Letters, feedback, get it off your chest: 10 April 2008

 

Readers have their say about last week's news.

Dear Editor,

I was driving past Ricci signs in Hurstville and saw this which I grab-shot from the car! A great way of promoting print - signange or otherwise:
"Imagine...Design...Print."

Everything about this is good; the image, the design, the headline and the position, right on a busy highway. Good onya Ricci Signs!
 
Cheers
Andy McCourt

Re: Letters, feedback, get if off your chest: 3 April 2008

Quote from  Baden Kirgan Jeffries Printing Services: "Simple rule - don't do work for brokers. They are leaches sucking the value out of the game and giving us all bad reputations.
 
I follow the McMillan rule - if they have a press they are a printer and you can do their work. If they don't, they're a broker and deserve to starve."
 
Firstly, I whole-heartedly agree with the print industry being notorious for late payments, extended terms and written off debts, but I'm absolutely astonished at your comments - more so the fact that you have completely pigeonholed an entire supporting industry of your primary source of income - print. Surely, this vast generalisation cannot be valid, let alone published and printed (no pun intended).
 
I have been running a small business for the past 7 years, as a graphic designer/web developer primarily, but found that many of my customers were intimidated by print-shops and would prefer someone to interpret and break down terminology. Of course, I advertise my business as a grapho/print shop/web development house, and if anyone asks me if I print in-house, the answer is a surely "No, we outsource all print work." Obviously there are risks associated with this type of practice (as with any reselling business in general), but I do realise that the buck stops with me. In most cases, I have paid my supplier before I have received one red cent from the end customer - and yes, I too have been burnt once or twice. I can't imagine that there would be many print shops out there that do not have at least 1 broker on their client list - and that's precisely what we are - clients. Pure and simple.
 
Surely you have had other clients drag terms out and/or not pay, not just us blood-sucking leeches as you so eloquently put it.
 
To blatantly abuse and generalise print brokers in this forum is just bad business, and I'm sure any brokers that were utilising your services will cease after reading your comments - and you can rest assured that this broker won't be banging on your door offering you work, either.
 
Craig McCormack
Powerfix Design & Print

 

I wish to respond with a third option that was not included in Mitchell Jordan's article.  Trade printers are another alternative available for printing companies.  By outsourcing printing to independent trade printers, everyone wins in the competitive printing industry.  The advantages of reduced costs through gang printing and no capital investment, not to mention the high quality and service, can only be seen as positives.
 
I really enjoyed your article, and hopefully with more people exchanging information on hub printing, we will all experience more benefits!
 
Scott Siganto
Director, IBS Design Resources

******

Re: PrintNZ awards APN apprentice

As a co-worker with Richard, or Welshy as we call him, I can say that this guy is committed and extremely concientious. His attitude towards life is mirrored by how he works.

His 'can do' and 'let's just get on with it' attitude is proof of this. He sometimes comes to work in tears knowing his national side for rugby has lost to the Aussies. But not recently he was jumping for joy when they won the six nations but still in tears that his football side that he barracks for Everton wins or looses.

All in all it won't be the same when Welshy leaves Wangas, as no doubt when he is crowned NZ Apprentice of the year across the board. He will have offers coming out his ears.

Peter V

To read last week's letters, click here.