Three secrets NOT to keep

Everyone has at least one friend in the printing business, even if it's just yours truly. Why do people keep secrets from their friends? Don't they watch TV? Don't they know it always ends badly?

Apparently, there are three things print buyers are ashamed to share, and they are as follows: How many are needed? What needs to happen for proof approval? Where do they go when the job is finished? These questions have been touched on in previous posts, but their recurring omission indicates they deserve special attention.

"I need to get started right away, I'll tell you the quantity later" is self-contradictory. If you REALLY need to get started right away, include the quantity when the order is placed. It allows paper to be purchased, has an impact on how the job will be run, and, most importantly, precludes the chance for an error to be made if the quantity is plugged in later. Please note that the quantity is the grand total of your mailing list plus extras for the mail processor, plus however many you want leftover.

"If you can get us the proof in the morning, the committee will look at it immediately" is also bad tidings. The more people who need to approve the printers proof the greater the chance that it will not survive intact. This is fine if you're not on deadline and don't care about the cost of changes. (If you meet someone like that send them my way, because, as of yet, we are unacquainted.) In order to schedule a job accurately it's important to be honest about what needs to happen for approval so that time can be blocked out for careful review. If you don't at least have a discussion with the print vendor, that's not possible.

"I'm not sure where they go, can we decide that later"? The answer, of course, is yes...but that doesn't make it OK. First, the nature of the destination may have a bearing on packaging and delivery details such as; in boxes or on pallets, loading dock or inside delivery, etc. Second, if the destination is out of town the delivery date may need to be a day (or three) earlier to allow for travel. Last, someone like me doesn't need an extra opportunity for screw-ups with information is coming in as the job is trying to go out.

Sometimes, like a marquee quarterback, the printing team needs to assess the situation and "call an audible" as the job is in progress. It's actually exciting, and when a plan flows, and adjustments are made, and the project succeeds it's a great feeling. I'm not kidding...it's exhilarating! Any good vendor should be able to stick with you through this kind of situation, but just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD.

More often than not "Boring is best". Place the order with complete information, narrow your approval group to the minimum number possible, and think through in advance where all this stuff (which may be several hundred pounds) needs to go. That way you can depend on other facets of your life for the adrenaline rush...like bungee jumping...or parenthood.

With best wishes for the Holiday Season,

Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business

"It's my budget, Doc"...Letters collide with numbers

What good outcomes can result from the collision between creative professionals and budget professionals in today's economic climate? None, you say? Read on...

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I can think of two and will discuss them presently. This post will the first of several occasional topics for saving your budget, without losing your sanity, under the heading "It's my budget, Doc".

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First, this is the ideal time to insist that your final in-house proof be checked and approved seriously by anyone who will later be tempted to tear the printer's proof to pieces. Your boss shouldn't be able to simultaneously cut your creative budget, and cost you extra money by forcing rework and new proofs once the job is at the printer. This may be the ideal time to get their attention by speaking loudly in a language they understand...MONEY!

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Second, invest in typographic skills. I have always thought that an informative exam question for a student designer would be a one-color business card. If your layout makes an immediate, coherent impression, and the information on the card is instantly navigable, you have really achieved something special. Much of the success will depend your use of type.

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Effective use of type is not only economic, needing neither graphics nor color, it adds a unique depth to your page layouts. In the graphic-intensive environment we all inhabit, color, motion, and sound come at us all the time. The printed page, however, needs to do more than just convey a mood because it may contain a considerable amount of information. To convey that information effectively the page must not only get your reader's attention, but hold it long enough for the page to be read.

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Readers tire easily, and you can take advantage of three thousand years of human effort by continuing your study of the noble art of letter forms, and their relationships one to another.

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So here is your plan for the next few days. On Sunday afternoon, go to your local bookstore and peruse the volumes on hand relating to typography. Perhaps you might enjoy a cappuccino while you read, and feel the warmth of being surrounded by the printed word. Maybe you will even purchase the book you find the most valuable.

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On Monday, you will return to work relaxed and refreshed. When you show your boss the final proof of your next project, and they glance at it saying "I'm sure it's OK", roll the proof up tightly and swat them across the face. As they recover, and you have their full attention, say to them "I need you to check this carefully, if we have to rework and reproof that will cost money, and, in case you hadn't noticed, that stuff doesn't grow on trees".

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What a great way to start the week...call or email me to let me know how it goes. Until then, see you online!

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Hugh Butler

Your friend in the printing business

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Artwork reproduced with permission from The James Madison Institute