Dear Tony
I am assuming you are talking about a UK printer. My experience is this:-
I used to use what is probably the best UK book printers, Butler and Tanner, but because they were so much better than the rest they were far to busy to turn my work around in a reasonable time. I have since used a printer in Spain and four different printers in Italy. In between I have researched many other printers. I have recently tried a printer close to me in Cornwall who have the latest Heidelburg press. I have to say that I wonder how this local printer gets any work at all. They have printed a few fine art books and art catalogues which look impressive. How many things can go wrong?
1/ They demand 100% of the money upfront. I negotiate 75% as their best offer. I get 3 months credit in Italy as a matter of course!
2/ I send three sample PDFs for them to check my settings. They say these are OK. I learn later that they opened on the office PC but they didn't look on a calibrated screen. They require an extra 1mm bleed. Why????
3/ Proofs arrive which are massively magenta and very dark. These are files which I have printed before. Seven different proof and printings have been 100% consistent but now I suddenly get a massive swing.
4/ They then tell me that they cannot correct on the press (?) but will correct the files as they usually do! (I later learn this is pure baloney)
5/ 2nd proofs are good enough but not as good as I've had from others.
6/ Delivery date, 27th July, approaches and they have forgotton my packing instructions about special boxes.
7/ Half the delivery arrives several days late. These are postcards and my spec was to count in fifties with interleaved paper. Numbers vary from 43 to 53 and are rubber banded which has curled the packs.
8/ Consistency varies from very, very dark to washed out.
9/ I phone about the other half which I am told. "No Problem! They'll be with you this week." I am still waiting over two weeks beyond the promised delivery date.
No Problem! They have no idea. How have they ever achieved good, correct colour with other clients? Its all a mystery to me. They seem totally disinterested in me as a customer who spends about �100,000 per year on print. Back to Italy next time.
Bob Croxford
On 12 Aug 2004, at 08:41, Tony Riley wrote:
In the last week I have been dealing with a graphics designer and a local offset litho firm, both new to me but who have no dealings with each other. However, not for the first time, I find they are both using US PrePress Defaults as their Photoshop colour settings - Dot Gain 20% etc etc etc. When asked why their answers were the same....thats how it was set up and we don't touch it. I have no doubt many here will have something pretty predictable to say but the fact is that they work this way day after day turningout work (leaflets and brochures, trade magazines, adverts etc) that their clients seem to be very satisfied with. Can someone please tell me how they get away with it?
Tony Riley surrey variety (wotever happened to the nutter from nottingham?)
=============================================================== GO TO http://www.prodig.org for ~ GUIDELINES ~ un/SUBSCRIBING ~ ITEMS for SALE
