Special Report The 3Ps: Printing, Production and Paper

The key to soft proofing will be a cataloger’s ability to control the situation by calibrating the equipment and software, and ensuring that the viewing conditions are optimal and consistent.

CS: To catalogers, how important are press approvals today, as compared to five or 10 years ago?

Downey: There’s a little less need for it, I’d say. Of course, in the gravure world, you never really needed to be there. But offset’s different. I’m a huge proponent of going on press, simply because of the relationship you build with the printer. That face-to-face time is invaluable; it communicates to your printer that you truly care about your product. Sometimes as much as two years can go into making a catalog. Why would you just step out of the picture at press time? If you’re not on press, you’re out of the loop — it’s as simple as that. ... At the very least, you should schedule a quality meeting with your printer every three months or so.