Printing Services' role at The University of Scranton is to help customers acquire the printing and duplicating they require to meet their institutional missions, goals and objectives. Three key variables that customers must consider when asking for assistance in the production of their publications are Price, Quality and Speed. Many options are often available at various stages of production that, in turn, result in varying combinations of cost, quality and completion time. 

The three variables of Price, Quality and Speed are almost always interdependent and are very often inversely related. Increasing the emphasis on any one element usually has a corresponding negative impact on one or both of the other two:

1.  The least expensive printing is not usually done to the highest standards of quality, nor does it involve overtime expenses for fast production.
2.  Fast printing utilizes the easiest production methods, which are usually not the highest quality or the most economical. 
3.  High quality printing generally requires more expensive production techniques and more time to complete than lower quality or faster work. 

The role of the Printing Services staff is to provide advice and assistance as customers balance the equation of Price, Quality and Speed and then to provide the printed product that meets the requirements determined by the customer. To do that, Printing Services staff will seek to provide information and options as an ex officio member of the team developing a publication. 

Whether production occurs on the University's high-speed digital presses in the Print Shop or on the various large offset presses at commercial Off-Campus Printers, the role of Printing Services is to help customers obtain the least expensive printing possible given the quality and speed required.