By Dennis Burnham,
SAGE®-Quick Technologies Inc.
Reprinted with permission from the July issue of PPB Magazine

For most suppliers, it’s never too early to begin planning next year’s sales collateral. If you have responsibility for your company’s sales or marketing decisions, you have probably already selected new products and have begun thinking about the new layout of next year’s catalog. Now is a good time to ensure the next edition of your company’s catalog is sm@rt-compliant: make sure your artwork specifications and requirements are consistent with the industry’s new sm@rt Artwork Readiness and E-Mail Delivery Guidelines .

Why is this important? Perhaps you think artwork is too technical for you. Maybe you feel the subject is better left to others in your company who know more about the terminology, which can be confusing to those who don’t work with graphics. Well, think again! If you have responsibility for selling anything with an imprint, you can’t afford to overlook the benefits to your company—and your distributors—of communicating properly about artwork. The benefits are real, and you can actually make a measurable difference in the quality of the artwork your company receives every day. Best of all, there’s no cost involved—you simply need to adjust the way you present your graphics information.

Let’s Get Specific
When you think about the flow of information related to any order, you can easily see that everything begins with the information printed in your catalog. You wouldn’t dream of publishing your prices in a manner inconsistent with the common discount codes upon which all distributors rely because the consequence would be chaotic. Indeed, the same logic applies to the way you present your company’s artwork specifications.

Unfortunately, the industry’s track record in the ’90s can be seen in hindsight as having contributed to many artwork problems. With no consistency or guidelines, suppliers devised their own language and stated their artwork specs in the General Information section or on separate sheets designed for fax delivery to distributors, artists, ad agencies and others. From a distributor’s viewpoint, no two are alike. Also, many spec sheets were written incorrectly, albeit with good intentions. Because salespeople rely heavily on this information, it’s no surprise that artwork readiness hovered around 15 to 20 percent in 2001. Clearly, we can do better!

Suggestions And Tools
Thanks to the Association’s efforts to turn this tide, the new sm@rt Artwork Readiness program includes these suggestions and tools for suppliers:

Requirements For Using The sm@rt Logo
To use the sm@rt logo on catalogs and specification sheets, suppliers are asked to agree to this simple checklist:
1. Clearly communicate printing specifications and artwork requirements.
2. Evaluate the readiness of the artwork received according to the new sm@rt guidelines.
3. Be committed to continuing education for employees who handle electronic artwork.
4. Keep software programs up-to-date.
5. Have at least one unique e-mail address dedicated for receiving artwork.

The sm@rt Program Begins
Last autumn, a number of suppliers paid a nominal fee to have their artwork specifications reviewed for accuracy by an expert. This program was conceived by former PPAI Board Chairman Bob Davis, CAS, as a way to assist suppliers who are committed to progress and need an outside opinion. For only $150, suppliers can have their artwork requirements reviewed and receive written suggestions for improving the way this information is communicated to distributors and graphics professionals. (Twenty percent of this fee is contributed to the Promotional Products College Education Foundation [PPCEF].) This outsource program is available on a continuing basis. For further information, e-mail smart@ppa.org.

Be sm@rter In 2004—Use sm@rt Codes !
Two members of the PPAI Artwork Task Force (Steven Grovender of 3M Promotional Markets and Ben Manning of Gill Studios, Inc.) have collaborated with this writer on the development of a very important additional communication tool. They devised a series of sm@rt codes to help salespeople know exactly what kind of artwork file is needed for any order.

Does this sound too simple? Too good to be true? Well, a lot of conscientious research and thought resulted in the new sm@rt codes, which identify with simplicity and efficiency the specific artwork file requirements for any promotional product. And because sm@rt codes require very little space on any page, suppliers will have no trouble placing the sm@rt code for any item near its photo, price or features.

The sm@rt codes are defined in full on the Internet, so anybody can easily refer to them. In practice, the only thing a graphics pro needs to know for correct artwork preparation is the sm@rt code. By following the guidelines for each defined sm@rt code, the artwork will be certain to match the supplier’s requirements. (See for yourself: visit www.ppa.org/technologycentral/smartcodes.) Distributors will want to bookmark this important URL and refer to it often. Suppliers will be able to download the free graphics files for placing the appropriate sm@rt code insignia throughout their catalogs.

A sm@rt code is just as important as a price! When the person preparing artwork knows what kind of artwork is needed, the chances of error are greatly reduced. General Information is the place to describe characteristics that apply to the entire product line, such as the correct e-mail address for delivery or the computer platform the company uses in its art department. The sm@rt codes are specific to each product and do not consume unnecessary space on the printed page.

The table shown includes the entire list of official sm@rt codes. They have been reviewed for accuracy by the Artwork Task Force and pre-approved for use by several dozen suppliers. An example of a typical supplier catalog page is also shown to illustrate the way sm@rt codes will appear in print. (Refer to www.ppa.org/technologycentral/smartcodes for more detailed information, examples, FAQ and helpful free downloads.)

You can also attend a free online introduction to the use of sm@rt codes, conducted by a volunteer member of the PPAI Artwork Task Force. To request an invitation, e-mail smartcodes@ppa.org or sign up using the online form. The sessions will be held on a regularly scheduled basis to allow you to “tune-in” whenever you are ready to begin work on your 2004 catalog.

The chances are great that your company will be able to assign a sm@rt code to every product in its line. Don’t wait until it’s too late to make your 2004 catalog one of the industry’s sm@rtest!

Take Heed
For those who consider themselves “geeks” or who have responsibility for implementing sm@rt codes, the following caveats are important:
1. It is understood that suppliers can accept both ready and not-ready artwork; the sm@rt codes are intended to help increase the percentage of “ready” artwork.
2. Technical terminology for hardware and software is avoided and general technical descriptions are used in these guidelines. Please refer to the sm@rt Glossary whenever possible.
3. The published guidelines and sm@rt codes are neutral with regard to the content or artistry of any artwork file as well as the decorating processes. The new sm@rt codes define the resolution and color space, which each supplier determines are necessary for any product.
4. Any more specific guidelines published by a supplier can define what is preferred for best production results. PPB

Dennis Burnham is director of special services for SAGE®-Quick Technologies, a PPAI member firm that recently launched SAGE®-ArtworkZone, an industry service built upon the sm@rt Artwork Readiness Guidelines. Prior to joining SAGE, he owned and operated an artwork service from 1991-2002 and provided technical consulting services to industry firms. Burnham is the principal author of the artwork readiness initiative and guided the PPAI Artwork Task Force to develop the educational curricula and various self-help tools for improving artwork readiness.