There Errors Are Your Errors

Once upon a time, I worked at a studio where every file had to be checked by three people—the creator of the file, the proofreader and another designer or production person—before it went out to the printer. Every file, every proof, every time.

I'm a perfectionist, but that seemed like overkill even for me. But...we caught things. And we caught them early while there was still time to fix the image or typo without incurring major costs (or dare I say it, before having to reprint the piece).

A fresh pair of eyes saw things that I overlooked because I was too close to the project. But that was then, and this is now. Today, everyone is doing the jobs of three people, and budgets are tight. Who has the time and money to let three people check a project?

Then again, who has the time and money to reprint a job, or miss a deadline, or upset and potentially lose a client because of a less robust review process?

What does your conscience tell you?
Which brings up a very good question: What do you do when you spot an error?

I’m not talking emails here. They come and go and are easily forgotten. I’m talking ink on paper. You get a file from your client “ready to go” as they have assured you. But your well-trained printer eye spots a typo, a missing line, a blurry image—something that is at odds, or at least questionable.

So now you’re stuck between the infamous rock and a hard place. Do you print what the client gave you and make that super tight deadline? Or...?

I’m on the “or” side of this equation. It might not always make me the most popular person in the room, but I have my clients’ best interests at heart. So I’d rather pick up the phone and confirm that X was really intended instead of Y.