To the Printers

With our election material. I had fancied Colin Bithell's sheet and have copied its style. Previously Lisa had rung up Colin's printer to ask prices and times. Bit vague on prices but because it was election material they would put it through in 2 days. We mention we have digital copy on a CD Rom.
What I thought would be a doddle has gone to being complicated and expensive. Colin Bithell who stands to loose £60,000 over 4 years if not elected has done some investing.
Cast coated A4 white paper with a spot of colour for his photo. I'm sorry Colin but you look the typical untrustworthy politician with that smile.
The professional photo, the design and printing are quite an eye watering sum for pieces of paper that may be read by a third of the recipients.

So the cast coated paper and the colour photo are gone lol

The visit to the printers was an experience we will like to forget. I used to have my breakfast on this little council run trading estate 20 years ago. The printers is opposite. We turn up 1.15pm, three or four staff are sitting around looking very disinterested. No reception area just printing equipment and boxes everywhere. Takes 5 minutes to find someone to talk to. I have a little look around. They have a Heidleberg printer that does A3. We used to do printing and I always fancied one, lovely to watch, poetry in motion. The engineering that allows a sheet of paper to be picked up and a dot of ink applied to within a thousandth of an inch still makes me marvel. Of course a modern printer for a computer now does the same. Printers are sold at a loss so they can get you to buy the ink

Someone gave me an offset litho once. It was due I think for the scrap yard. Then they found us some work, letterheads and business cards too. There started an unhappy apprenticeship in the black art of offset litho printing.

Any way back to the printers. Our man descends from upstairs and we go across to his offices. Very nice but not very concentrated on getting our job done. I give my CD to the design chappy. He can only see the photos. he cannot open our files which have 4 hours of work on.
He has also had his personality removed like the workers in the printers.

We come away brain scrambled. We can't believe how crap we have been looked after.
I get home and find I can give it to them in pdf format which they will accept.
They will however will not be receiving our little order.
No interest in having our business at all.

keywords: Penyffordd Local Elections May 2008