The Request

[gordo]

 

[MailGuru]

I think what you're trying to say is "My work ethics are not in line with your company values".

 

[DannyB]

That really speaks to me because we have had that problem at the shop I work at. They are all about quantity over quality and a lot of the old school offset pressman can not wrap there heads around that. Even I have that problem being a younger guy who has only worked in this one shop I still get very picky about my work and worry my boss to death constantly needing him to approve my work before it goes out because I wont allow my self to make a call on it if it is not perfect. the two sayings they like to throw around here are HANG AND BANG or JUST RUN IT.

 

[MailGuru]

It really depends on the purpose behind what you are printing. For instance, if you are printing for direct mail advertising, it's the "message" that is important, not necessarily the quality of the print (within reason). In a direct mail print/produce/mail environment, you are getting paid by the piece. The more pieces you produce, the more revenue you generate. As far as quality goes, a typical direct mail response rate for a prospect solicitation averages around 2%, so, 98% are going to throw it in the trash. Does it matter if that piece being thrown away is "high quality"?

Proof in the pudding (and, I think I've said this before in previous posts): I get an automotive piece in the mail about a special sale this weekend. I am interested in buying a new car, and, the offer looks pretty good. I'd really like to attend, but, do you see where the reflex blue in the bottom right corner of my letter is starting to look a little washed-out? That's it, I'm NOT going! (see what I mean)

 

[DannyB]

It really depends on the purpose behind what you are printing. For instance, if you are printing for direct mail advertising, it's the "message" that is important, not necessarily the quality of the print (within reason). In a direct mail print/produce/mail environment, you are getting paid by the piece. The more pieces you produce, the more revenue you generate. As far as quality goes, a typical direct mail response rate for a prospect solicitation averages around 2%, so, 98% are going to throw it in the trash. Does it matter if that piece being thrown away is "high quality"?

Proof in the pudding (and, I think I've said this before in previous posts): I get an automotive piece in the mail about a special sale this weekend. I am interested in buying a new car, and, the offer looks pretty good. I'd really like to attend, but, do you see where the reflex blue in the bottom right corner of my letter is starting to look a little washed-out? That's it, I'm NOT going! (see what I mean)

I totally get what you are saying it is just a mental thing when you see a small defect but then you watch it run and you see that defect over and over it starts to look worse and worse in your mind and it drives you insane. One of the best things for me to do is just remember that the average person is never going to notice even if you tell them there is something wrong they will never spot it unless you point it out. That is why my boss gets so frustrated with me because I will bring something to him and ask if it is ok or if I need to stop and troubleshoot and he thinks I am wasting his time when he looks at it the first time but then he comes back and looks at it again and then again and he eventually has the same problem I have where now that he has looked at it multiple times that is all he sees when he looks at the job.

 

[arossetti]

It really depends on the purpose behind what you are printing. For instance, if you are printing for direct mail advertising, it's the "message" that is important, not necessarily the quality of the print (within reason). In a direct mail print/produce/mail environment, you are getting paid by the piece. The more pieces you produce, the more revenue you generate. As far as quality goes, a typical direct mail response rate for a prospect solicitation averages around 2%, so, 98% are going to throw it in the trash. Does it matter if that piece being thrown away is "high quality"?

Proof in the pudding (and, I think I've said this before in previous posts): I get an automotive piece in the mail about a special sale this weekend. I am interested in buying a new car, and, the offer looks pretty good. I'd really like to attend, but, do you see where the reflex blue in the bottom right corner of my letter is starting to look a little washed-out? That's it, I'm NOT going! (see what I mean)

Not to mention you can give the post office a high quality printed piece....no telling what ends up in the mailbox.

 

[MailGuru]

Not to mention you can give the post office a high quality printed piece....no telling what ends up in the mailbox.

A truer statement has never been made!

 

[Possumgal]

Or IF it ends up in the mailbox.

One thing that can only be learned by experience is "good enough." We all run under deadlines, and are hampered often by how much the customer is willing to pay. Sometimes you can pick a piece to death, but take a week to hammer out all the little imperfections. If it's good enough for the customer, sometimes you just gotta let some stuff go.

 

[turbotom1052]

Or IF it ends up in the mailbox.

One thing that can only be learned by experience is "good enough." We all run under deadlines, and are hampered often by how much the customer is willing to pay. Sometimes you can pick a piece to death, but take a week to hammer out all the little imperfections. If it's good enough for the customer, sometimes you just gotta let some stuff go.

The "good enough" standard would be fine if you could count on that standard from job to job. What I've seen more and more of, is quality standards that are set by the customers. "Good enough" works pretty well right up until a customer that you've been delivering "good enough" quality to decides for any given reason, that it is not "good enough". That reason could be anything from a fight that he had with his wife the morning he took delivery of the job, or even the customers not being too happy about the long overdue price increase the company has been forced to implement This is usually right about the time that some poor slob in the pressroom is called out on the carpet for delivering sub standard quality.
My feeling is that when the customers are allowed to set the quality standards a moving target exists that will eventually come back to bite someone in the ass. This is why the printing company needs to set standards that remain consistent. There is nothing worse for moral than employees always walking around looking over their shoulders for fear of fluctuating standards!!!