Newsletter Archive: Fall 2008

FINISH STRONG

Recession Survival Issue

Fall 2008

In This Issue

Waste and Spoilage Guidelines

Pantera Perfect binder

Tips on Surviving in Tough Times

A "War" Story

Our newsletter is back! Thanks to all of you who have been loyal readers and noticed our absence. Because we're doing this in house now, we're now going to a quarterly format. Depending on the ideas that come up the frequency may increase.

We want to know what is on YOUR mind as far as topics you want us to address. As always, any contributions or ideas will be rewarded with a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts card.

Sincerely,

Frank Shear

Waste and spoilage guidelines
During these difficult business times, printers want to waste as little as possible and require their vendors to do the same. Some have asked about some waste and spoilage guidelines.
The best data comes from Graphic Finishing Industries of Illinois, which has a handy and concise chart. You can find it at:
http://www.graphicfinishingindustries.org/spoil.htm.

While we're discussing waste and spoilage, it must be noted that waste and spoilage are two very separate terms. My friend, Milt Vine from Seattle Bindery, makes it very clear at:
http://www.seattlebindery.com/HTML/Articles/bindwaste.html

A word of caution, you do not want to print too little for spoilage since there is a chance of coming up short on our count. The most costly thing of all is to have to go back on press to make up a small shortage.

Here are some other ways you can help us minimize spoilage:

Jog your flat sheets and pack your folded signatures as neatly as possible to avoid bent corners. Label signature numbers clearly. If makeready or "use last" signatures are included with the job, please keep them separate. Also, please keep "sample" signatures separate.

Ask us for or review with us your impositions for both text and covers so that we can make sure we have adequate trims to work with.

Please perforate your folded sigs just so the air will be let out. DO NOT perf too much or the signatures will break apart and not feed.

Furnish complete purchase orders with instructions, including packing and shipping requirements. Do not be afraid of overloading us with too much information. Please furnish folding dummies and send samples.

More information can be found on our website (link to be determined as our site is under renovation).

Which leads us to our next section.....

New Pantera perfect binder
Our recent installation of a new perfect binder is probably not news to many of you, but when you are choosing a vendor to finish your valuable printed work, you want one who has up to date equipment and the ability to run as efficiently as possible. Our new Muller Martini Pantera binder is equipped with several such features:

Automatic makeready on binder, leads to less trial and error spoilage

Self adjusting gathering pockets, adjusts for slight stock variations

Incomplete book rejection after signature misfeed

Three knife trimmer auto makeready

Tips on Surviving in Tough Times

(A client forwarded me this email that he received which puts our current business challenges in clear perspective. I found it very helpful and so I am passing it on, almost verbatim, edited just slightly.)

Can you do anything to help yourself when the economy is melting down? You sure can. The first thing to do is to quit thinking about it. Concentrating on things you can't control can paralyze you.

Instead, focus on creative things you can do to hold current business or find new business. Understand, your customers and prospects are under pressure also. Look for ways you can help them.

Maybe it's time to temporarily work with lower margins. Give them special discounts, especially for volume work. Look for services that you can offer. Free design, free delivery, free graphic consultations.

They are distracted too, so have your people visit them and see what you can do to help. See if there are new markets that you can service.

If you need new equipment, go economically with used equipment. There are creative ways to finance equipment, leasing companies still have money and are writing leases. Maybe the seller will carry your paper.

Take a hard look at your expenses. Get an employee team together to see how you can cut 10%, 15%, or 20% out of your operation costs.

'Saving your job' can make enthusiastic cost cutters out of employees. Some of these cost savings passed on to customers could increase your sales, even today.

Above all, be confident. You did not get where you are by being fearful. You're good, or you wouldn't be where you are today. Tough times just means you will have to be even better.

You are the key, your employees will feed off of you. If you are determined, confident, aggressive, and an achiever, they will be also.

Stupid politicians and bankers can't bend you if you won't let them.

This is just one battle in the war called life. You have won important battles before. You'll darn sure win this one.

We at Seaboard Bindery have been here since 1977. We are here for you today and will be here tomorrow.

A 'War' Story

I will admit that I am a book addict and I own a fair number. When I am in a bookstore I like to examine the bindings to see what is being put out by the national printers and publishers. Most of the binding is actually pretty well done.

Once in a while I will find a book that is very poorly bound, and I wonder just how good the customer service chain works when I or someone else reports it. A few years ago my wife and I bought a souvenir case bound book at an art exhibit. We browsed through the shelf sample but didn't look at our own book until we got home. Then we discovered that the sewing was so loose that the signatures were literally hanging out of the book.

Unfortunately we could not get back to Springfield to exchange it, and the museum referred us to the publisher. The publisher promised us a new copy when it was reprinted. Three months passed, we called, and the representative told us they had no plans to reprint and sorry, we were out of luck. No more books. We asked for a refund on our $50 and they curtly refused.

Anyone else have a story like this? Not one you have produced, but one you bought in a store.

Which reminds me that one of my favorite Sunday hobbies was unavailable to me when the Globe crossword was partially cut off thanks to an errant production line.