People of McMaster celebrates the incredible people who help make McMaster a great place to work, learn, teach and conduct research. This is the 15th instalment of this series. Click here for the previous one.
Every written exam at McMaster begins with a printed page, and digital technician Bernice Grasley is one of the people who makes that possible.
In the quiet hum of Media Production Services, where thousands of pages fly through high-speed printers every day, Grasley has spent nearly four decades ensuring exams, course outlines and countless other materials are printed and ready, often under tight deadlines.
Starting part-time in 1986 in the hospital’s audio-visual department, she embraced the shift to computers early, turning a knack for technology into a long career in digital production.
Grasley and her team handle everything from black-and-white exams to colour-coded diagrams — work that touches nearly every corner of campus, especially during exam season when the stakes are high.
She shared a bit about her work and her time at McMaster:
What does your role look like today?
I focus mostly on black-and-white printing, but I also do a lot of digital work, editing files to make sure they’re print-ready, and typesetting things like business cards, envelopes, and letterhead.
There are just three of us in production, and we handle all the printing orders that come through.
How has printing changed since you started?
In 2012, we went completely digital. Before that, we used large physical printers with actual ink, and you had to make a plate; it was complicated.
When I first started, the printing department was much bigger because everything took longer and needed more steps. Now, it’s just the three of us, and we’re able to do so much more with less.
What’s exam season like for you?
It’s intense. In November, we print around 1.2 million pages in just a few weeks. We run two high-speed black-and-white printers, 250 impressions per minute, and a colour printer when needed. Some exams have diagrams or multiple versions printed on different coloured paper.
We’re very organized and fall into our roles easily. We plan ahead and know what to expect, so even when something goes wrong, we’re ready.
Do you enjoy the busy times?
Yes, I do. I like being busy. Exam printing is more straightforward — the files come in, we follow a specific process, and monitor everything to make sure it runs smoothly.
Other jobs can be more challenging and require more problem-solving, which I also enjoy. But there’s something satisfying about the rhythm of exam season.
What keeps you coming back after all these years?
I genuinely like my job. I like the creativity of figuring out how to fix a file or make something print the way someone envisioned it. I like being busy, especially during exam time.
And I really enjoy working with my team — we’re always checking in with each other, helping out, and making sure things get done. If I retired, I’d probably end up getting another job anyway, so why not stay where I’m happy?