This online guidebook has been assembled by Springfield Printing Corp. to help make your next print project easier and more successful.

Step 1: Embarking on the journey.
The most important part of any project is the planning that takes place at the very beginning. When traveling into uncharted territories, always make sure you have a good map, a compass for direction, and a strong traveling partner. Springfield Printing is that partner. We’re the experts in the field, employing cutting edge technology at every step along the way. As a way to help educate you and help you find your way, we’ve created this kit. You know where you want to end up. So use this guide to carefully plan your route, and your chances of getting to your destination are greatly increased. This Project Survival Kit will help you survive the trip, and enjoy the journey.

Step 2: The Assignment Lands On Your Desk.
Ask The Right Questions. Whether the assignment comes from within your own organization or an outside company, they are your client until the project is complete. When you’re assigned a project, the first thing to do is ask all the right questions up front, that way you’ll know everyone’s expectations. Use the accompanying checklist as a guide for the initial input meeting. Working with a Budget. By having the budget under control, you’re on your way to having everything else under control. Make sure all aspects of production are taken into consideration when building a budget: creative fees, desktop production fees, prepress and printing costs, as well as shipping, mailing, and postage.

Step 3: Defining the Route.
After deciding where the printed piece needs to go, it’s time to plan your itinerary. This is the best time to get Springfield Printing involved. Not only can we keep you on track by making sure the process is defined at every stage, we have a vast resource of independent contractors‚ like writers and photographers that you can use to build your creative team.

Assemble Your Team. Depending on what you will need for the project, you may want to bring in a wide range of creative and service bureau elements. For a complete list, see the Team Lineup on page 4.

Approvals and Revisions. Set up a clear system for layout, copy and proof approvals, both in-house and with each team member. Define the number of revisions after the initial copy and layouts, and be sure that all the members of your creative team understand this up front. Establish whether or not the client will be on-site for approvals at the photoshoot as well as during the press check. Make sure it’s clear on each phase of production who is to sign off on the finished piece before it proceeds to the next step.

Get Signed Estimates. By clearly defining what everyone’s role will be and how they will be compensated, you avoid any surprises at the end. Getting signed estimates from everyone ensures the project will stay on budget.

Confirm everything. Make sure that everyone involved can adhere to schedule and price. Also, make sure the client understands very clearly that if project parameters change so will some or all elements of the budget. Most importantly, get all of these agreements in writing.

Step 4: Get Springfield Printing Involved.
The earlier you get Springfield Printing involved, the more help we can provide in navigating through the print process. This translates into well thought out and successful projects. Here are some important areas where our expertise can help guide you: Paper selection. This is totally dependent upon the printed pieces’ final use, so choose a stock that’s robust enough. Take the weight of the stock into consideration if the piece is to be mailed. Be aware that when it comes to printing, paper selection will contribute anywhere from 30%-50% of the printing cost. Taking this into account, it’s important to choose an appropriate stock without going beyond what you need.

Ask Springfield Printing about any house sheets that they may run, which will save you money on your overall print bill. Size of the run. How many pieces do you need? Understanding how the piece will be used will give you a good idea. Bear in mind that printing in low quantities can be expensive. For example in some cases, the difference between 5,000 and 7,000 pieces may be fairly insignificant in a total project cost, so print enough to cover any unforeseen needs. Ask the printer about the storing of prepress materials in case you require a reprint in the future.

Number of colors. When considering how many colors to run, take a look at the other pieces that you’re up against in the marketplace. If you’re looking to create a lasting impression, consider going with at least four colors. Inserts and forms usually require only one or two-color printing. Budget considerations are obviously important here. If the piece is limited to two colors, then make the most of those colors in your design.

Dimensions. This is where you decide how big the piece is going to be and how it’s going to be presented. Will it be folded or bound? Does it need to fit in a brochure rack or an envelope? If it’s a self-mailer, what are the cost implications of going to an irregular size? The final usage will always direct you toward an optimal size. Be sure to ask the printer if a minor adjustment in trim may result in savings on press. Most importantly, be aware of the cost of paper and how it relates to the overall printing bill. Adding pages may not seem like much, but because paper accounts for between 30% and 50% of the printing cost, adding more paper may increase your costs dramatically.

Delivery. Make sure you know where the piece is going to be delivered. Find out if there are multiple destinations, such as branch corporate offices. Plan the method of shipping in accordance with the schedule. If the printer needs to ship advanced copies to a trade show or meeting, make sure this is planned so those costs can be calculated in the initial estimate.

Postage. This is something that’s ignored all too often. Stock selection comes into play again. Have a sample of the stock in the actual size and page count weighed to confirm postage costs. If a piece is going to be a self-mailer, you should determine this in the early planning phases, in order to leave room for return address information and postage. Obtain any specific regulations from the post office regarding sizes and weights, as well as information on setting up a bulk mail account if one is needed for the project.

Step 5: Team Lineup.
As you assemble your team, this is another instance in which getting Springfield Printing involved early can be invaluable. We have a substantial database of outside contractors who can make a significant contribution to your success.

Art Director/Designer. Meet with the designers and get a feel for how they might approach your project. Take the time to look through and discuss the work in their portfolios.

Copywriter. As you interview writers, ask how they come up with ideas. Ask for samples of their work, and read through them to get a sense of the writer’s style.

Photographer/Illustrator. The art director generally brings the photographer or illustrator to the table. Ask to see samples before assigning a project. Also, some photographers prefer to shoot using traditional film and some use digital photography. Different projects are best served by different applications.

Prepress and Printing. By using Springfield Printing you’re not only hiring a printer that can handle the size, quantity, and scope of your project, you’re also getting a company that’s committed to adding value during every phase of the project. As a client, you’re encouraged to ask about options, such as in-house digital output and direct to plate printing. Springfield Printing is one of the few area printers that is up to speed on the latest software and hardware. We are also adept at handling the files generated by the art director or production staff.

Mail House. Get recommendations from Springfield Printing. Make sure you ask in what form you can furnish your mailing list, zip code sorting, options for addressing and labeling, as well as inserts, stickers, and shrink wrapping.

Step 6: The Creative Process.
Now that you’ve got your team assembled, it’s time to put that talent to good use. While every team functions differently, this scenario works extremely well.

Determine Company Positioning. Many companies have a positioning line or statement that clearly defines what they do and who they are. Let this steer your creative direction.

Determine Creative Direction. Using the positioning, decide on a direction that will put your clients best foot forward.

Creating Concepts. Get team members together for meetings and have them discuss some ideas. This should serve as the springboard for your initial presentation.

Writing. After you give the writer input as to how much space is available, he or she will develop a first draft.

Art Direction. Oversee photoshoots, make photo selections, create low resolution scans, build a layout, determine flow of information (sometimes with the writers help), come up with design looks – these are the things an art director should be doing after concept development.

Presentation. By showing your client a finely-tuned presentation, you will address many important issues from the start. Also, make sure the key people see it from the very beginning. This will eliminate more costly changes later in the process.

Creative Rounds. After the first round is presented and the clients comments are incorporated, another round is generated. From there, final comments are gathered, revisions are made, and production begins.

Step 7: Final Production.
As careful and meticulous as you’ve been up until this point, you’ve got to be even more so during this phase. Think of it as the final leg of your expedition. Proceed with each step carefully.

Proofing and Client Sign-off. This is probably one of the most important steps of this entire process. Spell check should have been run about ten times by now. Check addresses. Call the phone numbers in the layout to confirm that they are correct. Have a person who hasn’t read the piece yet proof it. Make sure it’s communicated to the client that what they see is what they get. Have proofs signed, so that everyone knows it’s their final look at the document before it goes into digital production.

Step 8: Digital Mechanical Phase.
This is where the document is assembled for final output. At this point, you’ll want to confirm certain technical aspects of the job with Springfield Printing. Confirm items such as:

Line Screen (lpi or lines-per-inch) - this determines how fine the dot pattern will be. Newspapers generally run at 65-110 lpi, magazines on coated stock run from 133-150 lpi. Brochures, posters, annual reports, and other similar pieces run from 150-200 lpi. Discuss with Springfield Printing the appropriate line screen to run on your project based on paper stock, images and digital scans used, and the desired look.

Resolution of the images (dpi, or dots-per-inch) - at actual size, the dpi should be 1½ - 2 times the line screen number, i.e. a project printing with a 150 line screen should have images with a resolution of 225-300 dpi.

Trapping - This refers to how color areas that touch each other on the page are set for digital output so that they slightly overlap. This is done so that white gaps don’t appear where the colors should touch. Trapping a digital document is critical and can be intricate. There are many variables (paper stock, ink color, whether photos are involved) and Springfield Printing knows how to deal with them all.

When all this is done, high-resolution images are placed into the document. Graphics are finalized and fine-tuned. Colors are set. The file should be meticulously examined at this point. There are several software programs that will help avoid digital prepress problems, and they tend to pay for themselves the first time they catch a problem. Some of the main issues to watch out for are:

• Assigned colors should be checked to make sure they are set for the type of printing that is being done, whether it’s four-color process or spot color printing.
• All fonts should be checked to make sure they are not styled in the page layout program. If a bold font is used, the proper font should be selected from the font menu, not styled from the style pallet.
• Print in-house color lasers as well as separations and proof them! This is a very inexpensive way to head off simple problems with color usage, logos, and a whole host of digital dilemmas.
• Use the Collect For Output feature in the page layout program to ensure that all the required images and fonts in the document are being gathered, and print out the document report that is generated. And ALWAYS include the printer fonts and the screen fonts.
• Print disk directories and double check them against the document report that is generated during the Collect For Output process. Nothing slows down a job like a missing font or graphic file.
• Check with the printer to see what removable media the files can be supplied on, such as Zip Disks, Jaz Disks, CD, DVD-RAM, floppies, etc.

Step 9: Handing the Job Off to Springfield Printing.
At this time, confirm stock selection, the projected time for prepress proofs, time the job will go on press, and the delivery schedule. One of the advantages of working with Springfield Printing is they approach each job in a proactive fashion, so they’ll also confirm all of these things with you.

Prepress Proofing. At this point, Springfield Printing will output the digital files and create a high-resolution proof for your review. Remember, this is your last chance to find a mistake before it becomes very costly. As an additional safety net, Springfield Printing will also meticulously go over these proofs. Carefully compare the high resolution proofs against your last set of laser proofs and check for correct placement of page elements and color, as well as clean type and images.

Press Check. Being on-site at the printers to review sheets as they come off the press has many advantages. It’s usually decided upon at the start whether or not there will be a press check on the project, and certain projects require it more than others. Talk to Springfield Printing about timing and build a press check into the production schedule if necessary.

Bindery. Many people forget this phase. Once the printed piece comes off the press, it needs to be folded or bound together (or both in some cases) so it’s ready for delivery and distribution. Depending on the size of the run, and the complexity of the binding, this can take an additional 1-3 days.

Step 10: Delivery. Home Safe.
Well, you’ve made it through and the final destination is within sight. There are still a few little things to take care of. Springfield Printing will help you ensure these last few details are not overlooked.

Coordinate with mail house. Here’s where you double check with the mail house to ensure that the printed pieces end up where they’re supposed to.

Coordinate with client. You’ll want to make sure the client knows where and when the pieces are going to be delivered. Also, if you’re sending a partial amount, be certain the client is aware of that as well.