writer, David Rugless, passes away

Get the job right before bindery!

With an ever-present demand for lower prices, pressure is on every stage of production to lower costs and reduce turnaround time. While it is prudent to aim for maximum efficiency, it is not sensible to rush a job. More haste, less speed. In many instances, what has become the main goal is getting the job signed off and out the door, with little if any consideration for where it is going next.

Let’s look at a few examples. The artwork department has some new hotshot whiz-kid who knows everything there is to know about computers but has never steeped foot on a factory floor. They’re cocooned in their own world and are oblivious to the real world production process. A classic example is the case of a saddle-stitched booklet where the designer has not allowed for creep.

They don’t know because they weren’t taught, didn’t listen or don’t care. This does not happen that often but, believe me, it does happen. You can classify this as a mistake if the designer did not understand creep but it is more disturbing if they did know about creep, but were under such pressure to rush the job that they did not follow all the correct procedures and simply forgot.

Cheapness is a weakness
The creep example is just one type of problem. In past articles I have discussed the potential complications in the areas of grain, powder, wet ink etc. Many of these and other concerns relate back to work pressure. In the ‘good old days’ (here we go), most business was based on personal relationships. Whether you were a supplier or a customer you would generally deal with a company representative who would look after you. You would not consider changing your allegiance with one company unless you had an argument or some other problem. Relationships were king.

Pricing was not an issue unless there was a major difference. Despite all the negatives associated with print brokers entering the industry, they have made everybody sharpen their collective pencils. This has generally resulted in an increase in efficiency. Nowadays, the client that you have dealt with for 30 years will have little loyalty. Unless you can also provide the cheapest price you will not get the job.

Selling on price is an easy gig. Selling quality and service was always part of the art of salesmanship. But these days, the almighty dollar rules the roost and although print buyers want the cheapest prices they also demand the highest quality. Consider the amount of work going to China at the moment. Do you think this is because they produce the highest quality work available; or they have the fastest turnaround time; or they have the best sales people in the world? Maybe it’s because they’re cheap.

Passing the parcel
So, to compete in a highly price sensitive market, corners are often cut. It becomes a game of ‘pass the parcel.’ Get the job out of my section as quickly as possible and let the next department look after themselves. In the print finishing area it all comes down to job presentation. Because the bindery is the last link in the chain, all the previous errors show up here. The condition in which the job arrives on the dock for finishing, from the paperwork through to how it is stacked on the pallet, all affect the quality of the final product. The frustrating thing is that, in the majority of cases, there is no time saving for printers in delivering a poorly presented job to the bindery.

I’ll give you a couple of real life examples. Flat sheets stacked unevenly on the pallet. Flat sheets stacked unevenly on the pallet without separators, and stretch film wrapped so tightly that all the uneven corners have developed a permanent set. Oh yeah – and it was a rush job so they were stacked wet and cut with a blunt blade. It may sound silly but this is very common.

What this highlights is the need to work smarter. Give yourself enough time to do the job, let the ink dry. Over the years I have found that the worse a job is presented, the quicker a client wants it back. Customers are usually less than happy to hear that it is going to take longer and cost more than quoted. Jobs that are poorly presented require more work and generally run slower than quoted.

The important thing to remember is that if you accept a job for a price lower than you believe it is worth you still can not afford to cut corners.


David Rugless RIP