Scenario Number 1:
You’re a designer and you’ve just started at a new studio. And guess what, you’re also in charge of your own production. Not like the old place, where a production manager did it all. Now what? Scenario Number 2:
You graduated last year. You’re in your first job, excited to be doing good work, but you realize you don’t know anything about the printing process. Who do you call before someone asks you a skill-testing question? Scenario Number 3:
You’re an old pro. You’ve worked at all the big studios in town. But enough of that, you’ve just opened your own shop. Now, you get to wear all the hats. And you know what it says on that big black hat. Yup, Print Production Manager. Oh oh.
Fiber asked a number of senior designers† in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver what advice they would give to their counterparts as they prepare their projects for printing. ¶ Without exception, they all stressed the need to communicate with your printer and build a relationship of trust and mutual respect. Talk to your printer as early as possible so that the
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project becomes a collaboration and not merely an execution of your directives. ¶ Printers have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share–after all, who’s handled more print jobs, you or the printer?–and they can help bridge the gap between what’s in your head and what can be accomplished on press. From pixels to dots
Although everything may look good on your screen, some elements of the design may not translate well to the printing process. That’s why you want a print partner, not merely a print supplier. ¶ Take the time to have a thorough pre-production meeting with your printer. Make your project a personal reflection of his work as well as yours. Bring samples of the techniques and styles you are trying to achieve and try to grasp the possibilities and limitations of the prepress and printing processes. Talk about paper choices, the latest developments in inks and coatings, and finishing alternatives. Keep asking questions until you’re satisfied you understand the process. Use the alarm clock
We’ve all heard of the print runs that start some time after midnight. Despite that, definitely go to press checks. Don’t assume that even a 1-colour job will be fine.
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