerita Carter.
"Don't get me wrong! There's a lot to be said for formal training and there
are a lot of good courses available. But there's nothing like hands-on training.
Books can only teach you so much. It's immersing yourself in the real-life
situation -- the real-life stresses of deadlines and, of course, demanding
customers. I'm not sure school can teach you patience."
Carter's business has kept pace with the rapid technological changes in
the industry. Customizing business cards, pencils and paper pads for some
large accounts now provide the bulk of their business.
"We're essentially brokers for these large clients. Sometimes it's pretty
lucrative. The bottom line is that it keeps the mortgage paid while our secondary
work, printing invitations, gives us the added cash flow for an occasional
vacation.
"I remember designing and printing a business card after talking at length
with a client. When I very proudly showed him the card, he seemed to take
a 180-degree turn and wanted something completely different! It took a lot
of tact to negotiate with him, giving him what he needed without wasting a
lot of my own time and resources. I didn't learn these people skills overnight."
Don LeClaire also learned the industry as an apprentice. "I kind of fell
into this line of work, helping my uncle after school in his small commercial
shop. Nowadays kids can get some really good training at the college level.
It's a good way to go, especially since equipment is getting more and more
sophisticated. You need a higher level of education to stay on top of it,
not to mention...competing for work."
LeClaire's longtime job working letterpress was phased out a few years
ago. He now works for a local copier franchise, doing just about anything
that relates to printing. "I'm good at troubleshooting, so I'm usually the
one to call when a machine conks out.
"I'll definitely tell my grandkids that it isn't cushy work. We stand a
lot of the time and with all the noise, it can get pretty stressful. A retired
buddy of mine who worked many years as a switchman for the phone company was
in shock after a recent tour of the place where he used to work. He thought
it was a mausoleum -- it was so quiet. He worked so many years in the din
of those clacking switches. Now that it's practically all digital, you could
almost hear a pin drop!"