Quote from: Farabomb on July 28, 2016, 06:23:16 AMHire me.   

Thanks, F-Bomb. I really want to believe this is going to take off, but I have been wrong before.

My meeting is tonight, so I'll let you know what transpires. We are wanting to get started on this IMMEDIATELY.

Quote from: Slappy on July 27, 2016, 07:56:24 PMManaging social is going to be a huge undertaking. To get anybody who knows wtf they're doing, it's likely going to be young talent, hard to relate to and potentially harder to manage. Companies have really high, unrealistic expectations of what they "get" for having Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat etc. exposure - seems like a quicksand part of the puzzle best let alone.

Deal with the tangible to start with, or you'll be herding cats and stepping in Tootsie Rolls™ the whole time.

I totally agree, that's why I'm not the guy doing that part. We do have a plan that I think will work pretty well, if I understand it correctly. I have a meeting tomorrow, we are getting down to finalizing what we are going to do. I think it will totally work.

I thank you and the rest of the gang for giving me opinions. You guys make me feel better about it, for sure.

Quote from: Slappy on July 27, 2016, 01:42:08 PM

Quote from: DigitalCrapShoveler on July 26, 2016, 01:21:47 PMI think this is kind of funny.

It's been a long time since I've heard of someone actually wanting to get into Prepress. It's a thankless job with no future and along with the extreme frustration on the job level, most places want you doing IT, web and design, for half the money.

It takes a certain mindset, for sure. Good luck, sir.

I was asked recently by a friend (ex-coworker) who's been in signage for a while what the salary range of prepress is in our area, I guess he's thinking of coming back to it. I honestly told him it's not worth it, and I don't think that's harsh or too negative. He has a growing family, and is too young to get sucked into this pit of despair I believe.

We're going to go out for beers soon, I'm curious why he wants to get back into printing but I'll maintain my original point.

You did an honorable and noble thing for your friend.

Quote from: almaink on July 26, 2016, 03:03:35 PM

Quote from: DigitalCrapShoveler on July 26, 2016, 01:18:58 PMGlad it worked out, Alma. I've been out on the skids for a bit now myself. I've never NOT had a job and it's kind of scary and surreal. On the upside, it gives me some time to figure out what I want to do, regardless of the lack of work out there.

Good luck to you, sir.

I got a lot done while I was unemployed around the house and I did a lot of fishing too.  But it's always in the back of your head will I ever find another job, and that part sucks. Good luck to you too.

Thanks, brother. I know EXACTLY what you are saying. Good to hear from you, man.

Quote from: Joe on July 26, 2016, 01:34:40 PM

Quote from: DigitalCrapShoveler on July 26, 2016, 11:14:38 AMThanks for all the input, for sure. I really like Slappy's idea, too bad for now it isn't a reality. I can see something like this happening, though.

After reading all of this, and a few more brainstorming sessions, I think I have refined my idea a little further...

Okay, what about being a business promotion outfit? For example, come up with a package system and just for explanation sake I do a bronze, silver, gold, platinum type structure, where each package is incremental in price, but each package contains business promotion deals containing like, BCs, brochures and maybe a banner. Next deal would be the same, but adding maybe a web page and hosting. The next package would contain the same, but adding maybe radio spots, and finally the last being the same but adding TV?

This is all kind of floating in my head right now, I mean, I can break this down even further, by adding a la carte items; window clings, posters, signage... you get the idea. We would advertise free consultation from business promotional experts with XX amount of experience, and tout the idea we are using Oklahoma or local businesses to accommodate your promotional needs, (Oklahoma eats that shit up). We would walk your projects through these "trusted" vendors we have a relationship with, all the while keeping the customer needs at the forefront, because we WANT to make your business succeed...

Get the idea? There is a lot more I need to think about to really finalize the plan, but that's where I am right now...

What do you think?

Don't forget social media. Everyone wants to be on social media.

I have it in my notes. Yes, that is a HUGE part of marketing a business. I just failed to mention it.

I think this is kind of funny.

It's been a long time since I've heard of someone actually wanting to get into Prepress. It's a thankless job with no future and along with the extreme frustration on the job level, most places want you doing IT, web and design, for half the money.

It takes a certain mindset, for sure. Good luck, sir.

Glad it worked out, Alma. I've been out on the skids for a bit now myself. I've never NOT had a job and it's kind of scary and surreal. On the upside, it gives me some time to figure out what I want to do, regardless of the lack of work out there.

Good luck to you, sir.

Thanks for all the input, for sure. I really like Slappy's idea, too bad for now it isn't a reality. I can see something like this happening, though.

After reading all of this, and a few more brainstorming sessions, I think I have refined my idea a little further...

Okay, what about being a business promotion outfit? For example, come up with a package system and just for explanation sake I do a bronze, silver, gold, platinum type structure, where each package is incremental in price, but each package contains business promotion deals containing like, BCs, brochures and maybe a banner. Next deal would be the same, but adding maybe a web page and hosting. The next package would contain the same, but adding maybe radio spots, and finally the last being the same but adding TV?

This is all kind of floating in my head right now, I mean, I can break this down even further, by adding a la carte items; window clings, posters, signage... you get the idea. We would advertise free consultation from business promotional experts with XX amount of experience, and tout the idea we are using Oklahoma or local businesses to accommodate your promotional needs, (Oklahoma eats that shit up). We would walk your projects through these "trusted" vendors we have a relationship with, all the while keeping the customer needs at the forefront, because we WANT to make your business succeed...

Get the idea? There is a lot more I need to think about to really finalize the plan, but that's where I am right now...

What do you think?

Okay, this is going to be a bit lengthy, but hear me out.

I need some help thinking this through, and I can think of no where else to get a wide diverse group such as you guys to help me.

So, screwing around on Facial Book, I start talking with an old friend of mine who I inform I am unemployed. He at first is absolutely furious with me for not telling him sooner, but after all the blah, blah, blah, we start talking.

I've known this guy for over 25 years, back when I was doing the Service Bureau gigs. Since then, he and I have crossed paths many times professionally, but have always remained really good friends. He knows my family, knows the wife and is just a cool bastard. He is one of the few that gets and can hang with my severely warped sense of humor. Needless to say, we have always gotten along really well.

Okay, so here's the skinny:

He left the radio business as their marketing manager several years ago, you may remember the KATT posters I did a while back where I won my weight in Famous Star hamburgers? Yeah, this is the guy that made that possible.

For the last 8 years or so, he has been running a business where he supplies photographers, video guys and web artists/graphic guys space to do their work on a temporary basis. He has a full studio with all the mics, cameras, computers, the green screen, I mean the works. Has a pretty good handle on marketing in general and has a lot of connections.

He just got finished remodeling a new building, but has a ton of space and really good visibility to I-35. He wants me to figure out a way to utilize the storefront space he has and maybe get into doing more than JUST supplying artists workspace.

After talking, especially with my background in Prepress, printing and POP, we come to the conclusion opening up a large format, multi-graphics store would be the most advantageous and profitable. We have some other ideas, but need a vehicle to get capital before we start branching off on some of our other hair-brained, crazy ideas. The location is the key, there are no other outfits doing this kind of work in the area that are worth a shit.

My thought was, at first, outsource a lot of the work, setting up a network of vendors to do most of the grunt work and uncharging the customers until we get the funds to invest in our own equipment. His contacts and mine, would definitely be worth the effort. Basically, we are open to anything. BUT, we walk it through, from start to finish and "handle" the job like if we were doing it. Think of a print-broker, but on a larger scale.

I'm talking signage, trade show booths, banners, posters, print, wraps, whatever... the key being, we follow the simple rule: Price, Quality, Turnaround Time - Pick 2.

What do you think? Does this sound feasible? What problems do you foresee and what opinions do you have about this? I am open to any and all criticisms, all opinions and all comments. I want to go into this feeling all my basis are covered and I think you guys are the best people to see this having a Prepress background.

Thank you in advance.

Quote from: youston on July 22, 2016, 02:18:28 PM

Quote from: DigitalCrapShoveler on July 22, 2016, 10:43:10 AM

Quote from: Farabomb on July 22, 2016, 10:42:23 AMThe main color combination in prepress is black and blue.

And RED!

Sales colors are brown and corn-yellow.

Holy shit, he lives! How are you, man?

 

Quote from: Farabomb on July 22, 2016, 10:42:23 AMThe main color combination in prepress is black and blue.

And RED!

Quote from: DPSprint on July 21, 2016, 03:22:10 PMahhh sorted it, the old 'trash the preferences' trick, I should have known 

seems to be running fine now... touch wood

You better quit touching it, and beat it with a hammer, my man.

Quote from: born2print on July 19, 2016, 02:57:09 PMHad a dude ask me about this the other day... he was saying "is Xerox that big of a company?"
I had to ask him: picture every building in the world, now how many do NOT have a Xerox device in them?

Exactly.

They also developed the first visual interface with a mouse, that eventually became the Macintosh. Practically gave it to Steve Jobs.

Quote from: Farabomb on December 03, 2015, 02:40:29 PMI not worried about any blowback on me with this. The boss may be a one of those buzz word spewing fools at times but he understands color differences between devices. I have no doubt it's just clueless people just spouting technical words to make themselves feel more important than they really are. Printing has gone so far downhill that nobody gives a shit about the art of it anymore. Plus this is an ad in a adbook. It's not some prestige piece.

I'm just wondering how hellish they are going to make the crossovers this year. The last two years have been exploded drawings of high end watches across the IFC and first text page in a perfect bound book. Every year I explain how to create the file to compensate for the hinge score and design the piece so it will look the best. Every year it's a damn near impossible crossover and as usual we get it as close to perfect as possible.

For a book that will probably get thrown away as soon as their awards show is over. As long as they pay the bill they can do whatever they want with it.

I've had to do this MANY times. I usually take the spine value and offset the inside pages that crossover this amount. So, if you have a .25" spine... add that value to the positive X value of your image contents boxes. It is basically "manual creep".

Quote from: Joe on December 03, 2015, 02:15:19 PM

Quote from: DigitalCrapShoveler on December 03, 2015, 02:10:03 PM

Quote from: Joe on December 03, 2015, 02:02:02 PMI had a customer a few years ago explain to me how color profiles work. They just embed a profile they like and when we get the file and print it on the press it will look exactly like it did on their monitor. Like magic.

Apparently there a lot of people in printing that believe that.

Yes, they do indeed. I've never had a customer that demanded embedded profiles that could actually explain what they do. It's always some bastardized, make-shift take on what they read on the innertubes.

Needless to say, I told them, "no problem" and trashed the shit out of them.

I've tried explaining what it would take to calibrate their monitor/printer with our monitors/press before and their eyes glaze over and they start foaming at the mouth over how stupid I am to believe you have to do all that to make them work. It is like talking to a brick wall. That is why anymore I just send them my modified PDF-X4 profile with the compression settings changed and we'll take care of it from there.

Good plan of action for sure. I did a similar method. You just can't make anything stupid proof. Not even Adobe can, as much as they try.