More Than 1,000 Words
by Anna America
Production managers have long known that "a picture is worth a thousand words" when it comes to settling disputes about poor-quality advertising inserts. But a growing number of papers are finding a fast picture worth even more.
Newspapers occasionally receive skids of advertising inserts damaged in transit or of poor quality. It’s been common practice to take a Polaroid picture as evidence to reduce disputes over who is at fault.
But the several days it can take to mail the photo to a client "lessens the impact and urgency," notes Harshad Matalia, NAA’s post-press manager. A better option, he says, is to use a digital camera to take pictures and e-mail advertising customers within minutes of a problem delivery.
At The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the quicker turnaround means that in some cases, the problem can be solved right away–perhaps by getting printers to send replacements, says Roy Deaton, packaging and finishing manager for Gazette Communications’ operations group.
When pallets of damaged or poor-quality inserts arrive, Gazette employees snap a picture with a Sony digital camera. The picture (cropped and resized in Photoshop, if necessary) is then transmitted through the company’s e-mail system to the appropriate staff, who in turn forward them to advertisers. "This whole process takes less than 20 minutes," Deaton says.
The Gazette has been using the digital process for more than two years, and has cut costs along with improving quality.
"It is hard for trucking companies to argue about the extent of damage when the pictures tell the story," Deaton says.
Anna America is a Tulsa, Okla., free-lance writer. E-mail, aamerica@ci.tulsa.ok.us.
IMS’ Profit Centerby Mike TartarAs newspapers seek to increase efficiency while reducing overall costs, one potential savings area may be lurking in the mailroom. That’s what Kurt Parent, director of operations for the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Mass., found when his paper installed the Innovative Mailroom Software Solution from Rivendell Software. IMS2 allows newspaper mailrooms to plan production and manage preprints. It tracks all preprint orders, publications and receivables. "We had an increase in preprints, and it was getting too difficult to do by hand," says Parent. "We tried to invent our own software, but it didn’t work." Along with producing more complex preprint packages efficiently and reducing overall mailroom cost, the Telegram & Gazette also was able to improve communication with advertisers. Once preprint pallets arrive, they are weighed and verified. "There are checks in the software to know if we have enough pieces. That give us a heads-up if there is a problem," Parent says. Once everything is in place, the Telegram & Gazette can then build papers to meet specific zoning needs. That allowed the company’s preprint rework to fall to near zero. While the Telegram & Gazette was the first to install the software, it isn’t alone. Other users include the Bangor (Maine) Daily News and The Free Lance-Star in Fredricksburg, Va. While part of a trend toward tools increasing newspaper efficiency, IMS2’s main draw may well be the bottom line. "For other systems it’s very difficult to cost-justify, but this [one] is very affordable," Parent says. Mike Tartar is a Lincoln, Neb.-based freelance writer. E-mail, mtartar527@aol.com. |