When I started to really distill the work we do here down to it’s essence I eventually got down to solving problems for people. Of course, we solve these problems so that we can help people communicate with their audience, but it all really boils down to using our experience and expertise to solve problems. So, I changed everyone’s title to Problem Solver. (You can do this sort of thing when you own an indie business…)

One of my favorite things in the world is when a customer shows up in the shop, exasperated, and starts to spill out all the problems they are having with a project. In a breathless stream of words and hand gestures they explain why they are so far behind and how their boss didn’t get them the final information until this morning and how it has to be ready on a crazy short timeline. They are apologetic and stressed and overwhelmed and when they finally take a moment to fill their lungs with air I get to offer them a reassuring smile and say, “No problem. We’ll take care of you.”

How can this be? How can they be on the edge of an emotional breakdown about something that is, “no problem?”

Well the truth is that we just have the experience and equipment to solve the problem quickly and easily. And it’s a lot of fun to help someone in that way.

I say I love that moment because it’s in those instances, when someone is asking for something that they are 93% sure is impossible, that we get to flex our muscles and melt their brain a little. There is often a moment where the customer looks a little confused because if it’s “no problem” then they clearly didn’t explain it very well.

And so I talk through it with them and explain how we are going to provide exactly what they need, exactly when they need it. Problem solved.

And that’s what we are here to do. To make the impossible look easy and give our customers one less thing to worry about.

That’s why we call ourselves Problem Solvers.

When our customers come in to compare papers they usually want to compare them based on pound weights like 20 lb. or 32 lb. or 60 lb. This is because here in America the pound weight is the most prominent number displayed on ream labels so it is also the most common number people use to compare how thick a paper is. But there is a fundamental flaw with this number.

The idea behind that 20 lb. value is that a 500 sheet ream of that paper weighs 20 pounds. So thicker papers should have a higher weight, right? Not necessarily.

In the photo below the package on the left contains 500 sheets of 70 lb. paper and the package on the right contains 250 sheets of 65 lb. card stock. So why are they almost the same height when one package contains twice as many sheets of a higher weight paper?

It’s because that 70 lb. rating is based on how much a 500 sheet ream of paper weighs in the basis (uncut) size. The paper in each of these packages has been cut down from a larger sheet of paper at the factory, but the label gives us no indication as to how those larger sheets compare to one another. In truth the 70 lb. weight refers to 500 sheets of 25×38″ paper and the 65 lb. weight refers to 500 sheets of 20×26″ paper. This makes comparing papers based on pound weight a fundamentally broken exercise.

But there is hope! Each label contains another number which looks a little more imposing but is actually much more friendly for the purpose of comparison. Below that 70 lb. notation on the label is a number which references grams per square meter also referred to as g/m2 or gsm. This describes how many grams each square meter of a sheet of paper weighs which is a legitimate direct comparison. Whether the cut sheet is 8.5×11″ or 11×17″ a square meter is still a square meter.

You will note in the above photos that my 70 lb. paper has a gsm value of 104 and my heavier 65 lb. card stock has a gsm value of 176. This measure is a true reflection of the paper weight as the 176gsm card stock is really heavier and thicker than the 104gsm paper. The pound weights would lead you to believe the reverse was true so let the gsm be your guide…

Katelin used Adobe InDesign to create the document and exported it as a high quality PDF which she provided to us using our online file submission system. After Katelin proofed the content and gave us approval to run, we set to work.

The document included 28 letter-sized (8.5×11″) pages which would be turned into a catalog style booklet printed on 11×17″ paper and folded with staples in the spine. The entire book would be printed in color with 100# cardstock covers and 32# paper weight pages inside.

We split the document into two files, one with the front and back cover pages and the other with the main body pages, using Adobe Acrobat. We then sent each of them to our Xerox DC5000 (soon to be replaced by our new Xerox Color 800 Digital Press which will eliminate the need for split files!) for imposition, which is what we call the process of arranging the pages into the order and layout they will need to be in to print correctly on larger sheets of paper. This sounds exotic, but is handled by software. At this point we printed all of the covers on 12×18″ 100# cardstock, and followed them up by printing all of the body pages in collated sets on 32# paper.

After printing, all of the covers and body pages were collated together and trimmed to 11×17″. This process allowed us to “bleed” the images to the edge of the page. We then used equipment to fold, staple, and apply a finish trim on books before they were boxed and presented to Katelin. In all, the project took about 3.5 hours to print and finish 150 books.

To respect the privacy of those featured in the pages of the yearbook we can’t offer more photos, but we hope this gives you a little insight into the work we are capable of producing and the process involved in making projects like this one successful.

Questions about how we can help you with your project? Call us today at 907-479-3831 or e-mail us at jobs [at] datelinedigitalprinting [dot] com.

We use them on our counters here in the shop and they are a perfect addition to a trade show table or just to keep in a brief case as a compact “flyer” to hand out to those who may be interested in what you have to offer. While color printing is the most eye-catching and popular method for producing rack cards they can also be printed in black-and-white on a variety of stocks. You can supply your own design or we can create one for you.

Above is a photo of some cards we have produced for our friends at Friends of Creamers Field, Apocalypse Design, Yukon River Lodge, and Campus Creations.

Questions about how we can help you with your project? Call us today at 907-479-3831 or e-mail us at jobs [at] datelinedigitalprinting [dot] com.

Whether you have hard copy originals or are working from digital files we can ensure you get exactly what you need, output on any number of papers from our catalog of immediately available stocks.

Questions about how we can help you with your project? Call us today at 907-479-3831 or e-mail us at jobs [at] datelinedigitalprinting [dot] com.