By Sabine Lenz
It was an ongoing battle. Neither side would budge. Neither side would take one iota of responsibility. It was always the other person’s fault. If the food was cold, it was the chef’s fault for setting it out too early. No, it was the waiter’s fault for not serving it more quickly.
In a former life, I earned a degree in hotel management and spent several enlightening months in a hotel’s restaurant for hands-on (otherwise known as blame-on) training. Anyone who has worked in a restaurant knows exactly what I’m talking about.
“Let’s blame it on [insert opposing position or person here]” seems to be a common mantra in many industries. And, I’m sad to have to say that graphic designers and printers are no exception.
The missing link
Over a glass of wine, it is easy to put the world to rights; and that’s exactly what Art Webb, sales mentor at Phoenix-based Woods Lithographics, and I did a few weeks ago. A designer and a printer in one room. Could this possibly go well?
The good news is, we found the main culprit, the missing link, the Rosetta stone – Communication (or lack thereof) is the cause of most problems that occur with any print project.
In order to make this world a better (and safer) place, we resolved to share eight key communication elements on which printers and designers should focus.
1. Get your printer involved as early as possible
As designers, we know exactly what we want. Or so we like to think. Working with a good printer makes extremely smart business sense. Tell your printer everything, but be absolutely sure to cover the points below.
The more the printer knows, the more help she can be to you. Adding a bell here, taking away a whistle there. Making the difference between having to finish the piece manually or by machine (read $$$).
Oh, and don’t be shy to ask if you don’t understand the lingo. There are numerous terms in our industry that still baffle the most experienced pros. This goes for designers and printers.
2. What is the key reason for producing this piece?
Sometimes, as designers, we get wrapped up in our amazing “concept” and lose sight of the purpose of the piece. A good print sales rep gets passed the obvious “generating business” reason and finds out the more intricate goals and thus how he can best help you.
3. Set clear priorities
Of course every nook and cranny in your design is very important. You slaved for hours over the typography, tweaked the images just so. But when it comes down to it, there are clear priorities this piece will have to fulfill.
No matter what – it has to be the Coca-Cola red. No matter what – it has to fit postal requirements. No matter what – the conference starts at 9:00 a.m. on Monday. No matter what.
4. How “green” do you want to be?
Most companies are embracing sustainability and are trying to responsibly do their part. Choosing the proper paper and materials not only shows that your client is on board with eco-friendly practices, but will also allow him to “tell the world” and add extra emphasis by using the appropriate eco logos.
This point can be easily overlooked in the initial creative meetings and can cost precious time and money if it has to be revisited at a later stage in the project.
5. Timing is everything
Another point Art and I agree on whole heartedly – working backwards from the final delivery date and allowing a reasonable amount of time to correctly manufacture the piece is key. It ensures that you get the desired results.
Now if I could have gotten a dollar for every time one of my clients missed their own deadlines for providing materials …
6. What is the budget?
Oh! I said the B-word. This elephant loves to take up permanent residence in the middle of the room, and we love to ignore the ensuing complications of its care and feeding.
It’s easy for all of us to get carried away and have champagne taste on a beer budget. An experienced rep can provide a rough price range after some discussion to determine if the client is being realistic and help keep the project within bounds.
7. Put it in writing
Quantity, delivery instructions, sample requests, special packaging, PMS color … If you’ve ever worked on a project where the specifics have remained unchanged, raise your hand.
These changes can affect your price and/or turnaround time, and it is good business sense to keep track – via paper or e-mail trail.
8. Who will be invoiced for this project?
An often-overlooked deal breaker. From the time your printer starts working on your project, until he sends you the bill, which you send to your client, which your client then pays and in turn you pay your printer, weeks and even months can go by in which we expect the printer to wait patiently in line.
Especially in this economic landscape, printers are very cautious about cash flow and extending credit. Cover the invoicing detail early and eliminate hard feelings and potentially missed delivery dates.
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Seeing designers worldwide struggle to stay current with new papers and paper trends inspired Sabine Lenz to create PaperSpecs, an independent and comprehensive Web-based paper selection tool and weekly e-newsletter. Growing up in Germany, she started her design career in Frankfurt, before moving on to Australia and the United States. Lenz worked on design projects ranging from corporate identities to major road shows and product launches. From start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, her list of clients included Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Deutsche Bank, IBM and KPMG. Lenz is a noted speaker and author on paper issues and educational topics related to the paper industry.
Please visit PaperSpecs at www.paperspecs.com to sign up for the free weekly e-newsletter and to receive Ms. Lenz’s e-book “19 Ways to Cut Your Paper Costs.” Check the Web site for the next regularly scheduled live online tour of the paper database and selection tool.
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