Well...you can't really judge whether the designer in question is being reasonable without knowing the print run, time constraints, the cost to redesign etc.
Sometimes other factors take priority. For instance, here in Australia, our postal service has a very non-standard size as its maximum "standard article", which can be posted for the price of a letter. I made this the size for a client's catalogues because it gave me 20% more page area than a standard size, but didn't cost any more to post. Doubling the page size (and thus staying standard) would have more than doubled the postage.
It's also worth keeping in mind that the trimmed area on a sheet can be used for other projects. I often suggest this to clients when we're using a sheet uneconomically. Small items like with compliments slips, even note pads, can use the spare stock.
Submitted by David Glover on Tue, 09/30/2003 - 13:45.
I work for a mid-size sheetfed printer/service bureau/design house in the upper Midwest. As a person who has worked in both (print) design and production, I am aware at how much paper costs on a job. However, I have seen many examples of how mis-guided art direction can add serious $$'s to a job for seemingly arbitrary reasons.
I would be GREATLY impressed if I ever saw a "designer" show up at our offices and asked about paper sizes and how to fit a job onto them.
When I am designing a job, one of my major concerns is the final size of the piece especially if there's a specific dimension the piece needs to fit (ex: tourist brochures that need to fit into the racks at rest stops). If there is a need to adjust a job and the client won't mind (they usually don't mind saving $$'s) I will go ahead and change the job.
But, in my experience, very few designers consider the idea.
Submitted by geozinger on Fri, 09/26/2003 - 06:09.
You don't have to stick to standards, but...
Well...you can't really judge whether the designer in question is being reasonable without knowing the print run, time constraints, the cost to redesign etc.
Sometimes other factors take priority. For instance, here in Australia, our postal service has a very non-standard size as its maximum "standard article", which can be posted for the price of a letter. I made this the size for a client's catalogues because it gave me 20% more page area than a standard size, but didn't cost any more to post. Doubling the page size (and thus staying standard) would have more than doubled the postage.
It's also worth keeping in mind that the trimmed area on a sheet can be used for other projects. I often suggest this to clients when we're using a sheet uneconomically. Small items like with compliments slips, even note pads, can use the spare stock.
I agree to this extent:
I work for a mid-size sheetfed printer/service bureau/design house in the upper Midwest. As a person who has worked in both (print) design and production, I am aware at how much paper costs on a job. However, I have seen many examples of how mis-guided art direction can add serious $$'s to a job for seemingly arbitrary reasons.
I would be GREATLY impressed if I ever saw a "designer" show up at our offices and asked about paper sizes and how to fit a job onto them.
When I am designing a job, one of my major concerns is the final size of the piece especially if there's a specific dimension the piece needs to fit (ex: tourist brochures that need to fit into the racks at rest stops). If there is a need to adjust a job and the client won't mind (they usually don't mind saving $$'s) I will go ahead and change the job.
But, in my experience, very few designers consider the idea.