Do You Have Any Magic Under Your Workflow?
Workflow is part of the business infrastructure, part of the supply chain, and a key element to production. It’s art and science working together to create tangible printed products that are acceptable in quality to the client. As integral to the print product as it is, workflow suffers as a second-class citizen in many print […]
Training the Next Generation of Workflow Wizards
Across the years of doing workflow reviews and assessments one question comes up frequently: Where is the next generation of workflow specialist? It’s a good question. It is often followed by: Can I train someone to be my workflow expert? The answers are related. It is likely that your best candidate for your next generation […]
The Workflow Wizardry of Web2Print!
While explaining why so many of you are workflow magicians, last month we looked at preflighting and the magic it brings to a workflow. This time the topic is web-to-print. Web-2-Print is not the answer to every print providers dreams. Setting up a web-to-print storefront is not a guarantee that you will find new customers, […]
You Are a Print Workflow Magician! Here is How I Know!
In my last post, I said that not all document composition engines or word processing products or even creative layout solutions produce optimized PDF. Some PDF is slim but might be missing elements that make it easier for the Digital Front End (DFE) of your printer to turn into print. Some PDF is heavier – […]
The Magic of Digital Front Ends in Your Workflow!
Last summer in this blog the topic of the magic inside your Digital Front End took position front and center. The idea was to start the conversation about a participant in your workflow that you may not think about. For most digital press buyers, the Digital Front End (DFE) is bundled into the purchase of […]
The Magic of Workflow Management in Your Workflow
Sometimes workflow gets a bad rap. After all, it takes time to create a strategy for linking all of the pieces together, and time is something that is often in short supply. However, if you do not take the time, things can get messy, inefficient, and expensive. You leave money on the floor, run at […]
The Magic of Order Entry and Onboarding in Your Workflow!
Continuing our adventure through the wilds of workflow, the next stop is that messy process of codifying the order and getting it on board so that it can move almost seamlessly through your production workflow. We look at this process as part of Job Entry and Management when we are working on our forecasts. It […]
The Magic of Composition in Your Workflow!
The promise for this next series was to go back to basics, so this edition is all about the magical role of the creative development tools in your workflow. It is an important topic. If the file that will pass through the workflow is not developed so that it can print reliably, everyone in the […]
Becoming a Smart Workflow Wizard!
Sometimes it is good to go back to the basics, so let’s start with defining workflow in 2018. It’s a tall order because how you define workflow depends on where you come from in the print world, the jobs you’ve done, and the things you need to manage. Let’s divide the world of workflow in […]
Casting Workflow Spells for a Magical and Profitable 2018
The last of the decorations are neatly in their boxes and the new calendars have been organized to get the new year started. What are you doing to make sure that you work will flow in 2018? What should you do first? What are the trends? What are the quick fixes to start the year? […]
Practical Workflow Magic to End 2017 and 5 Ways for More Success in 2018
What a year of workflow wizardry! We started the year advising everyone to take a close look at their production shop floor to determine where the bottlenecks were holding up the natural flow of work. Many of you did just that and shared stories of finding things that could be better. For many of you […]
Alexa is a Workflow Wizard and Wisdom From IPEX
A while back I wrote a blog on how it wasn’t yet possible to walk up to an Echo Dot or Alexa tower and ask where your print job was. In the blink of an wizard’s eye the RSA folks showed their demo of Alexa reading information passed to her in a news brief format, […]