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Managing your Print Project

By Judy Barnett
Barnett Print Management

Every business needs to print something. What do you need to know to ensure success? Follow these simple steps from an insider with tips to get your project printed on time and within budget.

1. Organize the team involved, make a task list and assign the tasks.

Before you begin, identify all of your requirements ahead of time and the different items that need designed materials. Think about how many total pieces you need. Will the design be used only on your brochure or will it also be used on your letterhead, in a print ad, and on your web site?

This will help identify how many layouts to produce at the beginning. Ask the team of people who have responsibility for the various parts of the project, how long it will take to complete their assignment.

Now you have a schedule for the total number of workdays needed to develop your project. Count backwards from your due date to establish your art-ready date.

Be sure to include both internal and external dates. Build in time for corrections and approvals. Note: most people almost never approve something in the same –day that they receive it. Include time to get legal and technical OK’s, too.

Have your logo also made as black only if your logo is more than one color to use on your invoices and fax cover sheet.

TIP: Sit down with your print rep and review the specifics of your project. This will confirm how much your job will cost and how long it will take to produce.

2. Create a Preview Sample

Once printed, you can’t return your job to the store. It’s yours.

Paper and ink are essential elements that achieve the design effect you want. Therefore, it is a good idea to get an idea of what your piece will look like before you go to press. This is easily accomplished by making blank samples of your design and is called a “Dummy” or a “Folding Dummy”.

You can order blank samples of the specified paper from your print rep. Get one each for you, the designer, and the printer. In addition, make several copies for post office approval and the letter shop.

Sample dummies ensure that the designer is happy, you are happy and the proposed piece meets standard postal regulations. Sometimes the paper thickness needs to be changed to avoid cracking when the paper is folded.

Ink colors look differently on coated and uncoated paper stock. View ink on your selected paper stock. This is called a “draw down” and doesn’t cost much to produce.

Dummies and drawdowns let you correct any problem before your project goes on press.

TIP: Someone once said, probably, my mother: It is better to ask a stupid question than to make a stupid mistake.

3. Give your specification in writing to the print shop.

The safest way to have your print shop understand what you want is to give your specifications in writing. Otherwise, with verbal specifications, you may receive a quote for a booklet that is 8 pages plus cover instead of your intended 8 pages including cover.

Anticipate that your printer needs every piece of information. Specifications include quantity, paper type, ink colors, if the piece prints on one side or two and the flat size and final, folded size. The details of how you want your piece shipped will help the printer remember to bundle your brochures in groups of 100 or bulk pack them into the shipping carton.

To avoid surprises, ask your print shop to give you the quotes in writing. This way you can compare any quotes you receive with your written specifications. You need to know what all of the charges are so you can compare apples to apples with quotes you receive from other suppliers.

Once you receive your quote, you may decide shipping overnight via an airfreight service is more expensive than your budget allows.

TIP: It is important to get multiple bids when finding the right vendor for your project. They can help you make sure you are paying a fair price or help put you in a position to negotiate price if the vendor you want to go with comes in high.

4. Setting a timeline at the print shop.

You would expect the print shop to hold open a space for your job once they are awarded a project. It’s not that simple. Print shops try to project their workload based upon clients letting them know when the jobs will come into the shop.

Understanding that print shops often do not count the dates they receive or ship your materials as workdays will help set a realistic turnaround schedule. Turnaround is the amount of time needed to produce your job at the print shop.

In order to play it safe, agree to a specific day your job will arrive at the shop. Keep to the exact date you agreed upon to avoid overtime, rush charges, and delays in receiving your printed materials. Be sure to let your print shop know you have a specific deadline so the shop can let you know how long it takes to produce your project.

TIP: Review and approve copy before it gets to the mechanical stage. It is much cheaper to catch a copy error before your job goes to the print shop.

5. Get More for Less

Print as many pieces as you think you will need –- and even more -- to be on the safe side.

Why? Because it costs about the same to get an offset press ready to print 10,000 as it does 1,000. The price difference between the two quantities is mostly the cost of the additional paper. Given that, you should print as many pieces as you can afford now, because the additional cost for the extra pieces is small. Reprinting a job is more expensive, because you must pay for setting up the press again.

If you are sending out invitations to a big event, make sure the print shop knows you need an exact amount. Often print shops produce a standard of 10 % +/- of the quantity you request, which means you, could get anywhere from 10% more to 10% less than you specified. Your letter shop may need extras also, so ask them how many extras they need to complete your order.

TIP: Ask your print shop for their internal production schedule outlining all activities and internal timelines. This way you can foresee the boss going to Costa Rica and still have the printer’s proof approved in a timely manner.

6. Direct mail marketing.

Mailing postcards can be an inexpensive way to let your prospective customers know about you and your business. Postcards can be used as either a promotional pieces or a request for information from your customers.

Setting your post card to USPS standards at the design stage will save you money. For example, a 4.25 x 6 postcard (standard size) costs $.23 while a
5 x 7 postcard costs $.37, the same as a letter. The paper stock for a non-standard postcard has special requirements, too.

To keep you on track with USPS rules, contact a Mailpiece Design Analyst. Mailpiece design analysts are specially trained USPS personnel.
The MDA will “test paper and actual mailpiece samples for acceptable thickness, background color, flexibility, rigidity, and barcode print tolerances”.

There are strict rules regarding the placement of the address panel and copy on your mailpiece so it is critical for the mailpiece design analyst to review your prospective artwork prior to printing.

Taking this extra step, at the design stage, is the easiest way to get your mail piece approved by the post office and save on postage, too.

TIP: The cheapest postage rates are based upon your mailpiece being designed for automated compatibility with the USPS postal equipment. Follow this link to find the MDA – Mailpiece Design Analyst for your zip code area. http://pe.usps.gov/mpdesign/mpdfr_mda_lookup.htm

Whether you are a seasoned buyer, new to the print business or in-between, these simple steps can save you time, money and aggravation on any print project. With a little planning and teamwork, you can make the most of your print budget and get your project printed on time, within budget and looking just the way you envisioned it.

Barnett Print Management, based in Larkspur CA, is a professional print buying service that has the commitment, vision and resources to guide your projects to completion on time and on budget -- every time. With over two decades of experience, we can do just that. Contact us at: jbarnett@judybarnett.com.

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