Eagle Print is a Hidden Resource in Carney’s Basement

Not many students are aware of the extensive print center located in the basement of Carney Hall known as Eagle Print. For those that do, however, it is a little haven and respite from the stress of figuring out how and where to print a 30-page thesis. The two friendly faces behind the desk provide students with the answers and services necessary to quell any printing-related stress. Richard Crear, the manager, and Tom Mayo, head of production, are a charismatic and helpful duo that keep the center processing requests above and beyond expectations. They process everything from theses, to artwork on canvas, to bulletin boards, to club or department posters. If a student can think up a project, Crear and Mayo are willing to make the vision a reality.

“We try to be a one stop source for anyone’s printing needs. Students will sometimes come to us with a detailed vision and we can knock it out immediately. Other times, they just have a vague idea and we work with them on several different occasions to make it an actual design,” explained Crear. Having grown up in Massachusetts, Crear, who now resides on the North Shore, said he’s been doing this type of work since high school, so he is a well-seasoned veteran at this point. Mayo, a Connecticut native, said he too began dabbling in this field at an early age. The experience of both of these men is necessary, given that they process, on average, 20 to 40 different printing projects per day.

When she discovered that she and several other students would be in charge of revamping the CSOM Honors Program bulletin board in Fulton Hall, Katie Kiracofe, CSOM ’14, had no idea where to start, so she headed down to the basement of Carney Hall and approached Crear with her problem.

“Katie knew what she wanted to change about the bulletin board, but we helped her design it. We helped her decide how the background would look, like how thick each band of color would be, and then we printed it for her. We then printed all the pictures and text that they wanted and helped them design how to lay it out,” Crear explained. A large-scale printed picture of the new CSOM Honors Program is now displayed outside the Eagle Print Center, along with other projects these two men have taken on.

“They’re really just so nice and friendly, and they’re always really excited to help,” Kiracofe said. “I had to go there all the time, and am always e-mailing with them. They always have some sort of food down there too, pizza, donuts, and coffee. It’s just a really great environment.”

Crear and Mayo have had the opportunity to work on some interesting concepts. Although Eagle Print is contracted to Boston College, it does not prevent them from taking jobs from outside sources. Therefore, they have had the opportunity to print works of art on canvases, and the two cite their most interesting project as the book The Misfit Sock, written by Karen Kiefer of Church in the 21st Century.

“It’s a Christmas storybook that we had the pleasure of doing some work on. She approached us and we read the story, and we’ve known Karen since day one. She was one of our first clients, so we jumped at the chance to be able to do this,” Mayo said. While external jobs do come in, since Eagle Print is situated on BC’s campus the majority of jobs come from BC personnel, with Monday and Friday being the highest volume days. Sometimes it takes just an hour to get a job done, other times it is a multiple-visit ordeal. Yet after being here for four years, Crear and Mayo note that they like the consistent contact with students their positions provide.

“My favorite thing about working here is I enjoy working with the students,” Mayo mused. “They keep me young. We’re never really doing the same thing every day. You never know what’s going to pop up.”
“I really enjoy everything about this place. I just really enjoy my job. It’s a fun place to work, and we try to make it as comfortable as possible for people to work with us,” Crear added.

Rushing by Carney to get to and from classes every day, many students never even realize what a resource lies in its basement, and how willing these two men are to help with students’ needs. For those who do take advantage of this and do have the pleasure of getting to know Crear and Mayo, they have two pieces of advice: “PDF works best, and don’t use Microsoft Word for any graphic-related job.”