Some time in April 2009, I was reading Reporter and came across an ad that said they were hiring a production manager. Thinking I should give it a chance, I sent in my résumé. On the day of my interview, I wore a suit — that’s how badly I wanted the job. When I didn’t hear back for the next two weeks, I thought for sure that someone else had gotten the position. Finally, the answer came: I was going to be the production manager of Reporter. I immediately called everyone I knew to tell them. That day was one of my most exciting days at RIT.

After being hired, I was told that Reporter produces a special issue once every quarter, and I could do some kind of special printing for it. My first special issue was the Minority Reporter (11.06.09), in which the art director and I used bronze metallic ink as a fifth color. The next special issue was the Body Image Issue (02.05.10) with special dimensional ink that you could feel on the cover, printed on the Kodak NexPress.

Because this academic year marks 100 years of student press on campus, I wanted to do something extra special with the printing. For the 52-page long commemorative issue, I arranged for us to print a pull out poster coated with peppermint-scented ink. The issue also included variable AYL and VOX. We printed 10,000 unique issues using variable data and exhibited it at Imagine RIT. It is my favorite issue and I am proud to say it is the best issue I produced.

This week is this quarter’s special issue, the Food Issue. The cover has French Fries scented Rub’nSmell ink sponsored by Scentisphere. If you rub anywhere on the cover and smell it, it will smell like French fries. As Scentisphere explains on their website, “Rub’nSmell uses a patented state-of-the-art form of micro-encapsulation called FOLCOScentTM made by Follmann & Co. Minden Germany.” The ink is supplied as a clear overprint varnish or coating, allowing us to apply scent as a fifth color.

This week is my 34th issue as production manager and it is going to be my last. I am graduating this summer, and next fall I will be starting a six-month co-op as an assistant printer on the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship. Though it’s been a pleasure serving as production manager, I’m excited for my world cruise and feel confident that I am leaving the magazine in good hands.

Next year, your new production manager, Nick “Baby Face” Gawreluk, will take over. This week, however, is mine. Enjoy.