DIDACTIC FROM THE PRINTING WORLD

After my service year, I came with a high expectation of getting a meaningful job at least in my first seven months at home (December 2017 to June 2018); but as I write this piece,  life is still teaching me practically that it is full of what I planned for and what I haven’t planned for. What I mean here is that hitherto, I am still trusting God and waiting on Him for a job – I know some can relate with this experience.

Well, the fact that I haven’t secured a job yet doesn’t give me the license to fold my hands and lazy around, neither has it qualify me to withdraw into the shell of idleness. Judging from the way things are going on in our country, one can’t but reach out in faith and delve into something, anything legit less he or she becomes a liability in the society, and my own case is not an exception.

Sometimes around May 2018, I got working with one of the best printers in Jos, there weren’t any clear terms of employer – employee agreement as to whether I will be working part time or full time, but before I could realize, I have worked with him throughout the rest of the year 2018. Truth be told, those months became the most decisive, productive and life changing months of my life.

Prior to those months, as a graduate of Mass Communication, I have acquired the theoretical knowledge of the art of printing while in school; hence hooking up with this printer will avail to me the opportunity to experience all the nitty-gritties of the practical art of printing and to correlate some theoretical ideas as to how they work in the real world.

Before you loss interest and log out of this page, this piece is not about me or how life has been treating me after school and my service year, but it is about some applicable life lessons that over the months of my exposure and “hustling” with this printer I have practically learned. Not as if I know it all, neither have I discovered it all, but I have this deep conviction that the little I will share with you here will give someone out there a push, a lift or a ray of hope somehow.

The printing world is a beautiful and a fascinating world laced with series of processes carried out painstakingly with every step crown with creativity and aesthetics. Just look around, what are some of the printed works you can see as you read this piece? Be it a flyer, poster, handbill, banner, book, road sign, signpost, complimentary card, year book, etcetera; all these passed through series of processes that if one is omitted, the finish product would not be what was envisioned from the onset.

This brings us to the series of processes involved in the art of printing. Like I stated earlier, every finished printed work is a product of several processes. These processes are: envisioning the design, the design, the sample printing, the corrections, the final printing, the collation, the stitching/sowing/binding, the trimming/finishing, the packaging and the delivery. Among these processes, none is head and none is tail, they all have their different unique functions but they are all equally important. However, it is worthy to note here that the kind of work to be printed determines the kind of process it will go through - every printed work has its processes.

Before I wrap this introductory piece up, let me quickly draw some applicable life lessons that will be helpful as we daily face the business of life. First, regardless of what you are good at, equip yourself to be ready for the worst life throws at you, by doing so; you can see opportunity in every bad situation. Again, a wise man once told me “if preparedness meets opportunity, the result is unprecedented”. True, study to show yourself approved and competent at any given opportunity, it will not only benefit you as a person but your society at large. Less I forget, life is a process, it evolves in series of processes, with every bit preparing you for what lies ahead of you; any attempt to skip any of the processes or cut corners spell bad omen for one’s life.

For the next three weeks, we shall be unraveling the life lessons from the printing world; spanning from the processes involved, the virtues needed to survive in the printing world and the cost or price one need and have to pay to leave mark on the sand of time as far as printing is concern. I crave your indulgence to be patient and stay with me on this; I promise you it is going to be a worthwhile adventure. 

Thank You for your time

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