By Margie Dana

6 Common Problems & How to Avoid Them
Aside from issues with supplied files (which are legend, by the way), what other common problems can print customers avoid?

I asked a few commercial printers for their thoughts on this. Although no two printers' lists were the same, the heart of the matter was lack of communication.

In the good old days, wrote Joe Wagner, director of Marketing/senior sales rep at Whitmore Print & Imaging in Annapolis, MD, customers had to sit and talk with their printer. Printers would go to clients' offices and review art boards and overlays with them, which gave printers an opportunity to discuss potential problems early on.

Today's files are sent digitally to the printer. Often, the job is "signed, sealed and delivered" before any discussion takes place. That's the source of a lot of problems.

These six problems are common ones. New print buyers, please take note.

1. Customers don't communicate quality expectations.
As the customer, you know what matters most to you - but how would a pressman know? "During a press run," wrote Scott Reighard, president of Acorn Press in Lancaster, PA, "quite often there is a compromise to the proof among the images and graphic elements on a printed sheet. Knowing which one is most important is critical." Customers can solve this quite simply: be specific about what you expect.

2. Expecting a proof to be a dead-on match to a press sheet.
Proofing technology is getting better all the time, but a proof is still just a representation of the final printed piece. Proofing technology is "fundamentally different from how ink, water and paper interact on a sheetfed press," added Reighard. "The more we understand and accept this universal truth, the better experience we will have."

3. Incomplete and/or inaccurate specs.
This was a problem highlighted by Heather McCoy, enviro & customer service manager for Hull Printing in Barre-Berlin, VT. It can't be said often enough: you need to supply complete and accurate specifications to your printer. Each job is a custom job. If your specs are wrong, your estimate will be wrong. More importantly, the job won't be produced the way you expect it. Deadlines can be missed as specs are revised.

4. The copy isn't really proofread before it goes to the printer.
Why do people scrimp on this important stage? Before you send that file to your printer, insert a key step in your standard procedure: have someone else proofread it, from A to Z. Onscreen or off (I prefer off, if possible), have the job proofed by someone who's not been intimately involved with it.

What's the price for typos in customer files? Paul Carroll, president of American Printing in Rumford, RI, says that they add delays and AA costs. "We once found a typo on a press approval: millions of coupons with the name of a drug misspelled," wrote Carroll. Ouch. Had the pressman not caught it, it would have spelled disaster for the client.

5. Failing to communicate when you expect a proof.
When do you think that proof is coming to you? Don't assume anything. Have that conversation with your printer so that your delivery date isn't missed.

6. Lack of shipping details.
Be very clear about how, where and to whom your job should ship. Are all shipments needed on the same date? How should they be packed/marked? If you have a tight delivery schedule, will you accept a partial shipment? Reighard wrote that "without details, printers can't effectively pack for the most cost-effective and efficient shipment method." This can cause delays and extra costs.

Please take note of these issues as you plan your print jobs. Don't be afraid to call your printers and ask for help and advice - that's what they're there for.

Thanks to the printers who contributed to these tips:

Joe Wagner, Whitmore Print & Imaging (http://www.whitmore.com)
Scott Reighard, Acorn Press (http://www.acornpress.com)
Heather McCoy, Hull Printing (http://www.hullprinting.com)
Paul Carroll, American Printing (http://www.amprintri.com)

© 2007 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. You may contact Margie Dana at mdana@bostonprintbuyers.com.

9/5/07