Every printed piece that you receive in the mail, every magazine that you read and every business card that is handed to you is a custom piece. The printing process is loaded with variables that occur throughout the each step. You could spend thousands of dollars paying an Advertising Agency to create an award winning marketing piece only to have the job ruined due to a lack of communication between the estimator and the customer.
This article is not here to completely take the side of the printing company. However, this article is provided to help educate and promote consistency throughout the industry. Let's look at an example. Let's just say you would like to have 10,000 color brochures printed. You email your specs to your three favorite printers. Within your specifications you ask for 10,000 four color brochures printing on both sides on a "glossy paper". Believe it or not I have seen this specification many times over the years. The printer has several choices with this example. The printer could call and ask for clarity or they could assume that you want a 100# Gloss text when in reality you really wanted a cover weight paper and not text weight paper. Your printer may or may not take the time to call and review the inaccuracy of the specifications. So they generate the quote based upon what they "think" and submit the bid. Now lets also assume that you are soliciting three bids for this project and let's also assume that the other two printers quoted on a cover weight paper which is more expensive, therefore, you award the brochure to the other printer and have yet to notice the difference in paper.
You have probably spent countless hours writing copy and incurred the expense of graphic design on your brochure and it is now ready to send to the printer, with one exception, the specifications are incorrect. While this scenario is merely a hypothetical example, circumstances like this one exist every day in the printing industry. Within this real life example you now have two options. One, you all of a sudden realize that your brochure was quoted on the wrong stock and you notify your printer right away or your printer prints the job on the wrong paper and it is delivered. In either scenario a costly mistake has been made. Your brochure was either delivered on the wrong paper or your printer had the privilege to increase their price due to the fact that inaccurate specifications were provided.
How does the print buyer avoid costly mistakes on their specifications? Below I have put together some easy steps that will always help you provide accurate specifications to your printer.
1. Create and complete a specification form that is used to submit all specifications to your printer.
2. Your "Print Specification Form" should contain the following information:
A. Description
B. Quantity
C. Number of Colors
D. Flat Size and Finish Size
E. Number of Pages
F. Bleeds
G. Paper Type - indicate cover weight or text weight.
H. Type of digital file supplied and indicate if the platform is Mac or PC.
I. Indicate the type of proof required.
J. Indicate if there are any unique bindary instructions such as die cut, foil stamp, emboss, etc.
K. When providing the specifications indicate if there are any unique shipping instructions.
L. When a quote is submitted by the printer, compare the quote to your specifications and notify your printer via email of any questions or discrepancies.
M. Insure that you allow your printer at least 24 hours to complete a quote on any custom print quote.
While the above steps will not eliminate errors, they will be greatly reduced if they are followed correctly.
Now we will examine the above steps and examine the details of your requirements.:
Description - This will be your item identification. You may have a numbering system or use a unique name. For example: "July Open House Brochure". Ok, you are probably asking how will this one step save me money on my printing costs? So often you may decide to get several different quotes on a particular piece before you decide. If your project is called "Event Brochure" and you ask for an option in sizes for "8-1/2" x 11" vs. 11" x 17" then indicate those options within your description. Always reference your exact quote when placing the order. Therefore, you are not running the risk of your printer working from the wrong quote in the event you choose to place an order.
Quantity- certainly this goes without saying. However, I highly encourage you to carefully examine usage over the coming months and order more then you need right now. It is much cheaper for you to avoid setups when the job is printed than to pay for a reprint. So ask your printer for five quantity options so that you can accurately determine the cost differences between the quantities and make an informed decision.
Number of Colors - on your form, clearly indicate the number of colors that you want on the printed piece. Typically you can accomplish just about anything that you want to accomplish with four color process. However, there are many factors to consider when setting up your piece and we will discuss this in future articles. If you are the least bit unsure of the cost differences between 2 colors and 4 colors just ask your printer for a comparative price between the two and you examine your own options. Finally does your piece require a varnish or a coating. The need for coatings vary and is dependent upon the application of the printing piece. Do you want protection and shine with your printed piece or does it really matter. Of course there are hundreds of other factors, but for now we just want to verify that you note the type of coating that you are looking for and that you note it on your specifications.
Flat Size and Finish Size - The inaccuracy of this one specification can account for a great deal of problems in the final price as it affects the highest price consumable in most cases and that is paper. If this size is not correct within the specifications then as a print buyer you are possibly running the risk of receiving pricing that is either way too high or way to low. Simply stated, the flat size is the size before folding and the finish size is the size after it is folded.
Number of Pages - In my experience this one specification is provided incorrectly and is more widely misunderstood than any other specification. Always base the number of pages within the booklet, magazine or brochure in terms of its "finished size". For example we are going to use a booklet that's finished size is 8-1/2" x 11". Page one is the outside front cover, page two is the inside front cover and so on. In the case of the booklet that is outlined within this example you also must clearly outline if the booklet is a "self cover" or a "plus cover". A self cover uses the same paper throughout and a plus cover uses a different paper for the cover. So if our page count with a finished size of 8-1/2" x 11" is 16 total pages on 80# gloss text, then that is a 16 page self cover. If the same booklet is 16 total pages with a finished size of 8-1/2" x 11" and the 4 page cover is printed on 80# gloss cover and the 12 pages of text are printed on 80# gloss text, then this booklet is a 12 page plus cover.
Bleeds - Does color run all the way to the edge of the printed piece? If so your specifications need to note that your piece "bleeds". If it bleeds on all four sides then note that on your specifications. If it bleeds on just two sides then note that as well. The additional color that is present due to bleeds could determine if your project is printed on a larger or smaller press sheet. Typically your printer will not call you or contact you if this is left off and they will either assume one way or another. Either assumption could be wrong and could ultimately cause the price to go up or run the risk of paying too much for your project.
Paper Type - books have been written on this topic. However, I am going to attempt to condense this portion of our specs down to less than a paragraph. In our introduction we used "glossy paper" as an illustration. There are literally thousands of different paper types, sizes, colors and weights on the market today. First and foremost contact your printer and ask them for swatch books, they would be more than happy to provide any information that they can to help you formulate your specs. Also, ask your printer to explain the differences in weights and finishes of the different papers. If you are the least bit unclear what to spec then ask! This could save you thousands of dollars throughout the course of the year. Always, always clearly indicate the type of paper you want.
Digital Files - I am sure that there are many folks out there who advertise that they handle any digital file. However, rest assured you are being charged more if you provide Paintshop, Publisher, Word or Corel Draw to your printer. You may not realize it but you are simply because these applications do not seamlessly flow through the very complicated prepress workflow. In Design, Photoshop, Quark, Illustrator, Page Maker and print ready PDF's are the applications of choice. Please know there is nothing wrong with the other applications mentioned. They certainly have their place in the digital world they just do not fit within the normal prepress workflow at the majority of the print shops. Specify your application and indicate if it is a PC or Mac based platform.
Type of Proof - is your project color critical? If so request a color match proof or contract proof in your specs. If a pdf proof will work then note that as well. If you are dealing with a die cut piece or a paginated piece it is always smart to request a hard copy proof of some sort so that you can approve the project for accuracy of size and pagination.
Bindery - Die cut, foil stamp, emboss, saddle stitch, perfect bind, shrink wrap,etc. Indicate as much information as possible in a form that is easy to read and easy to understand. Within this section a drawing or sketch of the bindery requirements if very helpful and will help insure that you receive an accurate price. If the project will foil stamp or emboss then note the dimensions of the area that will be embossed or stamped.
Within this article I have just touched on the importance of providing accurate specifications to your printer. If you clearly follow the steps outlined with this article you will reduce your printing costs considerably and you will go a long way towards building credibility with your printer.
David Norcross has worked in the printing and advertising industry for 27 years in manufacturing, management and sales. David is currently the owner of One Source Graphics LLC a full service printing and marketing solution for the small business owner.
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