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From the preliminary design stage to final product delivery, print buyers follow their projects’ progress every inch of the way. When necessary, an important step in the production process is the press check because this is where you have your last chance to markedly affect the appearance of your printed images. As any one who’s been there knows, press checks that veer off course can be very uncomfortable.
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| A successful press check is critical for ensuring a good business relationships, now and in the future. |
Regardless of the reason for the press check – first-time customer, complicated book design, new product launch, complex color hues or jittery print buyer – a successful press check is critical for ensuring a good business relationships, now and in the future.
As much as printers hate admitting this, press checks can be challenging because they are at the mercy of production schedules. Even the best intentioned printer may only be able to give you a few hours notice of when your job will be on press. With all that print buyers, designers and art directors have invested in their work, the last thing they want to do is leave the press check experience up to chance.
Know Your Print Production Team
Upon arrival at the printing facility, press check visitors
should expect their sales representative to introduce them to appropriate members of the production team, starting with the lead pressperson and including other production and customer service personnel as necessary. Tell the lead pressperson exactly what you’re looking for during the run.
4 Dos and 1 Don’t:
- DO carefully define success. If the piece involves cosmetics, flesh tones likely will be the focal point. If it’s a grocery piece, make sure that the meat photos have no hint of gray or green. If you need to match a swatch of fabric, show the production team the swatch right up front. This puts everybody at ease and helps ensure that everyone understands your goal.
- DO check the color registration. Are the color elements consistent in quality and density? Are the tones even and all images balanced? Bring your original artwork and proofs so you know exactly what to look for. After all, color accuracy likely was the reason you scheduled the press check in the first place.
- DO check image imposition. Whatever happens to your sheets after printing – i.e., cut, fold, glue and bind – do the same with the sheets off press. Verify trim sizes and image back-ups. After completing the press check, sign off on the press sheet(s) and keep duplicates for your records.
- DO check your paper stock. Although sales and customer service reps do this already, it never hurts to double check. Be sure the weight, color and finish of the paper being used for your project are what you originally specified.
- DON’T wrestle with content. Once on a press check, don’t attempt to correct copy errors, misspellings or swap out photos. This simply is the wrong time. These types of errors should have been caught long before arriving at your printer’s facility.
The Delta Printing Solutions Advantage
Delta Printing Solutions has been committed to meeting the needs of customers for more than fifty years. Located in Los Angeles County, Delta Printing Solutions is the largest independent provider of books, manuals, catalogs, journals and directories in the Western United States. The company offers superior prepress, printing, finishing and binding services with state-of-the-art technology and craftsmanship.
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