Caxtonites tour printing works

Journalism interns from various Caxton branches went for a learning experience at Caxton’s CTP Publishers and Printers in Industria on April 10, where, among many other titles, the Boksburg Advertiser and Benoni City Times get printed.

Siphokuhle Mpanza, an intern at the Boksburg Advertiser, was one of the lucky ones who experienced the inner workings of this massive operation.

The interns now reunited a month after being placed at the various newspapers, shared laughs and conversations while drinking tea before the tour began, and each received a goodie bag of Caxton Survival Kit items.

Training manager Riaan Kruger led the tour and encouraged engagement from the journalists. He asked them, “Why do you think we print newspapers?” Their responses summed up to “To communicate”.

The first stop was a room with yellow lighting called Pre-press. Kruger introduced the interns to Basil, the ‘gatekeeper’. Clients send their finished work to Basil, who checks the layout, colours and entire product. Then, the platemaking happens to create a template for images and text to be hardened.

The practical experience of the printing experience fascinated the interns because they had theoretically studied the processes. However, they didn’t anticipate the noisy environment and had to speak loudly.

Step two was the Press Department. “We print according to client specifics,” said Kruger. He said they are not responsible for what is printed but the ‘how’ part of it. The interns were excited about the question-and-answer session because they showed much knowledge in their answers.

The supervisor of the maintenance department, Dennise Pananio, then took the floor. He spoke of the precautions and dangers on the printing floor because of large rolls of paper, a pungent smell of ink and many newspapers on conveyor belts.

“Many skills are required when handling so much work. Your alignment must be accurate,” Pananio said.

Mpanza said the factory tour was an eye-opener because it accurately portrayed why journalism is a deadline-driven profession. From the gatekeeper to the stackers, interns saw the fast pace of doing printing work.

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