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being creative together, creating a memorable product. A product that gives value for money and a product that was achieved within budget and in an enjoyable manner.
Why did the printer target you as a potential client? You need to know that they have the experience of working with like-minded companies.
NARROWING THE FIELD
Once the quotes are in and you have a handful of possible partners, you need to look at narrowing the field. We understand that selecting or moving print partner can seem problematic and can introduce changes to your business. Remember the changes can often be positive. But this is not a process you want to do too often. The ideal scenario is to do it once and hit the jackpot, getting a partner that is not only cost effective but also a company that can help you grow and develop your brand. So you need a partner that will be with you for the long run. Where the pricing is stable and where you
can develop your long term planning without disruption. So ask for copies of their accounts and trading history. Don’t be embarrassed to ask. The print company will certainly be doing the same checks on you. Delivery, account handling levels, quality systems are great K.P.I.’s. These can be backed up with client testimonials. Ask if you can follow up the testimonial to get a feel for the company. Often both companies will have mutual connections within the industry, so probe for these and see if you can contact those for feedback on the potential partner. Disaster recovery planning is a two part question in reality. Firstly what steps are being taken to avert disasters in the process – fire avoidance, site security, data management policies? Secondly, if there was a problem, what is plan B? The environmental impact of our industry often gets treated in two ways. It can either be “Lip Service” or be a positive action, both from the printer and publishers side. Both parties should demand that each business is making every effort to measure and reduce their environmental impact. Membership of
Climate Change scheme, down to running vans with stop/start technology are items that you should be looking out for from a potential partner. An ideal way to see how the partner will measure up is to visit their site. You will get a real feel for how things operate once you step inside their factory.
LOOKED AT. Mike Donovan
Technical Manager
PRE PRODUCTION Once the partner has been selected, production needs to be considered. This stage is probably the most important item both parties need to cover. You should arrange a face to face meeting with the account handlers at both companies and the print partner can introduce any specialists.
There are points in the production process where variables can be introduced, these variables can delay projects and can cause the product to go horribly wrong. You should actively address these potential pitfalls prior to any production.
l FLAT PLANNING
It is amazing how a simple process such as flat planning can cause major confusion. Both parties
SHOULD BE SERIOUSLY
YOU WILL GET MANY QUOTES OF SIMILAR PRICING, SO THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS WHICH
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need to understand the composition of the publication, so keep it simple.
l DESIGN
The look of the product is important, can the printer assist with this area? They can offer tips on its look, flag up any production issues that could be introduced by the design (trimming issues, spine hinges, etc.) or even introduce a complete design service for you. You never know when you could do with some additional fire power to your design area.
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PAGE CREATION PDF creation these days is far more simple than ever. The print partner will have specialists who can look at your creation
and checking procedures to ensure that you are receiving and producing quality PDFs.
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FILE SUPPLY AND PROOFING
The days of supplying files on CD or the myriad of wild and wonderful optical disks are pretty much behind us. Today we have the ability to supply files directly into the printer’s workflows. Packages such as Apogee Portal, XFM, Prinect, Prinery, etc. allow the publisher to deliver files that are automatically checked, rendered and proofed in an instant. This cuts down time and the environmental impact. These processes can be introduced with minimal change to your business and deliver many positive results.
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