Workflow mistakes!

[pacart]

I need some help with alleviating mistakes made in our workflow. We have too many messed up plates being made.

Problems include:

• wrong imposition
• old file being sent instead of new content
etc...

We have nexus, but we don't have the budget to purchase an imposition software right now, so everything is imposed manually.

We just need to make sure that mistakes are at a minimum before someone looses their job!

Any ideas on how to move forward with fine tuning the workflow would be most helpful.

thanks,

Josh

 

[Lukas Engqvist]

The question is not if you can affort and imposition software…*but if you can afford the mistakes that are more frequent by NOT having an imposition software. Also a routine of having two people other than the person who made the imposition sign the imposition.

Preferably the project manager (upstream) and the person responsible for the finishing (downstream).

 

[pacart]

I think that is what is going to happen, we are having a team meeting today to discuss this topic.

We are also having some conflict as to how much responsiblity the pressman should take for the plates that have been sent down wrong.

Prepress says that the pressman should be the last line of defense and should proof the plates.

The pressman say it should be good to go once they get it, so they shouldn't have to proof plates.

 

[Ultimate]

Cost of solution VS. Real costs of mistakes

Cost of solution VS. Real costs of mistakes

I agree with the responses. You have to ask in the meeting "what is more costly? Repeated errors in manual impositions, wasted materials, time, frustrations, etc... OR Buying an imposition software to automate as much as possible the process and eliminate errors?

I am convinced you can come up with a "rough" figure of what imposition errors cost in time+materials.

The solution will then appear to be "We will save $$$$$$$ by implementing an imposition software a.s.a.p.

If you can identify that imposition is the weak factor, then you already have 50% of the solution.

Ray Duval
Ultimate Technographics
www. imposition.com

 

[RickS]

Proof everything. We print 2 imposition proofs. One to assemble, and one left flat at press sheet size. Scheduling, press forman, bindery forman, and CSR sign off on the flat impoproof before plating. Then hold them accountable also.
Rick

 

[cseas]

Good advice RickS.

We do the same at our plant. The more eyes that check the better. But this also takes discipline and responsibility. We have a term we use, "rubber stamping". Folks sometimes think because it's been checked already, they can just do a quick sign off.

The digital workflow will only do what you tell it to do. Fine tuning should be done to production workflow.

cheers!
cesar

 

[Lukas Engqvist]

It may be a good idea to routinely file all error, irrespective of where they occur, then once a month call the dep. heads together (or representative) to find out where the error should have been first intercepted, and what the cost of "repairing" (re-printing, re-plating, redoing, standstill, materials etc).

This way you learn what is too expensive to let you pass, if many goalies have been past make a note of each, and what expenses they incurred by letting it pass.

This way you can quickly find where your investment in time, software, knowhow will pay off…*as has been discussed earlier.

You will find that as time passes then routine sign offs are done, and you need to bring back the control

 

[jetzerm]

Take a serious look at your file management. It sounds to me like you have a file management issue more than anything. We live and die by Time/Date stamps. Every PDF, PS, Impose file has a Time/Date stamp in the file. I'm not talking the computer file date stamp. I talking about setting the Indesign, Quark, Illustrator file to include a Time/Date when to make the PS or PDF and include it in the marks. If the Time/Date matches across all the outputs and files you are good to go.

 

[pacart]

Currently we don't have anyone proof the plate and i think that is where the problem lies after seeing your posts. We do both a assembled and flat proof of the finished product and a printout of the plates. But then the job jacket is transfered to the pressroom and its in the pressman's hands.

We need someone other than prepress to look at the printouts before they go to the pressroom.

I can guarantee that the owners won't spring for anymore software, so impositioning will be done manually no matter what.

 

[cseas]

You might consider purging old files too. This takes thorough communication between sales staff and clients. Whether the new file is replacing an existing item or is it new.
But even if you've dropped in old copy versus new, if you print out your layout, full size preferably, and compare to proofs that have been turned in with job order, you should see that there is a discrepancy in copy. If it is too difficult to compare because of minor alterations, then you should really think about addressing the issue at the front end, during prep work of the one-up.

 

[cseas]

Then someone in the pressroom whether it be a Mgr, Lead Pressman, or the feeder, should help out with the responsibility. It's a team game, and if a client is lost due to recurring errors like these, everyone suffers.

 

[gordo]

Then someone in the pressroom whether it be a Mgr, Lead Pressman, or the feeder, should help out with the responsibility. It's a team game, and if a client is lost due to recurring errors like these, everyone suffers.

While it would be nice if someone in the pressroom catches a mistake in content, it's not really their responsibility. Their assumption is that the materials they receive from prepress are correct otherwise they should not have been give those materials. Their job is to align presswork with the proof and make sure that the backups are correct (according to the proofs) so that their work can be accepted in bindery.

Many shops employ a QC person in prepress to make sure that plates and proofs are correct before going out to press (they physically sign the plates and proofs after inspection). Each department needs to have a QC process in place with sign-offs before materials move to the next stage of production. It sounds to me that you have a quality control systems problem. That is usually the responsibility of a dedicated QC person, Manufacturing manager, or the department heads.

best, gordo

 

[cseas]

Yes, I should be more clear. It would be very helpful to have QA personnel who does these reviews before final production. But also the Production Mgr. and department heads.
In our case we print out the layout, actual size, and have the person doing imposition verify their work, and then another Prepress operator check the layout. We then have a team of the Prepress Mgr., Plant Mgr., Pressroom Supervisor, and a QA person check and approve.

 

[csudman]

There are really cheap imposition software sets out there. quite impose is like 500.00. you have to be able to squeese that out of them.

 

[[email protected]]

pacart,
Nexus makes DotSpy, a 1-bit tif viewer, that lets you proof ripped jobs before plates are made. I don't know the cost of the software, but it will pay for itself if it prevents one spoiled job.

 

[CHM]

What is not clear to me is that you say you have Nexus and that you still do imposition manually.
I don't know what you do but I know that there are way's to automate a lot in Nexus if you want. All depends on what you have in Nexus off course.

 

[Lukas Engqvist]

Print out this thread and let your manager hear how others in the industry are thinking…*hopefully they wake-up. If not maybe time to start looking for a place to go when the ship sinks

 

[WiseGuy]

There are really cheap imposition software sets out there. quite impose is like 500.00. you have to be able to squeese that out of them.

Correct... and there's inpO2 Wizard for Acrobat at only $375 (from Dynagram).... if your work is fairly straight forward, it will pay for itself in a day.

 

[Ultimate]

with complex products like Quite (you need to get the "Plus" version which is more like $900), or with very basic products (PDF only) like inp02 (their wizzard does not allow you to create layouts, etc. unless you more the other way more expensive modules...)

Impostrip OnDemand is a hot folder based automation solution that will impose not only PDF, but also PS files and JPGs. For a faction of what you'll have to pay for competing, entry level solutions, you'll get an automated one, with hot folders, for less that $800.

If your boss needs to be convinced, we can send you a full version to try for free (for a reasonable period of time) and we'll give you 1 hour FREE training.

If you want to see a real alternative to manual imposition and benefit from our 24 years of imposition experience for FREE contact me directly.

Ray Duval
Ultimate Technographics
www. imposition.com
raymond @ imposition.com

P.S. for sake of clarity, "wiseguy" use to work for inp02 and he is now working with Enfocus. Every vendor should do full disclosure.

 

[FileJockey]

QC and file management

QC and file management

Even with the best imposition software, operators make mistakes and QC can fall flat. Having an iron-clad file management system and redundant QC are important, but nothing beats a good case of obsessive-compulsive disorder for making sure all the details are gone over again, and again, and again...