For decades, the press check was a routine part of commercial printing. Work out a design, approve the proof, and drag yourself to the printer to spend hours checking press sheets before giving the green light. Prior to the high-tech color assessment tools of today, it was a necessary, yet tedious final step to ensuring a great run.
Thankfully for everyone involved, the days of the press check are, for the most part, over.
So, how can companies trust printers to make sure the final product accurately reflects the proof without coming in to check it themselves? In short, it’s a simple combination of:
- Industry standards that didn’t exist years ago, and
- Technology that can replace humans when judging accuracy and quality
The result is equally simple:
Less time spent nitpicking the finer details of a project and a higher quality run that mirrors your proof each and every time.
To parse out exactly what killed the press check, let’s briefly discuss what a good press check used to look like and dive into the standards and technology that replaced this imprecise, time consuming task.
What is a press check?
Years ago, after a proof was approved but before the presses were run, a few company representatives would travel to the printer for a final in-person press check to make sure everything looked right. If something needed fixing, they’d work with the pressman to get things up to snuff before the presses were run.
In practice, however, it wasn’t so simple. Clashing opinions, poor judgment and other problems could draw the process out for an entire day, not to mention result in a sub-par final product depending on who was involved.
Today, press checks are comparatively rare thanks to relatively recent developments in printing standards and matching technology.
While years ago one printer’s standards varied drastically from another’s, newer industry-wide standards have since been adopted so companies know exactly what they’re getting no matter what plant they step into.
The GRACoL standard in particular has made it possible to ensure consistency from proof to final product, eliminating the need for a press check for the vast majority of projects.
How do standards like GRACoL ensure a quality print run?
Without getting too technical, GRACoL is a standard for measuring color consistency with printed products. You can tell a good commercial printer from a great commercial printer by looking for G7 Certification.
This ensures they not only know how to adhere to GRACoL, but have the tools at hand to actually do it. In essence, G7 gives those searching for commercial printing a reliable way to establish trust and quality assurance right off the bat.
How do today’s tools and operating procedures do the checking for me?
Before printing plants were equipped with the precise color management tools they have today, matching the proof to the press sheet required a human eye. While we’re pretty good at discerning quality, we’re not perfect, and as such, the in-person press check carried with it a very subjective assessment of quality.
Today, however, computers can step in and match the press sheet to the proof using a much more objective, scientific system that adheres to the professional standards printers are held to.
Before moving forward with a run, each press sheet is run through a pass/fail test to ensure the final product is within a tolerance of the proof you approved. Here at Suttle-Straus, each device is calibrated to ensure the final product is within this tolerance. Each press is routinely tested for accuracy within the GRACoL standard.
With these procedures in place, it’s now our responsibility to make sure your final product matches the proof within the tolerance we’ve established. In short, this means you not only get what you ordered, but that every order will adhere to the same level of consistency time and time again.
Here at Suttle-Straus, we take an active role in creating lasting partnerships with those we work with. Wondering what kinds of work we love to do? Click here to view our creative gallery and be sure to grab our infographic to learn how dynamic, personalized direct mail campaigns are changing the way companies reach customers with print.
