\input tex \input ruled \def\section#1{ \bigskip\smallbreak \lline{\bf #1} \nobreak} \tablet \twelvepointconcreteroman \raggedright \advance\leftskip12pt \begintwocol \topinsert\vskip4in\endinsert \section{What are we doing?} We are trying to provide ``basic services'' that so many of us use to¨ generate stuff -- zines, flyers, artwork, etc -- all in one place.¨ We've had the computer, tables, and workspace for a long time, and now¨ we just leased a brand-new copier. The copier ain't free -- it costs us \$223 per month to lease, plus¨ toner and paper. You pay to use the copier -- rates are listed below¨ somewhere. We are not doing this to make a profit. What we charge covers what the¨ machine costs to run. Compared to a really cheap commercial copy shop,¨ the prices are marginal. If you only want cheap, cheap, cheap, this¨ probably isn't the deal for you. (Though see below for our {\smc¨ Office Club} deal\dots) The idea is this -- to provide a space and the basic tools to do text¨ and graphic artwork all in one place. You can draw, collage, cut,¨ paste, and make one or two copies, and no one will hassle you to ``get¨ off the machine, others are waiting'', or get mad if you spread your¨ work over the table. The other stuff you can use for free, though there's a donation can¨ for ``expendables'' (staples, pens, pencils, etc) or you can simply¨ swipe some from your employer (if you're a wage slave) and replace¨ 'em. It's pretty loose. \section{The copier.} The copier is a Canon NP 2020, brand new on 29 July 91. {\obeylines\parskip=0pt \blob\ Solid blacks. \blob\ Makes excellent copies of photos. \blob\ Enlargements up to 200\% \blob\ Reductions to 50\% \blob\ Trays for letter and legal paper. \blob\ Hand-feed 11 $\times$ 17, etc. \blob\ Will handle card, stickers and transparencies. \blob\ Up to 20 copies/minute (not fast). } \vskip\parskip \section{The other stuff.} {\obeylines\parskip=0pt \blob\ Paper shear. \blob\ ``Saddle'' stapler, for zines, etc. \blob\ Large stapler; does 1/2" at a time. \blob\ Regular office stuff; scissors, pens, stapler, etc. \blob\ Some free expendables; paper, envelopes, etc. } \vskip\parskip It does {\it not} do automatic double-sided copies; you have to¨ reinsert the stack of side \#1's back into the paper tray, but it¨ works OK. \section{Why membership?} The deal is this: you pay \$15 per month membership fee, then¨ 4\cents{}\footnote*{We keep adjusting the price/copy as we find better¨ deals on toner; so far the cheapest we've found is \$80/box, good for¨ about 4,000 copies. If you find us a better deal, or can swipe some,¨ let us know!} for each copy. The cost breakdown is below. Each of us alone is too poor to ``own'' a copier, by ourselves.¨ Collectively we can do it. If you're lucky enough to have a copier¨ scam going, great. Lots of us don't though, and places like Krishna¨ charge 25\cents{} or more for single enlargements, for instance (and¨ we always cheat don't we). So we put up the front money, someone¨ signed their life away on a 3-year lease, and we rely on the monthly¨ memberships to pay for the lease; the per-copy costs pay for supplies. Basically, we're hoping that the ``added features'' make this more¨ attractive than other places that might have cheaper per-copy costs¨ (but I bet no one does). For example -- you get to take your time and¨ not be pressured by copyshop owners. You get to use the other stuff¨ (staplers, shear, computer, etc). There's space to work. We're¨ basically around at night instead of ``9 to 5''. You're not paying¨ money to a downtown death corporation. You don't get soaked for basic¨ stuff like staples. We even have file-cabinet space to store stuff. \section{Cost breakdown.} Here's the cost breakdown, that calculates the per-copy cost,¨ including the monthly membership fee of \$15 and the per-copy cost of¨ 4\cents. \vskip\parskip \begintable \hfill 100 copies | 1\cents \cr \hfill 200 copies | 11.5\cents\cr \hfill 300 copies | 9\cents\cr \hfill 500 copies | 7\cents\cr \hfill 1000 copies | 5.5\cents \endtable For really large runs, we have a Business Membership in the Office¨ Club -- 100 copies of one original is only 2.5\cents/copy! We haven't¨ got the membership back yet (19 Sep 91) so we can't give you more¨ details yet. We're hoping that even if you only make 100 copies a month, it's still¨ worth it to be able to work in a comfortable place. \section{How membership works.} You pay the membership fee for the month when you first use the¨ machine For this you get the fabled CONTROL CARD which keeps track of¨ the copies you make. (We haven't worked out exact details on what¨ happens when you start in the middle, or the end, of the month. If¨ you've got a large run, then we'll charge you \$15; if you're gonna do¨ collages and stuff, we'll make a deal. Suggestions please!) {\it We haven't worked this out; suggestions please!} At the end of the month, we make a printout of the number of copies¨ each member has made, at 4\cents{} per copy. XXXXXXXX If you do a large run of copies (like a zine production) please bring¨ the money with you for the run; we don't have enough cash to front for¨ XXXXXXX \section{Expendables.} We supply plain white paper in letter and legal sizes only; for all¨ other sizes and colors you must bring your own. (Please use only new,¨ clean paper in the machine!) Sorry, no discount for bringing your own¨ paper; paper is a small part of the cost, it's toner and lease¨ payments that cost the most. You must bring your own gluesticks, staples, tape, etc. There may be¨ stuff on the free-shelf, but we make no promises. (And please help¨ stock the free shelf with whatever you can.) \section{Office supplies.} We also have a small paper shear, a heavy-duty stapler, a regular¨ stapler, and a homemade ``saddle'' stapler, a light table, as well as¨ an IBM-clone computer. You can use all of these things. However, you¨ should try to bring your own supplies (staples, diskettes, etc) or put¨ a donation in the can if you use staples, for example. This isn't¨ really worked out yet, but the idea is simply to not have to shell out¨ of our own pockets for this stuff. The computer isn't quite straightened out yet. The hard disk dropped¨ dead, and it's limping along at only 4 megabytes free, and so all the¨ software we have (Word Perfect, First Publisher, WordStar, etc) isn't¨ all loaded at once. The hard disk will be replaced ``soon''. It sure¨ would be nice if someone besides Tom could help with this thing\dots \section{Stuff we need.} All of the stuff we're making available are things we scrounged¨ ourselves. Some of them are barely adequate; the shear is too small,¨ the saddle stapler really isn't, etc. Office equipment donations¨ gladly accepted! Also expendables like staples, glue sticks, tape, etc are always¨ needed; swipe 'em from work if possible. \section{The free shelf.} There is a shelf on the wall marked ``FREE STUFF'', that is stuff¨ donated by other people. Feel free to use anything you find, and¨ please add things to it if you can. \section{Hours and access.} We don't have any fixed hours. In general, ``after work'' and nights¨ and weekends seems to be when people show up. So far it hasn't been a¨ problem. Please keep in mind that it's also our house. Everyone involved so far¨ has been our circle of friends and contacts, and we'd kinda like to¨ keep it that way, though new people are welcome. Though no cigarette smoking is allowed in the building, there's a¨ small yard to smoke right outside the door. There is a telephone (XXX-XXXX) with an answering machine on it that¨ XXXXXX % ---------------- \section{Operating the machine.} \section{Adding toner.} \section{Clearing jams.} \endtwocol \bye