job prepare time

[motormount]

Hi all!

Got a job with:

36 job cards.
 
With 6 different trimmed sizes.

10 of them with defined trim boxes based on job description.

All the others being corel pdf's,tif's,or photoshop pdf's with crop marks unidentifiable by pitstop.

Some to be laminated,varnish only for the others.

Some prints in both sides,rest one.

In two different quantities.

Each card in it's own file folder,and all two sided cars with separate files -pdf or tif- for each side.

To be gang printed in a way that paper can be cut afterwards to be send for laminating only the ones needs lamination,and in a way to help the printer set ink zones at it's best,and after lamination cards needs cut as soon as possible and as easy as it gets.

I'd like -if you will- to get an answer  on how much time would you think you needed to prepare this kind of job and set it ready for plate making.

I'll tell you how long it took me after i get some answers,cause it took much more than i guessed and i find it pretty embarrassing...

I'd also like to hear how often you get to see such jobs!

Thanks in advance!

[DCurry]

Probably at least a couple hours, just based on the complexity, number of unknowns and variety of file types that would need to be analyzed.

[motormount]

Thanks for your answer.
Thanks Dan.

First i thought i'll needed like one and a half hour.

It took me one hour five minutes,opening each folder,checking file name to order's file name,placing tifs to indy,setting or correcting trim boxes,saving separate card sides into single files and renaming irrelevant file names...

Now that's with very handy heidelberg's toolbox and geometry tool.

I don't know how long would it take me without it...
-pitstop's ''set page boxes to printmarks'' command lifesaving for pdf's with proper cropmarks,but the geometry tool is much faster with low quality pdf's-

After that it took me one and a half hour to impose them in way that could be printed decently and cut in logical and simple way at the same time!!!

If i count in a couple of brakes from colleagues interruptions,this could sum up to  3 hours for a card job!!!!

That's more than i need for complex jobs with cutters and stuff...

I wonder if jobs like that worth it -the particular doesn't or how can anyone can make them fast enough to make them pay... :rolleyes: