Greifswald’s copy shop Dokuteam-x” closes: A farewell for students!

Greifswald’s copy shop Dokuteam-x” closes: A farewell for students!

The Greifswald copy shop “Dokuteam-x” will close on November 21st, which primarily affects the student body at the University of Greifswald. Owner Holger Behrndt, who has been in the business for 35 years, is retiring at the age of 65. The reasons for the closure are varied. Rising costs for personnel and materials as well as the advance of digitalization are putting a strain on the traditional copy shop model Ostsee-Zeitung reports.

Behrndt, who founded Behrndt & Herud GmbH together with his business partner Carsten Herud, will find a successor, but he will not continue the copy shop. Instead, the new operator will focus on servicing and selling Xerox-branded printers. Over the past 18 years, the copy shop has offered various services that have been valued by students. Linda Schneider, who is responsible for service in the store, emphasizes how important it is to correctly adhere to the formalities when printing and binding final papers.

The impact on students

The closure of the copy shop has direct consequences for many students, like law student Jason Zenke, who regularly prints out study notes. In the future, students will have to have their work bound in duplicate in order to meet the university's requirements. Since the only remaining copy shop is on Rügen, it is necessary to travel there or additionally use the service of another provider.

One option is offered by Printing for Students, a new service provider that is available at this link is reachable. Theses can be easily ordered online here and can usually be printed and bound by the next day. By allowing students to discuss their requirements via WhatsApp, the operators hope for simple and timely communication.

Topics in the printing industry

The situation surrounding copy shops is part of a larger change in the printing industry. According to Statista, the industry is facing major challenges. However, while digital progress and rising costs are weighing on the situation, the printing industry is not without hope. Despite a decline in sales figures, there are still around 6,500 printing companies in Germany that employ over 107,000 people.

Although the loss of print products is visible, the industry also has opportunities. Innovative processes such as 3D printing could open up new avenues. Printing brochures and printed labels remains dominant, showing that there is still a need for printed materials.

The closure of “Dokuteam-x” is not just a local matter, but reflects the challenges and changes that the entire industry is facing. After 35 years, an era is coming to an end, and the question remains: How will the student body deal with the decline in traditional offerings?