Soft Proofing or Lasagna Cannelloni - which do you prefer?
What does Soft proofing mean?
Strictly speaking, soft proofing is the possibility of using a screen as a color proof. Let's say it is the opposite of Hard proofing, which is the traditional color proofing on paper.
For years there has been a search for synchronization between what you see on the screens and what actually comes out in print. To understand how problematic this process can be and the difficulties it can entail, let me give you an example: years ago, working for a branding agency, one of the most critical situations happened with the agency's main client. Without knowing how, during the printing of thousands of boxes of frozen cannelloni, the image and text of their lasagna, another product of the same brand, appeared erroneously on one of the sides of the box.
Obviously, something had gone wrong in the chain of approval of the final cannelloni artwork. Among the consequences, economic losses, impact on turnover, machine downtime, intra and inter-company unrest, among others...
This type of anecdote, to all of us who have been in contact with the printing of materials, those of us who have suffered in first person some similar situation or know of similar cases, is not something extraordinary, but is more common than we think. This critical situation shows that there are processes and approval cycles that are still very "manual", that require a lot of resources to check that the final artwork is perfect, and even so, we are never exempt from errors.
The solution, MyMediaConnect
In connection with our experience in marketing, design, project management and the graphic chain, we believed it was necessary to respond to these inefficiencies, which, to this day, still occur every time you have to go to print. To this end, we have developed a brand asset management platform, MyMediaConnect®, which can provide a solution to errors such as the above. And specifically, within the platform, it contains a SOFT PROOFING module that will definitely solve the problems in the final artwork approval chain.
What can this module do?
From a platform like MyMediaConnect, companies can efficiently organize projects from the brief to the deliverable. This means that, both internally and with their external suppliers, the SOFT PROOFING module will allow us to concretely:
Compare two versions of PDF's. This comparator takes as a reference two PDF's, for example, the penultimate and the last version of a final artwork. The platform itself automatically tells you what has changed from one to the other. This function allows you not to always be playing the "7 differences" game and to risk letting the human eye, without fatigue effect, be responsible for this. Therefore, situations that are common for everyone, "the green dot has disappeared", "changes in the percentages of the nutritional table" or "layers in a final artwork that you do not know why they have disappeared", beyond the specific change requested, can no longer happen again. It is one of the functions that our customers like the most!
Work directly in the cloud. It is an advantage to work with the final artwork of the document, without the need for plug-ins, as it is a cross-browser compatible viewer. This is because it can display PDF natively, as well as other industry standard media. Therefore, viewing the document in high resolution without the need for downloading.
Align a work team, through a cycle of approvals. Thanks also to this SOFT PROOFING module, it is possible to work on the same document online. This improves efficiency when several departments interact.
Incorporate advanced markup and annotation platforms to facilitate design approvals.
Create a validation criteria checklist . By default, each manager must have a checklist to ensure what a pack must have. They can be of two types:
Objectivechecklist (does it have the green dot, is the logo correct, are 4+1 inks used as intended, etc.).
Subjectivechecklist (does the design breathe naturalness, is the role of the subrand adequate, etc.).
Incorporate other more technical, yet necessary and value-added platforms that enable:
Measure the density of the printing spot.
Measure distances and angles.
Check the barcode and that it matches the text that appears in the design.
Correct separation of inks/colors
To conclude, a platform such as MyMediaConnect has the ability to streamline processes in the graphic chain. In addition, thanks to the efficiency in the creative process that we can achieve, we will no longer be able to enjoy the now famous "lasagna cannelloni".
After reading the advantages of the SOFTPROOFING module, do you think you could streamline your company's processes or avoid these problems in the future? If you think MyMediaConnect is the platform you need to develop your brand assets and save you time and money, contact us!
And remember, if you're not a risk-taker, MyMediaConnect is the solution you're looking for!
