Most successful printing projects don’t happen by accident. They start with a good plan. By developing a plan in advance, you can save money, time, and energy throughout the process.
Good project planning starts with some very simple steps.
- Share your design with us. By bringing us into the process during the design stages, we can tell you whether certain ideas will have an impact on the time or cost of the piece. For example, you might not realize that some binding options can take extra time or that a certain trim size might incur extra costs.
- Consider your suppliers’ schedules. Are you bringing outside suppliers into the process? If so, how do their schedules impact yours? If you are using a freelance illustrator, for example, what is this person’s availability? If changes need to be made later on, will this person be able to respond in a timely fashion on a short turnaround? If you’re placing a label on a specialty bottle, will the bottle company have sufficient supply during your timeframe?
- Plan backwards from the delivery date. Keep us informed about your progress. We juggle many jobs at any given time. If you don’t meet your date to get the files to us, your delay can have a ripple effect. We might place another job on the press in front of yours, and have to push your project back to the next available opening. The larger the job, often the more difficult it is to reschedule.
- Add a “fudge factor.” Always add in buffer to accommodate slippage in the schedule. The larger the project, the more buffer you will need.
- Communicate! Keep people in the loop, and let them when you need the job in your hands. When everyone is communicating effectively and working toward the same goal, you are more likely to be rewarded with a project that comes in on time and on budget.
