PRINT ADVERTISING PRODUCTION SERVICES

 

Print – ink on a medium – is an ancient art originated in China. One of the earliest print advertisements may have appeared in 1657 London to extol the benefits of drinking coffee. From the humble beginnings of moveable wood type to today’s digital devices, the convergence of message and medium endures in the realm of Print Advertising. And, while technological advances in digital have increased the speed and complexity, print advertising is still essentially putting ink on paper.

In the past decade, print concerns were focused on retouching/image assembly, proofing, and controlling the color balance to add shape and realism to the printed image. Today, variables in appearance are controlled mechanically and digitally, allowing the process to fall into the standard production cycle – for more faithful reproduction and less one-off “art”. With increased standardization, techniques for standardizing the associated costs have also proliferated with rate cards, preferred/core suppliers and controlled buying now being important considerations.

Our Role

BBS helps our clients increase vendor transparency and streamline the production process by integrating a proven start-to-finish partnership that maximizes the value of the production. BBS consultants work directly with our clients and their suppliers throughout the process.

Our Process

Best advertising practices can be assured by utilizing the BBS Print Advertising Production Guidelines for the client and agency partner(s). The Production Guidelines bring discipline to the production and define the client’s, agency’s and BBS’ role in the process.

How we Partner for Success

With the project brief, BBS is able to “ballpark” the project for a quick comparison to the client’s budget and, if appropriate, trigger alternative approaches.

Once comps and layouts are approved BBS consultants advise and participate in a pre-bid meeting – the corner stone of a high value, highly effective production. Job specifications are written and approved and bidding begins. With a successfully completed pre-bid, the creative and overall cost of the production is clear and basically firm.

During our estimate review and negotiations, we keep “the image is king” mantra foremost in mind. We know that photography is not aim and shoot – it is setup and lighting with the image captured on film or digitally.

Finally, we evaluate and negotiate bids against BBS benchmarks and are available during each step of the production process up to and including reconciliation of the final invoice.