[chris v]

What is soooo hard about providing linked tiffs and coverting fonts to outlines in an Illustrator file??

Really. Customers! I haven't had one "designer" in 10 get this right in the past five years. If I get snotty attitude on the phone one more time when I ask a "designer" for what I need in order to print the job, I'm going to climb through the phone line and strangle somebody.

End rant.

CV

[art_director]

No doubt this should be done correctly. No excuses.

That said your job is a service job much like a designer's. Designers deal with more bullsheet than unlinked files, I assure you of that.

Designers and art directors need to shut their fooking mouths. So do printers and production people. We need each other and must peacefully co-exist.

I suggest that you offer your clients (designers) the opportunity to visit your office and run them through proper production techniques. If they decline then attempt to go to them. Explain it will save them money, time and frustration if they subscribe to the proper maintenance, building and collection of files.

If printers bitch, whine and complain but do not offer to educate their clients they deserve the pain they experience. If designers do not send files in the proper fashion they deserve to miss deadlines.

[chris v]

Originally posted by art_director:
No doubt this should be done correctly. No excuses.

That said your job is a service job much like a designer's. Designers deal with more bullsheet than unlinked files, I assure you of that.

Designers and art directors need to shut their fooking mouths. So do printers and production people. We need each other and must peacefully co-exist.

I suggest that you offer your clients (designers) the opportunity to visit your office and run them through proper production techniques. If they decline then attempt to go to them. Explain it will save them money, time and frustration if they subscribe to the proper maintenance, building and collection of files.

Done, done and done, over and over again. I'm the nicest person in the world on the phone, even when I get 'tude, which I often do. I've done more to educate the design community as to what it takes to get art onto a t-shirt than you can even imagine. Repeatedly, for years and years, going all the way back to Rapidographs, Zip-a-tone and Amberlith. I weary of rolling the same rock up the hill just to watch it soll back down over and over again.

If printers bitch, whine and complain but do not offer to educate their clients they deserve the pain they experience.

I totally agree, which is why I'm ranting here, instead of in some "designer's" ear.

If designers do not send files in the proper fashion they deserve to miss deadlines.

90% will never accept that. It's up to the printer to make it happen. Thanks to the 10% of you who do understand, but I'm just feeling overwhelmed by the masses today.

CV

[siliconwarrior]

As a designer and a prepress techie I feel qualified to pass judgement on this one.

For a designer to supply a file without fonts/links etc once is a mistake. If this is not brought to his/her attention by the service bureau and it happens again it is the bureau's fault.

However if he/she is made aware of their mistake and it happens again (and again, and again and again and again etc as is often the case) it is no longer a mistake and enters the (well-populated) realms of incompetence.

This does not just apply to our industry, the same goes for anyone. To err is human, to f*ck up over and over again is just dumb.

While we're ranting...

Why do some designers still try and gather up links and fonts manually? What the hell is wrong with 'Collect for Output' (Quack) or 'Package' (ID)? Doing it manually is a lot harder and will just leave you (and ultimately me) with missing pics, corrupted fonts and the like. Use the built in collection methods. It ain't that hard.

</rant>

[art_director]

Originally posted by siliconwarrior:
Why do some designers still try and gather up links and fonts manually? What the hell is wrong with 'Collect for Output' (Quack) or 'Package' (ID)? Doing it manually is a lot harder and will just leave you (and ultimately me) with missing pics, corrupted fonts and the like. Use the built in collection methods. It ain't that hard.

</rant>

One word: incompetence.

[art_director]

CV:

I hear you and understand your frustration. There is no excuse.

[graphicpush]

Why do some designers still try and gather up links and fonts manually? What the hell is wrong with 'Collect for Output' (Quack) or 'Package' (ID)? Doing it manually is a lot harder and will just leave you (and ultimately me) with missing pics, corrupted fonts and the like. Use the built in collection methods. It ain't that hard.

And can I just point out at this time that InDesign's Package command is vastly superior to Quark's Collect for Output? All those nice little warnings and different views and explanations for errors (caught an RGB doc just yesterday) make my life better.

[eyevaan]

I have worked in production for too long and story has always been the same.
In 1995, when you would get a floppy from the agency and cover sheet would read something to the effect of "OMG! I can't believe I fit the entire 32 page catalog on this disk! Let me know how you make out."

- deep breath long pause - . . .

I would send them the first round of proofs - low res - note attached, "I got the pages out. There seems to be some reflow problems and the images look a little tough. Is this what you were looking for?"

- smug smile and send to client - . . .

An understandably nasty phone call from the bonehead that sent it to me, about a minute and half after they opened the package.

That was 1995 - everyone was new to this completely digital workflow, hell we still used Scitex most of the time, but in 2004, there is no excuse.

Except for the students - who really need to put down the ha**pipe and pay attention during the single half-credit production class they are required to take. Then they might not have to get all defensive when production says, "Uhhh - there is a problem with the file."

[andi*pandi]

isn't this why you have a nice FAQ on your website?

I know this is why I shudder that some of these folks call themselves designers. And charge money.

that said, I messed up a proof last week. I admit it.