DLA Document Services goes beyond a fine print

Published Jan. 29, 2016
By John Parker
Staff Writer

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- With personnel rotating in and out of Tinker, sometimes staff members forget that DLA Document Services is the required printer and document wizard for everything from a few business cards to wraparound ads on city buses.

It can be a costly mistake.

"If they're new and they're taking that government purchase card down to an off-base copy store to produce a bunch of copies of something, it's in direct violation of the regulations," Production Manager Terry Farrell said. "In the next inspector general inspection, the card holder may be told they're going to have to reimburse the government."

The eight members of the Defense Logistics Agency operation in Bldg. 1 pride themselves on their customer service and efficiency. Document Services is often called the "DOD's printer," but a newer moniker, "We Know Documents," reflects more of the office's range of capabilities.

Among other projects the shop is currently scanning about 5,000 engineering-diagram scrolls to convert them to digital format. The documents average about 12 feet long and 30 inches wide and reside in weathered green filing cabinets hauled into the shop for easy access.

Locating the diagrams in the future will be easier and faster for the customer who "won't have to maintain that sacred scroll in some lofty place that takes up space and hope it doesn't disintegrate," Mr. Farrell said.

Document Services Director Nick Janik said the roughly 15,000-square-foot shop can convert microfilm aperture cards, copy a few or hundreds of compact discs and create informational PVC cards the size of a credit card. The shop works with base organizations on their projects from idea to delivery and can draw on global DLA resources that include graphic design and Web hosting.

"If you need it done, we will find a way to get it done," Mr. Janik said. "If our capability doesn't allow us to do it here on-site, we can get it done so that your fingers don't have to do the walking - ours will. Anything you can think of, even if it's remotely related to a document, we can do it. We've even printed on tennis balls."

DLA Document Services employees hold security clearances to handle classified material.

"We make the process very simple," Mr. Janik said. "We accept military funding documents or government purchase cards so it's really easy for most people. And we maintain the expertise so that every individual squadron, command, group, doesn't have to."

Routine services at Tinker include printing Air Force technical orders on-demand, customized large posters and photographs, training materials and tri-fold brochures for ceremonies.

Mr. Janik advises units to include Document Services early on in a project for the best results.

"A lot of times folks don't have a background in print, or they don't have any idea if what they're asking for is maybe outside their budget," Mr. Janik said.

"I had a customer that wanted a specific type of binder -- antistatic, locking rings and so on. So I got the quotes and they were going to be $200 a piece for a binder. I went to them with that info and they said we need to rethink this. Because we were early enough in the process we were able to compromise and find the best mix of price and functionality."

DLA Document Services is also the designated preferred source when organizations need multifunction office equipment such as copy/scan/fax machines.

"The overwhelming majority of the work we do here is for units at Tinker," Mr. Janik said. "It's delivered right to them so there's not shipping costs involved and the Air Force isn't saddled with the expenses of maintaining a warehouse, a distribution system and so forth."

"We are truly here to support the warfighter and everything that affects the warfighter."