Kathryn Zimmerman Internship
Kathryn, a Graphic Communications and Printing Technology major, interned at Grafika Print this summer.
Grafika is an award-winning, multi-dimensional print provider of consumer paperboard packaging and labeling/product identification. The business features convention and UV offset, flexo, digital and screen printing.
How did you find out about Grafika?
I learned about the company when I went to a student night there with my class for a tour of the company.
What does your day-to-day look like at the internship?
Every day I help run the feeder of an offset press. I move large skids of paper and prep them to be printed on, adjust the feeder head while the machine is running to make sure it runs smoothly, put ink into units, clean ink out, and help wherever they need me.
What is something you were surprised to learn in your time as an intern?
I was surprised to learn about the amazing technology of the press. It can run 20,000 sheets in an hour, there is a camera that takes a picture of every single sheet as it is printed to automatically make slight adjustments to the ink density, and conveyor belts are used on both sides of the press to put blank skids in and remove printed skids without the press ever stopping.
What has been something challenging about your internship?
It has been challenging to learn all the detailed information on how the press runs and remember the steps to take when something needs to be fixed.
What’s been the best thing about your internship experience?
I have really enjoyed the entire experience and being able to work alongside very knowledgeable, experienced pressmen has helped me learn so much.
Tell us about a story of something that happened in your internship.
One time soon after I started, a sheet had gotten folded on its way into the press, and it ended up smashing all the blankets, so I got to learn how to change all the blankets with the operator.
Would you recommend seeking out an internship to other students at TSCT?
I would definitely recommend seeking out an internship to other students at TSCT because it gives you so much real-world knowledge that you may not learn in the classroom, and it gives you a connection to a company that you may want to work at once you graduate.
How do you think this experience will help you in the future?
This experience gave me an opportunity to learn more about my field and it will help me find a job whether I stay at Grafika or use my experience to get a job somewhere else.