Promotional Folders: WYSIWYG?

Oh My Goodness!

After much hand-wringing, you finally pulled the plug and ordered some commercially printed business folders online. You received your free pdf proof via email and carefully reviewed everything with a fine-tooth comb. After a few minor revisions, everything looked perfect so you gave approval to the printing company. You received your tracking number a few days later and eagerly awaited the arrival of your UPS driver. The day you have been waiting for finally arrived and the excitement built to a crescendo. You cracked open the box, with uncontrollable anticipation, and you just about puked. Well, maybe it was just the folders looked like somebody vomited on them.

Whether you have spent countless late nights designing your presentation folders yourself or have hired a professional graphic artist; you loved what you saw in your proofs. After all the tweaking, the alignment and colors were breathtaking. What on earth happened? How did your promotional folders become such an eyesore?

Are you familiar with WYSIWYG? If not, are you trapped underground somewhere in the desert? WYSIWYG is an acronym for What You See Is What You Get. When you viewed your pdf folder proof on your computer monitor, I bet you expected the folders would look just like that. Oops! One of these other WYSIWYG variations may be more appropriate for your situation.

Unfortunately, pdf proofs are really intended for proofreading text, verifying proper alignment, size and positioning of text and images, and color break. While a pdf proof gives some indication of color, it should not be used for color validation because it is not an accurate representation of how the colors will look when printed. All computer monitors (and laser/inkjet printers) are calibrated differently and therefore the same pdf proof will look different depending where it is viewed. So, what looked to you like a stunning green actually turned out more like something your dog left for you in the backyard. Ouch!

If you are concerned about color match, you should at least consider requesting a press calibrated digital proof. Typically there are additional fees associated with hard-copy proofs, but they will help ensure things like flesh tones and color conversions are accurate. Digital proofs are not high-end (100% color accurate) proofs, though the colors on this type of proof are close to what will appear on your print job. By approving this type of proof, you are typically agreeing to accept some amount of color variances on press.

There are typically three types of hard-copy digital proofs offered. The HP proof is a content based proof where quality and color aren't important; mainly for checking layout, text, and images. The Epson proof (typically spot-color) is a high quality inkjet proof that does a very good job of reproducing image quality and color. The Fuji proof (typically full-color) adheres actual dot patterns of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black film onto the chosen paper stock and is the closest a proof can get to the actual printed piece.

If you are a major corporation and color matching must be precise, it will be absolutely critical you go with a press proof. A press proof is just like it sounds, actually putting your print job on press and running some sheets through. Since your job is actually being printed on press, you can't get much more accurate for color matching purposes. While this is without a doubt the most exacting method of proofing, it is also the most expensive and time consuming. In situations like this, you would be advised to work with a local printer.

The key takeaway here is that what you see on your computer monitor is not what you get from a commercial printer. Be sure to communicate and share your concerns up-front. Any reasonable printing company can walk you through the best options for your particular folder needs. Best of luck!

Image Credit: ĻiĻ Pië