A few days ago a potential client of mine asked what my fee would be to coordinate a job with the commercial printing supplier. I thought about the question, and after reassuring her that I had already included my fee in the total price (i.e., she would owe nothing extra), I realized that a lot of people don't know what a print broker is.
Here are some options from which you may choose when proofing anything from a print book to a brochure. Some are more expensive, some less, but in all cases it's wise to first decide what you are trying to see on the proof and then think about price.
I recently read an article in Graphic Repro On-line (4/17/13) that acknowledges just how far digital printing has come. “HP Indigo 10000 Prints for the National Gallery” strikes me close to home. I live a short drive from the National Gallery, and I recently attended the Pre-Raphaelite exhibit. I looked through the art books in the gallery shop afterwards and was reminded of just how high the standards are for print books sold in this art museum.
In my hand I'm holding an envelope. It's not just any envelope. It's pink, or, rather, magenta. Actually I think it's fluorescent magenta, which is even better. Sappi Fine Paper of North America sent this to me as the OGE (outgoing envelope) for a paper promotion called “Ideas That Matter.” All type is reversed out of the bright background on this 9.5” x 13” carrier envelope, as is the address block (so all postal information and the Intelligent Mail barcode are readable by the OCR equipment at the Post Office).
When was the last time you used a physical, printed map to navigate from point A to point B? Let's say you're traveling in a new town, or trying to find a location in part of your own town with which you are unfamiliar. If you're like most people these days, you use a GPS (global positioning system) dependent on satellites circling the globe. Or you type your location into your iPhone (also a GPS) or your BlackBerry. Mostly this has eliminated the need for large format print maps—but at what cost?
I just spent five hours with my fiancee installing the new Despicable Me 2 standee in a local theater. Close observation of this “whack-a mole” game, which is the size of a small car, provides an education in everything from marketing theory to multi-level lamination, pattern gluing, and intricate folding and diecutting. If you are alert, you can learn a lot about custom printing while assembling a standee.