Imagine going from Point A to Point B for the first time. You sally forth in good spirits, but you bang your head into the brick wall across the road and go no farther. You still need to get to Point B--you aren't the type to go back to Point A to try the old route to a familiar location.
Where is this magical "Point B" that I'm so insistent on reaching? It's spelled out in the "Description" section of Your customer's purchase order! Even if the customer doesn't care how you get there, you know that the future of your business depends on using the best tools for the job--and for those who have mastered the computer, quality is higher while costs are lower.
You basically have four ways to gain the skills you need. (In fact, these approaches may be universal to learning any new task. I certainly learned screen printing through the same channels.)
Trying to get all of your information from one approach limits your learning speed and increases your expense. But even that is preferable to the Ostrich approach, in which you decide to just do your job and not look past the first wall or yearn for the next problem. (Of course, you have already gone one step beyond this approach: The ostrich doesn't read either this magazine or this column.)
The biggest problem with the Stubborn Bull approach is the headaches. You only have to hit the wall a few times before you have created many hours of work repairing the damage. And if you've promised your customer that you will be past the fourth wall by Tuesday, you'll have a long weekend in the office if you spend a lot of time banging against the first wall.
One expensive and embarrassing personal lesson comes to mind. I normally use a laser printer with letter-size (8 1/2 x 11-in.) output to proof my artwork and then have my final film generated on an imagesetter at a service bureau, normally at a larger size. The program I was using provides two options for proofing on smaller sheets: tiling the image onto several sheets or reducing the size until it fits. (Tiling is also helpful to really zoom in on certain details. I can print at, say, four times the actual size to examine critical traps and have the printer image only a small portion of the total job.) Several times, I stopped at the service bureau an hour from deadline and found that I had sent a file that was set up for "Fit to Page" or with tiling on, rendering the film worthless--and blowing the deadline.
Still, nothing is quite like the pride that comes from personally finding the solution to a difficult problem. And yes, I am very careful to check every option in the print dialog box now before I send files out!
If you have a specific problem that can be clearly defined, a hired guide may be economical. I say "may be" because either the guide will have to learn your unique requirements and processes at your expense, or you will have to give up all your current procedures and adopt his slavishly. This approach is best suited to major issues that allow you to recover your investment in cash and management time, and can be very valuable in setting direction and building skills that will be combined with the other approaches.
When looking for a guide, it's important to specify in great detail your current situation and available resources. The guide must be familiar with your entire process, including the techniques and economics of screen printing, in order to provide a solution that fits your business. It isn't surprising that most computer consultants have very little exposure to screen printing. Most artists with computer systems use them to create art for lithography, and the software was designed to serve that market. Color separation and trapping solutions, for example, are normally geared toward markets in which either single (and simple) spot color or full process color is used. Most screen printing involves complex, multiple spot colors, and trapping has to be approached on a color-by-color basis.
Consultants not only cost money directly, but are normally called in only for fairly large problems that entail expensive solutions. When. I have been hired as a guide, the total expense of the solution in additional computers, software, and peripherals is typically 10-20 times the direct expense of my fees and travel.
I left it out of my metaphor, but calling tech support fits in here. My biggest problem with tech support is how often I need it at midnight, when most vendors offer support only during business hours. Support systems include direct conversation with technicians (with or without long periods on hold first), automated menu systems that narrow your query to the point where you receive a pre-recorded solution, and systems that accept facsimile questions for later response. Quality varies from vendor to vendor, but take advantage of all the support that you paid for with your software.
The AAA approach is a good way to reinforce all of the others. It's great for background information and is the least expensive way, by far, to learn the admittedly arcane language of the field. Reading about how others have solved similar problems gives you a great basis for planning your own systems and envisioning the potential of computers. Alas, reading is no substitute for direct experience and can take a lot of time. I have narrowed my subscription list down to four weeklies and eight month~lies, which should give you a hint of the real cost of this approach: It only works if you devote a great deal of time to it.
It should come as no surprise that I am a fervent believer in the Thundering Herd theory. If you had to limit yourself to one of the four approaches, this is the only way you could possibly meet all of your needs. A community of users shares a wealth of information and a passion for sharing it. The process is as amazing as it is fun--it often feels more like recreation than work.
I once spent several days with a Canadian textile printer that made a major commitment to computerized artwork. Their US affiliate sent two artists to share in the process, bringing their experience, perspectives, and questions. As I worked through the process of creating film for printing with this talented group, I knew that each of them would remember different information. But since they worked together, I was confident that each would share these bits and pieces with the other. Exchanges of this type are important and inexpensive when you consider the benefits that a group of people facing a similar set of problems can offer each other. Just as many fruit trees require similar trees nearby to pollinate their blossoms and yield fruit, artists blossom in groups as well.
Such cross-pollination need not be limited to employees of a single company. Most of you don't have enough artists to get the maximum benefits from this type of information exchange. SGIA members can join a computer-users group comprising other printers around the country. Group members receive a directory listing the expertise each member has and the systems and software in use. Those of you located in or near a major city can often find more general Macintosh and PC users groups. Call a couple of computer stores and you should be able to identify several. Many CorelDRAW! users groups are also active, and Corel keeps track of them and can give you a contact in your area.
For the ultimate in sharing, consider hooking your modem up to one of the major electronic message systems. CompuServe is the largest and best known, featuring staff members from the software publishers that log into their forum several times each day to answer questions. My favorite system is BIX, which includes several conferences and topics that focus on publishing and art generation. America Online (AOL) is another online system that has proven worthwhile for many printers, and several Internet newsgroups are useful, too. You ask a question on one of these systems and answers start popping up in minutes. Call back in a day, and you have comments and answers to choose from. You respond to those that narrow your search, and soon you have specific, tested solutions. I have spent time online every day for the last ten years. I've gained a great deal of invaluable information and have solved countless problems for other users. This typically costs me about $50 a month in fees and telephone expense, and I wouldn't give it up for anything. I have made contacts around the country and well beyond, people I consider to be close personal friends even though their appearance, age, and background are a complete mystery to me.
Depending on your background, finances, and spirit of adventure, you will find that a blend of these four techniques will enable you and your people to perform miracles with your computers. Who knows? You, too, could get asked for advice on the latest database software while standing in the frozen-food section!