In-plant Prints ‘Edgy’ Student Literary Magazine With Inkjet

In early 2020, four sophomore students from Bellaire High School in Houston, Texas, decided to relaunch the school's long-dormant literary and arts magazine, the Maple Street Journal. The students recruited submissions from their classmates, curated the art and writing they received, did the entire layout, and promoted and sold the magazine via social media.

"It’s a cool book. It’s got poetry, it’s got creative writing, it’s all original works of art, there’s photography — it’s edgy," remarks IT Senior Manager of Administrative Services Chuck Werninger.

The Maple Street Journal was printed by Werninger’s in-plant, Houston Independent School District Printing Services, on a Canon VarioPrint i300 color inkjet press. Each book was bound in-line on a C.P. Bourg saddle stitcher using two staples and square bind saddle stitches.

"The [International Paper] Accent Opaque on the cover was pliable enough that it wrapped around and made it look like a perfect bound book," says Werninger, "but it's actually a saddle stitch with a square spine."

Chuck Werninger

Finding the perfect paper for this project was key, he says. For this reason, he suggested the editors go with an uncoated stock, to provide a more tactile experience for readers.

"The kind of thing you would pick up at a pizza joint," he says.

The editors agreed. For the cover, they chose 80 lb. Accent Opaque, while the inside pages were printed on Pixelle Book.

Werninger reports that helping these passionate students produce their vision in print has been inspiring.

"It makes us career printers feel good to see today’s young people working very hard to do something we believe in," he says. He's also happy to have found a way to use Houston ISD's digital printing investments for more art and photography applications. As for the Maple Street Journal, the editorial team is preparing the second issue for print and accepting preorders now.