by Kiandra Shawnta Johnson
Staff Writer
With surrounding competitors such as Kinko’s in West Covina, PIP Printers in Chino, and Payless Printers in Claremont, ULV Graphics places in the middle of the road in price comparisons.
The going rates at ULV Graphics are as follows: a single white copy runs a little under 5 cents a copy. A color copy goes for 1 to 2 cents more, depending on the type of paper desired, and the price for double-sided copies places at 4.5 cents a side or 9 cents a page.
They also offer bulk prices, for more than 100 copies at 4.5 cents per copy.
Placing just under ULV Graphics with a two cents difference, Payless printers offers regular copies for 3 cents per copy, if customers do it themselves, and the same rate as Graphics of 5 cents a copy if they have the company do it.
Payless also offers color copying for 7 cents a copy and double-sided copies at 9 cents a page. Their bulk rates are any job over 100 pages is half off.
Coming in after Payless is PIP Printers that offers white original copies at 6 cents per copy, color copies at 7 cents for regular colored paper, and 17 cents for card stock color paper, and double-sided rates are 5 cents a page and 7 cents a page for color. Their bulk prices are any assignment over 500 copies is 5 cents per copy and anything more than 1,000 copies are 4.5 cents per copy.
The most expensive, by 2 cents, is Kinko’s, who offers original white copies for seven cents a copy, color for ten cents a copy and double-sided at 13 cents for white copies and 16 cents for color copies.
Their bulk rate, anything more than 100, is half price, from one original copy paper.
Although the prices seem to be bunched together with the highest difference being anywhere from 3 to 4 cents difference, depending on what is copied, there are other issues to be dealt with.
All the companies are within a four city radius with the farthest being PIP in Chino, the closest being ULV Graphics.
The hours of operation are similar, with the exception of Kinko’s, which is open 24 hours a day. The other places are as follows: PIP from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Payless from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and ULV Graphics from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The companies also have about the same turn-around tim,e with same day pick-up available depending on how busy the place is at the time the order is placed.
With everything being in generally the same area the difference comes with Graphics who is not only on the University campus, but also cater to ULV students, faculty and administration.
The ULV community is offered free pick-up and delivery on the University campus.
Deborah Burris-Kitchen, assistant professor of sociology, had a 160-page course pack printed. Capco, another printing company, quoted her $55 while Graphics charged her $28.
“It’s a great service,” said Burris-Kitchen. “More faculty should consider using ULV graphics instead of Capco.”
Dan Lougheed, vice president of ULV’s Associated Students Federation (ASF) Forum said, “Our experiences as an organization has been really good with them.”
“We try to accommodate [the ULV community],” said Ray Bergeron, general manager of Graphics. “If they need it right away we’ll do it right away.”
Laureen Garcia, the Behavioral Science Department secretary said, “Raffi [Zinzalian, Graphics production manager] is great. He takes really good care of us. They cater to us, they pick-up, they deliver.”
