ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS:
In China “Yes” means “Yes” (except
when it means “No” or “Maybe”
or “I’ll try”)…
4000 years of history dominated by Confucian and Daoist
thinking has resulted in an entirely different set of
ideals, reasoning and communication styles than Greek
influenced Western thinking. Perfectly black-and-white
expectations provided by Western buyers are frequently
interpreted as flexible goals subject to current conditions
by Chinese counterparts, while promises made by Chinese
suppliers intended merely to express good intention are
commonly (and erroneously) accepted as solid commitments
by Western buyers. Needless to say, conflict is inevitable
if you don’t have a partner accustomed to communicating
and performing according to your standards.
GET REFERENCES:
Aim to receive at least three references—at least
one in your industry for a similar product to that you
intend to produce, at least one corresponding to a quality
sample the supplier provides you and at least one that
has been consistently working with the supplier for several
years. Beyond personal testimonials, be sure to see at
least 2-3 samples of projects the supplier has executed
before using highly similar materials and techniques as
your current work.
KNOW THE FACTORY FACTS:
Most print suppliers are highly invested in equipment,
staff overhead and other infrastructure that may or may
not be suitable for your job. Validating that the supplier
is a good match is your responsibility match is your job.
What kind of machinery will be used to produce the job?
What’s the printing machine speed? How current is
the machinery and what are its key tolerance specifications?
How many units can be produced per day? What’s the
maximum binding size? Does this supplier have the right
equipment and people to do the job? If environmental or
process certifications are applicable, request documentary
proof. Ask questions up front so you won’t have
to ask “What went wrong?” later down the line.
DON’T BUY ONLY ON PRICE:
This just cannot be stressed enough. If a supplier is
offering a price lower than the competition, be skeptical.
If the price is MUCH lower than the competition, be VERY
skeptical. There is ALWAYS a way to reduce printing cost,
most of which results in diminished quality or hidden
up-charges. Buying on cost alone may bear fruit in the
short term, but sooner or later this practice is certain
to come back and haunt you. When you compare quotations,
be sure to compare paper brands and specifications, machinery,
adhesives, process details, and the most important factor
of all—people. If your China Printing supplier can
not or will not offer expert consultation on materials
and process, product engineering support, a detailed timeline,
clear and straightforward communication and other client
service accommodations, then you’re probably betting
on the wrong horse. Your willingness to pay a little bit
more for quality results and a quality supplier relationship
WILL pay off in the end. Remember, there is a cost to
low cost!
Use
Quality and Service Level Agreements:
That mythical creature known as the “perfect”
printing job resides in an elusive realm alongside Sasquatch
and the Easter Bunny. Printing problems are not only an
unfortunate fact of life, they are also rarely of the
cut-and-dried variety where printer and buyer fully agree
on both cause and culpability. 'Good quality' is a highly
subjective concept. Your supplier may have wrongly believed
they were doing you a favor by choosing a cheaper execution
method, while you may have wrongly presumed they were
meeting a certain minimum standard. To avoid disputes
and delays, Quality and Service Level Agreements are recommended.
Here’s a starter kit for what belongs in your QLA/SLA
instructions:
•
Deadline (and, if applicable, reasonable sanctions
for failure
_to meet deadlines)
• Clarification of samples and approvals process
required.
• Definition of common defects and tolerance
levels for Critical,
_Major and Minor Defects
• Specification of color accuracy requirements,
targets and tolerances
• Provision of clear requirements for Carton
strength, pallet construction _and
labeling
• Stipulation of environmental standards to
be used
• Prescription of post production compliance
and testing
It’s OK to provide demanding QLA/SLA requirements,
but do be reasonable. Setting inappropriately high
requirements or creating too many requirements will
call into question the sincerity of your intentions,
diminish respect for the document and set the stage
for an acrimonious buyer-supplier relationship.
Be sure to express flexibility where it exists and
stringency where it is an imperative. |
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Keeping
an eye on the job:
TIMELINES: A good supplier will provide
a detailed and credible job timeline with all key milestones.
China Printing Solutions provides our clients with a
detailed schedule for every job, and we touch base as
milestones are passed.
IN PROCESS QUALITY CONTROL (IPQC): It is presumed
that you will rarely be able to do press checks yourself,
but is someone doing them? What criteria are they looking
for? China Printing Solutions scrutinizes each job for
not less than 52 key inspection criteria such as paper
correctness, color match, registration, density, cleanliness,
coating effect, folding and trimming precision, and
other key print attributes.
SAMPLES: Unless your schedule absolutely
forbids it, you should ask to see at least the following
samples for every job:
|
Sample |
Description |
Primary
Functions |
| White
Book |
An
unprinted dummy prototype using the real paper
to be used in production. |
•
Confirm paper smoothness and whiteness
• Consider general look and feel
• Confirm Spine Width/Dimensions/Weight
and other physical attributes |
|
Pre-Press Proofs
|
Digital
Proofs |
•
Confirm page order, file fidelity and general
accuracy
• Confirm process color accurately, Confirm
Pantone Colors generally
|
Wet
Proofs |
• Confirm
page order, file fidelity and general accuracy
• Evaluate Paper opacity
• Inspect Pantone Colors accurately, Confirm
process colors generally |
|
Firstbound
Production Samples |
Printed
Signatures,
roughly folded and bound |
•
Confirm general quality and color results
• Evaluate coating, folding, trimming effect
• Identify any needed corrections before
binding |
TESTS AND INSPECTIONS:
Once a job is completed and you have been sent advance
copies, there are any number of tests that you may wish
to conduct depending upon the type of product and quality
requirements. For purposes of simplicity, in this newsletter
let’s just have a look at some tests for books,
catalogs and the like:
|
Test |
Description |
Function |
| Page
Pull test |
Page
is lifted away from spine with consistent force
at a 90° angle from spine until page releases
from binding. |
Tests
binding efficacy. |
|
Page
Peel Test |
Page
is lifted away with force from spine at a 15-60°
angle from spine until page releases from binding. |
Tests binding
efficacy under conditions more similar to real
use. |
| Page
Flex test |
Page
is turned again and again by machine very quickly.
|
Tests
the durability and strength of the binding under
pressures similar to page turning. |
Subway
test |
Book
is opened and folded so front and back cover are
touching, much like one would do when riding the
subway train. |
Tests
the binding strength, designed for use with softback
books. |
Drop
Test |
Packed
Carton is dropped from a specified height . |
Tests
the protective effect of the packing method. |
Transportation
Test |
Simulation
of vibration forces incurred on packed goods during
transport, either by road testing or vibration
machine. |
Tests
the likelihood of shifting or breakage during
transportation. |
China
Printing Solutions' Quality Process
The below 7 stage process synopsizes China Printing
Solutions' Quality management method. Additional or
different methods may be used according to the special
needs of your project.
1. White books, Prototypes, Test sheets and
Certifications—
Before nearly every job is commenced, an unprinted white
book prototype is made using the real paper selected
for execution. This not only allows closer confirmation
of estimated weight and volume, but often turns up product
design or material changes that must be made in production.
In addition, projects may call for doing short run print
tests, obtaining lab certificates or other measures
to ensure the right decisions are made in production.
CPS endeavors to provide these services at little or
no charge, as part of our commitment to quality partnership
with our clients.
2. Project Summary Meeting/Quality Management Advisory—
At the beginning of each job, Sales, Production, Client
Service, Pre-Press, Management meet to discuss the needs
of the job and potential trouble spots, leveraging team
knowledge and our own reference tools like tools like
“101 Steps to the perfect print job.” From
this meeting, we create our Quality Management Advisory,
taking into account potential pitfalls, developing Critical
to Quality (CTQ) parameters and setting measures to
ensure superior execution.
3. Preflight Checks—
Manual AND digital flight checks to ensure the files
are not only technically correct (resolution, color
space, bleed, etc.) but also substantially correct (Country
of origin, UPC code, Spine width, correct size and page
order, etc.) and optimally built (considering color
trapping, image density and saturation, free from design
faults).
4. Pre-Press review—
Once proofs have been made, we build a mock-up and review
page by page for any errors—whether substantial,
minor, or faults of the proofing process only. Our Pre-press
review report points this out to clients clearly with
our recommendations on how to proceed.
5. Press checks and 52 point+ In process Quality
Control (IPQC)—
Our 52+ point Quality Control method, along with tools
like calibrated color proofs and a digital spectrophotometer
are used for on-site inspections for every important
part of every job we run. We refer to our customized
Quality Management Advisory for job-specific needs and
scrutinize paper correctness, color, registration, density,
cleanliness, coating effect, folding and trimming precision,
and other key print attributes.
6. First Bound Samples and Production Review—
Once the job is printed, we fold/trim/bind a small portion
of “First Bound samples” for evaluation
before finishing. Again we review for problems whether
substantial, minor, or faults of the proofing process
only. Our Production Samples review report points this
out to clients clearly with our recommendations on how
to proceed.
7. Final Inspection—
Once the job is complete, we conduct product-appropriate
quality or laboratory tests and execute a final count
and inspection according to AQL standard, wherein we
document completion and correctness of the job, as well
as any defects that are found. After sign off, this
report is provided to our clients with our recommendations
on how to proceed.
Premier
Print Awards Announcement
China Printing Solutions International has been
awarded two 2009 Premier Print Awards, for outstanding
achievement in the production of “Art Books
(4 or more colors)”. The graphic arts industry’s
largest and most prestigious worldwide printing
competition, hosted by Printing Industries of America,
the Premier Print Awards recognizes those responsible
for the creation and production of outstanding print
communications.
For more information, please
click here! |
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Case
Study:
LJG Brochure
Client: LJG Partners
Brochure
Project Name: Boxed Promotion Kit
Description: LJG Partners develops high end
multimedia communications solutions for its Fortune
500 client base. In order to educate both existing and
prospective customers on its range of services, the
company chose to design a premium promotional kit including
a loose leaf hardbound brochure and a textured gift
box. In order to tailor its communications individually
to each recipient, the text pages of the brochure were
produced loose, so that the firm could select which
pages it wished to include for each mailing.
Key Challenges: Because the number
of text pages included in any particular assembly of
the brochure would never be the same, the screw and
post used to bind each book had to provide for a range
of thicknesses from the fewest to the largest possible
number of pages. This meant literally searching the
market in three different cities (Hong Kong, Guangzhou
and Shanghai) to find the correct size, color and style
of screw.
Techniques Used: Offset Printing, Hot
Foil Stamping, Case Bound Adhesive Technique, Screw-and-Post
Binding, 5th color (Metallic), Film Lamination, Hole
Punching, Hand Assembly, Polybagging.
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