What Determines How A Document is Produced? (Dallas, TX)
How Will Your Document Be Produced?
Nevertheless, there are still some production elements that keep these two options in competition with each other. There’s a three-legged stool that determines the best way to produce your document, and those legs would be:
- Quantity: how many of the document are being produced?
- Completion deadline: when does the job have to be completed?
- Software utilized: what program was the document created in?
Scenario 1: Regardless of when the document is needed or what software it was created in, if the quantity is less than 1200 it’s probably best run on a digital machine. Offset presses come with a set-up and tear-down cost that doesn’t vary with the quantity and will probably drive the average cost per piece way too high.
Scenario 2: How much time is given the printer can determine the production method. If the quantity is larger, and better suited for the offset press, but you have to have the finished items tomorrow, we’re going to produce them on the appropriate digital device.
Scenario 3: There are software programs specifically designed for creating documents destined for production using either of the two methods we’re discussing. Files of this type are easily separated into their various colors for plate production and output on an offset press, or transfer and output from a digital box. If the files are created in a program not designed specifically for commercial document production they’re probably not able to be separated into their color components and can’t be run on an offset machine unless the files are re-created in the appropriate software. If this is the case, the only option for output would be digitally, and even then we may run into problems.
One can make a very good case for adding a fourth leg to the stool which will require a complete re-decoration of the metaphor. Regardless, if the document submitted requires personalization with content from a supplied database then there are a couple of scenarios that may be utilized.
Scenario 4a: “Shell” documents are produced on an offset press if time allows and software utilized are appropriate. This may also be done to stay within budgetary guidelines. The second step is to pass the finished shells through a digital press to “overprint” the variable data onto each piece (postcards, catalogs, brochures, sales presentations, etc.)
Scenario 4b: If time is short or software utilized is less than optimum, the entire job may be run in one pass on a digital device. While the cost may be somewhat more than the shells plus overprint option, think of it as the same nickel you’d pay in the form of a “Rush charge” to get an offset print job completed ahead of schedule.
Now you know the different points that go into determining how your documents are produced. Give us a call at 972-820-9963. We’d love to work with you and your team to produce your documents and show you the myriad other services we have, all designed to make your business run even better.
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Phillip Crum is the Chief Idea Officer of Sir Speedy Walnut Hill located at 2414 Arbuckle Court Dallas, TX 75229, and is committed to the idea of helping small business owners do a better job of finding their next customer or client. Phillip can be reached at 214-213-7445, or via email.
Copyright © 2006-2010 Phillip Crum
