I once worked for a woman who was famous for insisting that the pressman go back to where they had begun once she arrived, and prove and justify their press moves for her. She would not even accept as proof being shown sheets from earlier in the set-up time. She was widely loathed, and I have no doubt that her jobs carried an additional “pain and boredom surcharge.” In this case, the company she worked for quite literally paid the price for her lack of trust- and relationship-building. Sad, really.

At the other extreme, I once had a pressman go back and reconfigure the ink to see if he could get a better product for me. When I asked him why, he said it was because I had not been smiling when I signed off on the sheet, so he knew I was not really satisfied! ~Nani

Very comprehensive and spot on recommendations for press checking etiquette. Having spent the better part of the last 25 years on both the sales rep side as well as the print buyer side, I too have attending more press checks than I can count.

The advantage of getting out to the press room and interacting with the press crew has the additional advantage of establishing a relationship with them. As that relationship grows from repeated press checks, the pressmen get to know what you are looking for, and what you like. This helps them determine when they feel the sheet is ready to show you, and prevent a 2:00 a.m. call from becoming the beginning of a very long night.

Great point about checking the paper. I plan a press check checklist post and will include this point on it. If you’ve specified that the piece run in a particular relationship to the paper grain, it’s also your chance to check that the job is running the correct direction on the stock! ~Nani

Another great post, as usual. One of the biggest problems I run into is when the printer has an “OK” room where they keep you sequestered from the pressroom floor. That works for people who have not mastered the skills to recognize the press room culture you describe so well. Working through an intermediary like the pressroom forman only slows down the process, especially when they are managing multiple press checks at the same time.

Don’t be afraid to ask to go to the pressroom floor so that you can interact directly with the pressman. While you’re there, take a peek at the “feeder” end of the press to make sure they are running the paper you spec’d. When talking to the pressman, a phrase I’ve found to be most helpful is, “This (color/trap/tweak/crossover) is what I am trying to achieve. What do you think is the best way for us to get there?”

When you show the pressman you respect his opinion, and want to work together to achieve a common goal, more often that not they will go out of their way to make sure they give you their best results. It’s OK to demand high standards – just don’t be a jerk about it.