“Can you get this done by…….?”

Time is always of the essence, of course, and probably always will be. It is not uncommon for clients to be behind their own schedule, forcing them to push for better times. Clients also forget about the time needed for the proofing portion of the project, and any good print broker will require approval of proofs before taking the job to print. Proofs are created for EVERYONE’S protection- saving the printer from wasting their efforts, and saving the client from lost time and the embarrassment of shoddy product delivered.

In desparation, clients will try to order from a company like 48hourprint.com. As the name would suggest, clients believe that they can get a print job done in 48 hours. Unfortunately, even a company like this has stipulations, such as the 48 hour mark starts AFTER a proof has been completely approved.

Here are a couple of common examples of pushed due date scenarios:

Customer A: “We need this done asap.”

ProjectCenter: “Ok, let us get you a proof.”

Customer A: “Just go ahead and print it.”

ProjectCenter: “Well, given what you supplied, it is not going to look good.”

Customer A: “Just go ahead and print it.”

What happened? The product was shoddy, the client was upset about the quality of work and they threatened to not pay for the job.

Customer B: “Hey, what’s going on with my print job?”

ProjectCenter: “We are still awaiting your approval on the proof we sent.”

Customer B: “Oh, ok. We approve it”

What happened? The client called and said they didn’t approve it, because the client did not want to admit that they never really reviewed the proof.

The reality is that in a typically 3-5 day turn-around business, anything shorter in time is usually considered a “rush job”, and with that comes a cost. This is due to the fact that a printer has to break their workflow to put rush jobs ahead of others, creating more time and management.

In conclusion, if you are willing to pay the price, meeting a close due date is possible. If you are not willing to pay price, then close due dates are nonsense.

 Want to contribute? Want to suggest a subject? Contact us at www.makepapereasy.com.