Field Notes: Screening Open Movies in a Copy Shop

We moved the copiers against the wall, balanced a projector on a box of paper, and screened Spring for forty people.

Doors opened at six and the first person was already waiting with a folder of originals. By seven, both copiers were running, the paper cutter had a queue, and someone had put the kettle on without being asked.

What we learned

Most people came to print, but a surprising number came just to sit at the long table and fold. There is something about a room full of people making small things that makes everyone quieter and kinder.

If something here doesn't work for you, write in. Half of our how-tos have been corrected by readers, and the corrections are always better than the original.

Everything in this post works just as well at a library copier or a corner copy shop. You don't need a studio, just a flat table and about an hour.

Print nights are pay-what-you-can. The jar covers toner and paper most months, and when it doesn't, we hold a swap and sell the duplicates from the lending shelf.