A botched printing job is trash. Literally. In fact, it’s worse than trash, because it usually means a damaged reputation, an angry client, unsold inventory, or unattended events. Nothing good comes from a bad printing job, and it can be the smallest thing that ruins a lot of hard work.

How can you fix a botched printing job? The short answer: you can’t. The job has to be redone. Even though you cannot fix a botched job, you can prevent them by working with seasoned printing professionals.

Let me share a horror story from my career. Thankfully, this happened only once to me a long time ago.

I was working with the rug division of a large flooring manufacturing company. This division produced multiple collections and wanted a catalog to go with each one. Each of the catalogs would be inserted into larger three-ring binders. The VP of the division was very involved in the production of these catalogs. As he told me, “I have $1,000,000 in inventory, and I can’t sell any of it until you get me my catalogs.” There was pressure to print the catalogs quickly, and their color had to be perfect. After my team and I were on call 24/7 for many days of press checks, we successfully delivered thousands of color-perfect catalogs.

A day after delivery, I received a call from the client. Yes, the catalogs were beautiful and printed to spec, but one of them would not fit into the binder. The holes were off. Despite being perfectly printed, the catalog was a botched job. My printing company immediately reprinted the catalog - with correct hole alignment - and ate the cost. We looked sloppy, and the client was not pleased.

I learned a valuable lesson from this experience. Everything went off without a hitch except for one missed detail. That detail derailed the entire product. In printing, the smallest mistake can lead to delays and unexpected costs, both for the client and the printer.

Luckily for me, the printing company that I was working with valued its reputation and took every measure to correct their mistake as quickly as possible. Not all printing companies would do the same, especially those that compete on price, not quality. Having a printer that invests in your projects as if they were their own is priceless. I am thankful to this day the company pulled through and corrected its mistake in time to save the project.

As my clients’ printing partner, it is my responsibility to deliver a flawless final product every time. To this day, I am meticulous about checking each step of the printing process to ensure a job is being executed correctly. My reputation depends on it. If you’re interested in learning more about selecting a reliable printing partner, check out my article What To Look For When Selecting Your Next Printing Company.

Facing a botched print job of your own? It might be time to explore partnerships with other printers. Go ahead and contact me. I would be happy to learn more about your business and learn whether we’d be a good fit.