I predict that within three years, we’ll be viewing more proofs on press via a flat-screen colour monitor than with a hard copy proof.

Consider these facts: At a recent conference in Hong Kong, TIME, Inc. unveiled their proofing goals – to eliminate hard-copy proofs in Asia in the next year and in the U.S. within the next two years.

Eliminate the hard proof? If that seems difficult for you to believe, you may want to continue reading.

What is soft proofing?

“The idea of soft proofing is to replace the traditional paper-based proofing method in order to create a more effective, full digital workflow. By using the monitor, colour decisions can be made to accurately match what images look like when proofed or when printed on press.” (Shaffer, J. 2005, ‘Instant Gratification’, American Printer, July issue, pp. 40 - 47)

Right now, the major obstacle in the acceptance of monitor proofing is actually the lack of understanding and not the technology. It’s been proven by the GATF via its SWOP Certifications of various soft-proofing systems that the technology works. Currently, 20 of the 60 certified proofing systems are display/monitor-based proofing systems.

What are the advantages of our current LCD monitors?

1) Jitter free, translates into sharper images
2) No RFI interference. Less image degradation.
3) Significantly more luminance/brightness. This translates into increased dynamic range.
4) Less reflection translates into better shadow detail in brighter environments.

What are the reasons to implement Soft Proofing?

1) Deadlines are getting shorter. Offset printing is becoming on-demand printing.
2) To make money today you need to focus on a global market, not just the local market.
3) To be competitive you need to be working efficiently – getting the job delivered faster with fewer steps.

A recent GATF study showed that 70% of print buyers would use soft proofing if it was as accurate as a hard proof.

In a traditional hard proofing workflow, the average approval time is 2 1/2 days.

1) Hard proofs are printed.
2) Proofs are delivered.
3) Client reviews them.
4) Mark up and deliver back to printer.
5) Prepress makes corrections.
6) Then we repeat steps 1-5 again, if required.

In a soft-proofing workflow, approval can be granted in hours.

1) Job is uploaded to an ftp site or a central soft-proofing system.
2) Client reviews and makes annotations.
3) Printer is notified if a change must be made and makes the necessary corrections.
4) Repeat steps 1-3 as required.

Additional benefits to a soft-proofing workflow:

1) Avoids delays due to weather or natural disasters.
2) Ability to track electronically all document changes.
3) Lower costs.
4) Less chance of a substrate mismatch.

What are the negatives to viewing and approving images on screen?

1) Proper monitor calibration at both printer and client is required.
2) Proper viewing environment must be set up for viewing area.
3) High bandwidth required: T1 line required for printer and DSL or cable for client.
4) Initial costs for implementation: new hardware and software.
5) Overcoming psychological need to have a psychical proof in hand.

Soft-proofing options:

1) ICS: Remote Director.
2) KPG: Matchprint Virtual Proofing System.
3) Creo Synapse Insite.
4) Dalim Dialogue.
5) CGS ColorTuner Soft-proof.

The current status of soft proofing can be visualized by the graphic below. With all technological introductions, industries go through phases of acceptance. Soft proofing is currently in between the Early Adopters and Early Majority phase. It should only be another 6-10 months before we’re into the phase where the majority of users are comfortable with this form of proofing,

The hard proof will never go away entirely, but it’s certain that in many workflows soft proofing will be a dominant and viable method of proofing. Don’t hold out and be labeled a traditionalist. Many of the current soft-proofing systems offer demo options to try before you buy. Set up a selected group of customers and test the waters first.

While many large-format printing companies are buzzing around all the new flatbed printers that are hitting the marketplace, VUTEk has quietly introduced a competitively priced, very respectable 103” solvent-based inkjet printer. VUTEk certainly has an excellent reputation in the print industry, so we were thrilled when they recently released this new model. VUTEk’s printers have revolutionized the printing industry, enabling large, attractive graphics to be created one at a time. Such machines can print on a variety of media, including vinyl and textiles, so we were anxious to take it on a test run.

Features

Available as a six-color model and featuring 6-color printing, 360-dpi addressable resolution (720-dpi apparent), the VUTEk 260 prints on hundreds of uncoated materials up to 103 inches. The image quality we saw coming out of the printer will satisfy the most demanding customer requirements, and it operates at a significantly lower cost per square foot than many other printers.

Print speeds varied in range from 400 sq. ft./hr. in Enhanced 1- pass mode to 200 sq. ft./hr. in Ultra 2-pass mode. The printer also comes standard with the ColorBurst Pro RIP, which was a joy to use.

Stunning Colours

The VUTEk ink has to be one of its biggest benefits. The supplied ink comes in six 3.25 liter bottles in cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light magenta and light cyan that provide knock out color. These larger inks also provide users with longer unattended print runs. VUTEk inks are solvent based and therefore can print on the largest variety of stocks. They carry a two-year outdoor durability warranty (extended to a five-year warranty with Aquashield). Proper ventilation is required.

The provided ColorBurst Pro RIP provides excellent color reproduction to match the original artwork. An intuitive graphical user interface makes for easy operation and calibration.

Additional RIP Features

• ICC color management for media versatility and color accuracy
• Multi-color support for smooth highlights to mid-tone transitions, improved color quality and increased apparent higher resolution
• Tiling feature to simplify complex printing jobs

Printing Technology

The VUTEk 260 features SPECTRO Piezo drop-on-demand solvent inkjet technology. The advantages of using piezo technology in inkjet printers are easy to list. This technology is robust, keeps printer life long and positions the individual ink droplets on the paper continuously with the greatest precision and speed.

The VUTEk 260 comes with a one-year printer warranty (includes piezo inkjet heads, which are not considered to be consumables with VUTEk printers).

Projects

When testing the VUTEk 260, we printed several 54”x 54” projects. We found the print output speed at 2 Pass (Ultra Mode) produced great quality and color density at 200 sq. ft. per hour and can be viewed from within 5 ft. The 1 pass (enhanced mode) produced 400 sq. ft. per hour and would be suitable for billboards and signage to be viewed from 10 ft.or greater. Here are some of the possible applications:

• Billboards
• Point-of-purchase advertising
• Banners and signage
• Posters
• Exhibition and display graphics
• Vehicle and fleet graphics
• Bus wraps and shelters
• Telephone kiosks
• Wall murals
• Long-term outdoor graphics
• Stage graphics

Conclusion

The VUTEk 260 is a top-notch printing device for outdoor durable prints. It will enable commercial imaging shops to step up to VUTEk image quality and higher-volume productivity at an attractive price. It will allow shops to generate high-quality output at high speeds, expanding their business and making more profits on applications like POP advertising, window displays, floor graphics, posters, fleet graphics and outdoor banners and signs.

Priced at $99,000 (US), the VUTEk 260 solvent, roll-to-roll printer will help businesses looking to expand their current capabilities and attract new revenue from jobs requiring superior image quality and faster turnarounds.

The VUTEk 260 is now shipping within Canada.

2005 will go down as “the year of flat” in the printing world. Look at the interest in flatbed printers at Graphics Canada this year — and at the sheer number of such devices from a wide range of exhibitors.

Of course, flatbed wasn’t the only trend obvious to the observer. Wide-format printers and digital presses also drew a lot of attention. Printers and other professionals in the graphics business are looking at proofing, display making and variable printing like never before. By comparison, offset lithography has lost a lot of its former luster. Still, the “traditional” press manufacturers drew crowds to see how their latest offerings could make the graphics business more profitable.

Following is a not-comprehensive summary of some of the major trends evident at Graphics Canada 2005.

Year of flat

Winner of biggest and flattest machine on the show floor had to be Canada’s own GandInnovations, with their Jeti inkjet printers. Visitors crowded to see huge posters coming off their three- and five-metre-wide roll-fed printers and the new Jeti 3150 UV flatbed 6-colour printer.

ColorSpan flatbed printers were, it seems, everywhere at the show. The UVX prints on materials up to ½-inch thick, allowing printing directly onto the display material – no more need to mount or laminate paper onto foamcore or MDF. Unisource, MacDermid and several other booths had the relatively compact ColorSpan devices running.

Fujifilm Canada’s booth was dominated by large flatbed equipment from Inca: the Spyder 320, only the second to be seen in Canada (the first has been installed in Vancouver). This is a “mid-range” flatbed printer, available in four or six colours, with a maximum imaging area of more than 10 feet by 5 (according to the specs, 3.2 x 1.6 metres). “It’s ideal for screen printers who need to produce very short runs profitably,” say company representatives-priced at around $425,000 US, it’s easier to justify than many others. It also has a smaller “footprint” than, say, the Jeti, but be careful: the printing head extends beyond both sides of the printing bed, so it’s a bit of a hazard to bystanders as it moves back and forth.

Mike Borysenko, printing distributor from Toronto, injected a little reality into the discussion of wide-format printing. “It’s very interesting, but I don’t have enough room for a large-format flatbed printer.”

Partners Graphic Support was showing the Durst Rho 600, 80-inch (600 cm) wide printer in Hall 3. “There’s a lot of interest from screen printers because it allows them to print very short runs profitably,” said partner David Latham. “There’s also a lot of interest from lithographic printers who are looking at getting into a new market.”

Ernest Green & Son showed the Toucan printer from Mutoh, which can print onto material up to ½ inch thick, and can be roll-fed or sheetfed.

Flatbed cutters drew a lot of attention, too. An almost continuous throng surrounded ND Graphics’ booth in Hall 2 to watch Kongsberg’s Multi-Cut computerized die-cutter slice out logos of their favourite hockey teams and cartoon characters (SpongeBob was particularly popular) on almost any material up to 1 inch thick — aluminum, wood, MDF and more. An important profitability feature is a camera in the cutting head, which “sees” registration marks and automatically adjusts cutting position and direction for skew, stretch or other distortion. “It’s great for the sign maker with a flatbed printer who wants to print directly onto the substrate,” says Ted Nesbit, ND Graphics’ Training Manager, who was demonstrating the machine.

Visitors want wide

Wide-format printers were also popular. As stated, GandInnovation’s Jeti 5000 was the biggest on the floor, but Agfa’s Grand Sherpa Universal wowed attendees by producing a two-sided, four-colour, eight-up imposition proof in less than five minutes. The smaller Sherpa 24 “has gotten a lot of interest from flexographic printers,” said Joe Cotrone of Ernest Green & Son, which also showed the Agfa printers.

Hewlett-Packard had several wide-format printers. Some were aimed at the CAD market but the 4000 PS was shown for the graphics shop, as a proofer or short-run output system.

Epson and Canon also showed off their wide-format printers, among a broad array of products. Canon’s imageRUNNER Pro 125VP is a long, long unit with a lot of production features for the print shop.

Presses: concentrating on productivity

Rather than groundbreaking technological advances, press manufacturers and vendors this year are focusing their message on making their products more efficient and profitable with more automation, faster makereadies and better integration into complete “systems.”

Taking the prize for the most stylish press in the show was easily the Genius 52UV from KBA. This waterless, UV-drying offset packaging press doesn’t look like any other press on the market. KBA has dispensed with the inking-tower-per-colour approach, and instead arranged six inking stations in a radial fashion around a single impression cylinder. The manufacturer claims the press can be brought up to colour in as few as 10 sheets. Because there’s no water, there’s no need to worry about ink-water balance or even setting inking keys.

Changing plates or cleaning the press is a matter of sliding the side doors apart. KBA says plates can be changed in five minutes.

Heidelberg Canada had another Graphics Canada 05 first: the Canadian premiere of the Speedmaster XL 105 41-inch sheetfed press, shown in a 6-colour configuration, plus coater. Heidelberg also showed some smaller presses: A 5-colour, 12-inch Speedmaster SM 52, a 4-colour, 14-inch Printmaster PM 74, and two Printmaster QM 46s.

The size of their exhibit allowed Heidelberg the luxury of showing complete printing solutions, from prepress to finishing. The Prinect technology, which links prepress, image control, colour calibration, imposition (using SignaStation), platesetting and workflow control, drove print jobs. Crowds gathered to see the Prosetter 102, Quicksetter 300E and, for the Speedmaster XL press, the new Suprasetter s105 CTP platesetters.

In the postpress section, the new Pile Turner, which flips a pallet of printed paper, was an eye-catcher, but so was the complete Stitchmaster ST 350 stitching line that was running “live” through much of the show. Polar cutters, Stahl folders, Rima stackers and other paper-handling machines rounded out the exhibit.

For MAN Roland Canada, Graphics Canada 2005 was the first time they had a press running “live” in its booth, explained Canadian General Manager Paul Tasker. However, it wasn’t a MAN Roland press; instead, it was a four-colour Ryobi 520 with a coater. MAN Roland Canada has been distributing Ryobi printing equipment since the spring of 2005, and Tasker was very pleased with the reception both companies found at the show. Also on the booth were Moll finishing equipment and, to tie it all into a smooth workflow, the PECOM computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) system. “We have exceeded their expectations in terms of sales, especially with our success with the Moll folder/gluer.”

K-North, Canada’s Komori representative, was another exhibitor with a “first”: the first Spica 29P sheetfed press, shown in a 4-colour configuration with automated perfecting change-over, plate changers and data transfer.

Presstek, now owners of ABDick, had two main points to make at the show. First, of course, was their pioneering direct imaging computer-to-press systems, shown on Kodak and ABDick equipment; the other idea they stressed were the benefits of printing without hazardous chemistry, processing or water — no disposables, no harmful fumes, and higher profits.

Digital presses

Digital presses are taking a larger slice of the printing pie, and they drew consistent interest throughout the show. Xerox showed its iGen3 with roll feeding and inline coater and finishing equipment — including a booklet maker.

Xerox also has a number of “partnerships” with companies that develop variable printing and workflow management software, such as ExStream, Creo Darwin, XMPie and Elixir. These are essential elements in the growth of technologies like the iGen, Hewlett-Packard’s Indigo and Xeikon in producing four-colour, personalized direct mail and financial statements and bills, too.

Speaking of HP’s Indigo, the new Indigo 500 shown at Graphics Canada was the first model completely built under the HP brand. Costing around $400,000 US, it has found a niche in the Canadian market with about eight installations recently.

Punch Graphix showed the Xeikon digital press along with basysPrint computer-to-platesetters in an impressive-looking booth.

Kodak’s NexPress 2100 variable imaging electronic press also had a strong presence, holding down a sizable chunk of Kodak’s booth. Afga’s Dotrix high-speed, four-colour printing system is another example, which could have used greater prominence among Agfa’s many products.

But full-colour variable imaging presses weren’t the only type at Graphics Canada. The new Nipson VaryPress 200 was another Graphics Canada 05 debut, showing at Ernest Green & Son’s booth. This is a single-colour variable printing systems for addressing, labeling, direct mail and financial printing applications. It can take roll-fed paper, and can tie into press and roll-fed finishing, folding, perforating, cutting workflows. Kodak’s Versamark inkjet printer reportedly got a lot of interest from computer service bureaus, but also seemed a little lost in Kodak’s booth.

Prepress: “productivity” is the word

There are fewer companies who are strictly prepress anymore, and at Graphics Canada, they also focused on improving the printer’s profitability.

Quark showed the latest version of XPress 7. While it adds some ease-of-use features, the demonstrations stressed workflow automation.

Agfa has a number of workflow tools. Most notable are ApogeeX, for single workstations and users, and Delano for printers and agencies. They also showed their new Arcadia Web portal that helps clients to manage digital assets, simplifies collaboration and tracks progress off jobs through a Web browser.

Adobe drew crowds to seminars on managing production with its workflow tools and on using its CreativeSuite, which includes InDesign document layout, Photoshop, Illustrator, and other tools. Again, its focus was efficient production of printed and electronic documents.

And don’t overlook the smaller companies who also offer workflow tools: MetaCommunications’ VirtualTicket; Onyx Graphics Workflow and RIP; Speedflow by OneVision; Nexus from Artwork Systems; and the big systems — PECOM from MAN Roland, Prinect from Heidelberg, and Prinergy from Kodak.

Management tools

A number of smaller booths proved that computerized management of the printing room is not just for the big guys anymore.

Print-Quotes is an estimating program that runs inside a Web browser—so you can estimate printing from anywhere with an Internet connection. It includes price lists, prepress, finishing, dockets, file uploads and on-line proofing, inventory control and time tracking — but, sadly, isn’t yet JDF compliant. Still, for the smaller print shop, it’s probably worth consideration.

Instaprint from Airesys is a full management information system (MIS) for printers that includes order processing, purchasing management, staff management, financial planning and a full accounting system, all integrated into an “enterprise management” system.

And Avanti, long a fixture at Graphics Canada, had a constant crowd at their booth. “Printers are worried about the very thing we’re talking about: how to connect the ‘islands of automation,’” said Stephen McWilliam, Executive Vice-President. Avanti’s system not only collects production data from all the machines on the shop floor, the software also analyses it and gives managers comprehensive reports on what’s making money for them. And, it’s JDF-compliant. “JDF is now delivering on its promised productivity gain,” said McWilliams.

The show in Canada

Even a casual stroll around Graphics Canada makes it obvious that this is the most important trade show in the Canadian graphic arts industry—and the attendees will tell you, too.

“It’s been a good show,” said Steve Foley of Metroland Printing. He and others from his company came to look at punches, plate benders and a computer-to-plate system to expand their CTP capabilities in all their plants.

“It’s absolutely an important show,” said Ian Young of Radiant Laser Cut, a die-cutting firm in Markham, ON. “All my customers are here.” Young came for the “Great Debates: the power of new-age presses,” hosted by the Canadian Paperboard Packaging Association. “And I saw a lot more die-cutting suppliers that I didn’t expect to see here. I was struck by the amount of new technology on the market — a lot of suppliers are crossing into new areas.”

A significant show, Canada’s most important graphic arts trade show, and a successful show for exhibitors, management and—most important—the visitors. It didn’t feature the earth-shattering new announcements of some past trade shows, but it was the most important gathering of the Canadian industry in two years.

And that’s the point.

The question business owners ask me the most often is, "What is a good business opportunity to get in nowadays?" What I hear being said is, "I'm tired of the business I'm in and I'm looking for something more profitable."

I do not have an easy answer to that question. There are lots of great ideas and business opportunities for any entrepreneurial-minded person to pursue. But the potential in any idea is determined by the mindset of the person doing the exploring. The biggest challenge is getting clear on what you want. That is the starting point of any worthwhile endeavor.

A pizza shop owner was being audited by Revenue Canada. The owner asked, “What’s wrong? Why am I being audited?” The auditor replied, “You’ve got two trips to Europe down as business expenses. What’s your explanation?” The pizza shop owner replied, “We deliver!”

In business, not everything is as it first appears. Often, there is a reasonable explanation, if only one will take the time to investigate. However, time is rarely a commodity in abundance, and most people don’t have the motivation to look carefully before making a decision.

We live in a world where people are used to instant results, so if it isn’t readily apparent, the answer is generally “no.” That can be a terrible problem for any business owner trying for credit. Getting money to finance your business is often based on your personal credit history, more so than on your business’ record of payments.

Generally, lenders look to the business owner as a guarantor or as the primary borrower, so your personal credit report becomes an important part of the loan proposal. Do you know what’s on your credit report? Have you ever looked? Do you know why it’s important to check it periodically?

The information contained in those files has a value, but often, that information is filed by people who are less concerned with accuracy than they are with tomorrow’s weather. They don’t get paid for accuracy, and when it comes to your information, that can really hurt you!

There are several credit bureaus, the most familiar being Equifax and TransUnion. These companies basically maintain a database, which is a record of reports made by credit grantors on the payment history of individuals. The report itself starts the first time you apply for credit, get a credit card, buy something on an installment plan, or when you pledge an asset as security for a loan. From that point on, they’re keeping tabs on you!

The credit grantor, who pays a fee every time they access your records, also reports to the credit bureau on your payment behaviour. The report itself is not that complicated, but a few misplaced numbers can turn your financial life upside down.

The reports are free and you can access them by going to the offices of either credit bureau, or sending a written request by mail or fax, or paying for instant access by going online. These bureaus don’t charge for this service, so they really discourage you from attending to get a copy of your report because there’s no money in it for them. That’s why they love the internet. You just log onto their site, give them your credit card number, and for a fee, you can print a copy of your report that they’re supposed to provide to you for free!

Although the information in the report is all about you, it’s really not for you – it’s for credit grantors so they can assess your credit worthiness based on past performance. The report itself isn’t really that hard to decipher. The first page lists your tombstone information such as name, social insurance number, birth date, address, employment, date the file was opened, your occupation, marital status – basically information in order to identify you.

The next section lists enquiries. This is where it can get troublesome. You see, if you have a few enquiries on your report, that’s fine, but if you have many enquiries on your report, that’s bad! Credit grantors will assume you’ve been shopping for credit, and you’ve either been refused or your racking up a pile of unsecured debt, which is a signal that you’re not using credit wisely. In other words, something’s wrong.

Why are there so many enquiries on your report? The answer can be as simple as “mortgage broker.” Typically, when engaging a mortgage broker, that broker will shop your deal around to many different financial institutions who will each request a copy of your credit report, as part of their due diligence in evaluating your mortgage or loan request. All of a sudden, there are ten enquiries on your report from different credit grantors, so it looks like you’re applying for credit all over the place!

Now if you go to several mortgage brokers at the same time, or within a short time frame, then this process is multiplied, so your report may have numerous enquiries from the same financial institutions! That’s really bad. The next time you apply for a credit card, you’re declined, and you don’t know why.

The meat and potatoes of the credit report is the credit history or banking information. This is the section that lists information received about you from credit grantors. The reporting bureau doesn’t care about accuracy. They only report what they’re told.

Generally it’s unsecured creditors that will report, like credit cards or car loans or installment loans on big-ticket items. There’s a number system that indicates you’re up to date – i.e. a number one; then number two to indicate one month in arrears, number three to indicate two months in arrears, and so on, until you get to number nine! Number nine is the dreaded “write off.”

If a credit grantor sees a number nine, fuggedaboutit. You’re done. They don’t like to see number nine. That means they’ve done everything short of flogging you to try to recover the amount outstanding, and they’ve decided to write off the account, which means you’re no good. You may be a wonderful person, but they don’t care. You may not even have incurred the debt. Perhaps you co-signed a loan for your idiot brother-in-law and he hasn’t paid it back responsibly? They don’t care. You’re now tagged with the dreaded nine!

The next section indicates Public Records and other information – basically any security registered against you which secures the debt, or judgements filed against you by someone trying to collect money. Maybe there was a small claims court action against you for $100 that you chose to ignore? Well, if the plaintiff got a judgement against you for the hundred bucks, it’s there and it’s not good.

Collection agencies employed by credit grantors to collect on errant accounts will advise the credit bureau to make a note on your file which other credit grantors will see, it’s something like “Enquiry Alert” or under the heading “Collections.” Although the headings sound onerous, they don’t mean anything – and they may be entirely erroneous, but they’re there and they can definitely hurt you.

How can you protect yourself against this? How can you defend yourself against these unnecessary impediments to your financial well being?

You can start by looking at your credit bureau report once in a while. Get a copy online (pay for it), or get it for free from Equifax or TransUnion. Look at it. If there is any incorrect information, inform the credit bureau. They give you a form that you can fill in with the details and you should provide them supporting documentation to correct the report.

Next, when you apply for a loan, do it in person. Have a copy of your credit report handy, so you’re looking at the same thing the loan manager is looking at. Why should you be at a disadvantage? Now that you’re looking at the same thing, you can explain the errors and put any derogatory information in perspective.

Maybe you forgot to pay that old 407 toll charge when your son took your car and didn’t have the transponder. You never saw the bill because your son was going to pay for it, but forgot to do that before he left for university in another city.

Months go by, the invoice gets sent to a collections agency, and the next thing you know there is an “Enquiry Alert” on your file! Or maybe your wife forgot to pay that old Zellers account which happens to be a joint credit card. You never use it, she rarely uses it, now it shows up as an R9 because you didn’t pay fifteen bucks for the toilet paper she picked up six months ago!

As you can see, it doesn’t take much – and all of a sudden your impeccable payment history is trashed and your business line of credit is reduced or declined entirely.

We live in an age of information. Most of it is rarely, if ever, reviewed for accuracy. There’s just no time to verify everything, so it’s your responsibility to be aware, to be forewarned and to make a little effort to ensure that the playing field is level. It’s not that tough. It only takes a mild effort to ensure that you avoid the anger and frustration that can bite you when you least expect it.

It never ceases to amaze me how few salespeople take the time to follow-up after they’ve made initial contact with a prospect or customer.

In the last few months, I can think of at least eight different situations in my own life when this happened. These included a landscaper who designed plans for our property, two different people who spoke to me about creating a promotional piece for my business, a sales rep for a pool company and a men’s fashion salesman who was asked to send information. In each case, I was very interested in the product or service.

This got me wondering…why don’t people follow-up? I think there are several reasons.

They don’t want to appear pushy.

Following up too frequently may come across as being pushy. However, very few salespeople ever come close to crossing this line. I can recall one time I did feel a salesperson was being pushy, but it was more because of his tone, rather than fact he actually followed up.

As a sales professional, I believe it’s our responsibility to keep following up with our prospects until we know for certain if they want to do business. However, I also strongly believe that we can cross the line by making too many calls in a short period of time. So where’s the happy balance?

Well, it depends on your business. A weekly call is more than enough to keep in touch, but make sure it’s short and to the point. Don’t waste your prospect’s time by droning on and on. Also, if possible, provide some additional value during your follow-up call. This may give your prospect a reason to choose you over a competitor.

They forget.

It’s easy to forget things, considering how busy most of us are. We may have every intention of calling our prospect, but we get caught up in our business. Unexpected problems occur, we spend too much time in meetings or stuck in traffic – and because we didn’t schedule the follow-up, it doesn’t get done. The solution: Consider any follow-up as a scheduled appointment.

They make false assumptions.

I once submitted a proposal to a company and told them I would follow-up on a certain day and time. Unfortunately, I was sick that particular day and it was several days before I recuperated. I then wrestled with whether or not I should call him. I was concerned that he would question why I didn’t call. In the end, a simple apology was enough to rectify the situation and move the sales process forward.

When someone doesn’t immediately return our phone call or e-mail message, we usually assume the worst – even if that assumption is not verified.

I’ve learned from experience that a lack of response may simply be that the other person is just too busy to respond or doesn’t have an immediate answer for you.

They think that the customer or prospect will contact them.

I think this is one of the most common myths that salespeople fall prey to. They think that if they do a good job, the customer will automatically call back – i.e. we don’t need to follow-up.

Unfortunately, we can’t rely on this if we want to achieve our sales goals. People get busy, they forget or procrastinate and the more time that slips by, the less important your product or service may seem to them.

They have never been taught.

Many people have never received formal sales training and therefore have not learned why they should follow-up and how to make this happen. This is relatively easy to remedy.

Start by asking or telling your prospect that you’ll follow-up on a specific day or time. Tell them how you will follow-up (telephone, e-mail, face-to-face) and record this in your day planner or time management system. I use Outlook and now include a reminder so I don’t forget to follow-up.

Follow-up should also be completed after the sale is completed. A quick telephone call after your product or service has been delivered confirms their decision to buy from you. I make an effort to send every client a handwritten “thank you” card once the sale has been confirmed, and again when the services they requested have been delivered.

Here’s the bottom line: You can easily differentiate yourself from your competition by making the effort to follow-up with your prospects and customers. Don’t take it for granted that they’ll call you. Be proactive and contact them.

In a series of articles focusing on Mac OS X, you will learn new ways to make your workday more efficient and profitable. Some of the subjects I will be addressing are: troubleshooting, software updates (when and how), security issues, and integrating with Windows networks.

Is your computer secure?

What do I mean by this is: Do you have proper computer security in place to protect your proprietary business data from theft or loss? As a graphics business, what about the client files you have on your system(s)? Do you protect their data?

Too often when I visit a customer I see computers that are either unsecured or have poor security in place. Security is certainly a mind-set that most of us don’t think of when it comes to graphics data but everyone knows how bad things get when you experience data loss, corruption or theft, let alone a customers’ files. The first step in securing your computer is to look at the physical side.

Hardware Security

Every Mac made since I can recall has always had a security slot built-in. You know, the little slot with the “chain” icon? This slot is designed to take a standard security device such as a Kensington lock. PowerMac G5’s have a little latch under the side-door release that can be flipped down to accept a lock. Securing the desktop, display or laptop computer to a work table or desk is a sure way to prevent physical theft. These locks are not expensive and work very well.

Software Security

Mac OS X has built-in security features that are quite sophisticated. While we can’t go over every aspect of them we’ll deal with the simplest first: Passwords. What makes a good password?

When you buy a new Mac the setup assistant will help you create an initial user account. This account is very special. First, it has administrative rights. This means that this account can be used to change anything on the computer. I’ve seen a lot of customers either assign a simple password for this account or none at all!

When doing a Mac OS X setup, always create a standard administrative account with a good, secure password. This is your first-line of defense against intrusion. I then create a day-to-day non-administrative account for each user to work with. This is especially good for businesses running multiple-shifts by keeping user data and preferences individualized. A side benefit is a non-admin account has a much lower chance of compromising your careful setups.

A password should be easy to remember but not easily guessed. Typically, I use a phrase but substitute letters such as “3” for “e” and “7 for “T” and so on. Uppercase and lowercase are important too! Mac OS X Tiger has a Password Assistant in the Accounts System Prefs that can evaluate your password or suggest ones to you. Click on the “key” icon in a password field to run it.

In the Security section of System Prefs you can enable password protection for the screen-saver, secure the virtual memory system and more. Using all or a combination of items can make for a very secure system.

Don’t expose your system

Another area of potential intrusion is the items in the Sharing icon of System Prefs. Mac OS X is very secure out of the box in terms of network intrusion. Turning on sharing services on your Mac can expose you to network hacking. A router is a cost-effective way to keep out intruders. If you do chose to operate your Mac without a router and turn on some sharing, use the “Firewall” tab in Sharing to disable incoming connections for the items you want to secure. Don’t forget to click the “Start” button in the firewall section to enable it.

Keychains

Probably the least understood feature of Mac OS X that customers ask me about is the Keychain. The Keychain system is a central repository for user names, passwords, certificates, notes and more that is encrypted. Mac OS X and many applications (such as Safari) use the Keychain to store confidential information that can be retrieved when needed. In the past, applications and other utilities used to store this information in non-encrypted preference files on an individual basis. If you open the Keychain Access utility from /Applications/Utilities you will most likely see a few entries already there depending on the applications you use. There will be entries for file servers, your email server credentials, an entry for Safari to store forms information and more. One of the interesting features of Keychain is the ability to store personal notes and information. Since the Keychain is encrypted this is a great way to store personal information you want away from prying eyes. One word of caution though. The default keychain (login.keychain or username.keychain) located in ~/Library/Keychains is opened and decrypted by default when you login to your Mac. This means that someone who has access to your computer while you are logged in has the potential to read this info. Fortunately, Keychain Access allows you to create as many keychains as you like that are NOT opened when you login. It would be better to store your info in these since it will ask for a password to view them.

Encrypted Disk Images

Another way to secure information is via the use of encrypted disk images. A disk image (.dmg) is a single file that acts as if it was a CD or a floppy or hard drive. If you download software from the internet I’m sure you seen these. If you run Disk Utility from /Applications/Utilities you create a new disk image of your choice of size and you have the ability to make it secure. You enter a password that will be required to open it when double-clicked in the Finder. When you send files to a customer consider this method of delivering the files either on CD or email to protect the data. Send the .dmg file instead of loose files. Who knows what happens when CDs get lost in the mail or courier...

Data Backup and Protection

Everyone knows they should backup their computer data. Some never do, some lament it after the damage is done. It bewilders me to see computers coming with huge 250GB hard drives and people don’t think for a second on how to backup those drives. In this day and age, tape-drive technology is having a tough time keeping up with the rapid pace of hard drive capacity. Tapes however offer the most inexpensive method of increasing your off-line storage. A backup however is only as good as the configuration of the software and most importantly, the reliability and testing of the restore process. A carefully planned backup solution can help archive data, retrieve a misplaced file or restore your entire network or server from a catastrophic failure.

More Business Security

Mac OS X has matured quite a lot over the years. It has become what many call an “Enterprise-ready” operating system. To many this means user management. In a larger business Mac OS X workstations can be completely managed from a central server. In Apple’s case, Mac OS X Server. We’ve done several setups with Mac OS X Server where user data does not live on the workstation but on the server itself. While this is a project that is more involved than some would require, this method provides total control of the security of the workstations. If a computer goes down or is stolen, simply move to another workstation, login and your data follows you on the network. Laptops can be configured to automatically sync their data to the server using this system as well. What about your email? Aside from the performance improvement of archiving years of emails from your computer, you should protect it with as much importance as your other files.

As I mentioned when I began, security is mind-set. It’s a state of mind that should be as important as your workflow and daily-activities. Neglecting computer security is as bad as not locking the doors to your business when you leave for the day.

The loser

When an employee leaves a company, it signifies that a loss has occurred. In some cases, a manager might argue that point, claiming that the employee didn’t represent a loss since he or she didn’t do anything of value.

Regardless of how poor a job an employee did, resources were spent hiring that person. Further resources were spent for training and compensation while employed. If the employee damaged the company’s property or relationships with its customers, the time spent correcting the employee was also a cost that has now been lost.

The winner

Conversely, managers are sometimes faced with the loss of good employees. These may be key sales representatives, skilled tradespeople or production personnel that exhibit initiative and innovation. When such employees leave, managers are often angry and vindictive. This behaviour leads to a double loss.

Some managers have a tough time dealing with rejection, and this is how they may perceive the departure of a key employee. The feeling is intensified if the manager invested a lot of time mentoring the individual. Relations often deteriorate. A manager may cease to communicate with the individual. The result is that management becomes a double loser. They lose the employee as well as the employee’s good will.

Exit interview

Whether departing individuals are viewed as good or poor employees, the company seldom carries out an exit interview. Either management is so angry with the individual that they can’t sit down and talk civilly, or they have such a low regard for the person that they can’t see how he or she could provide any valuable information. However, failing to do an exit interview is definitely an opportunity missed.

Conducting a successful exit interview

Just as performance appraisals need to be frank and non-threatening, exit interviews need to be done the same way. Prior to an exit interview, there needs to be planning.

Who?

Have a person who has not directly supervised the departing employee do the job. This should remove a significant amount of emotion and hostility. It’s likely that the departing person will be more open in the discussion if their former boss is not doing the interview. If someone isn’t available within the company, consider outsourcing the task.

Why?

The discussion should avoid personalities. If the basic reason for the person’s departure is their dislike of their boss, the interview can sometimes deteriorate into a character assassination. This adds little value for the employer.

The objective of the interviewer is to identify non-personal issues that have led to the employee’s departure – e.g. not being entirely suited to the position, a lack of opportunities for advancement, and so on. Make sure the real issues are identified and that the departing employee doesn’t dwell on problems that are “red herrings.”

When and where?

It’s probably best to conduct the exit interview off company premises. This helps avoid the chances of loud arguing or shouting. If the employee has already left the premises, it will have to be carried out during a non-work time, probably in a restaurant or similar public place. Given our society’s inclination to sue, one thing that needs to be avoided is to hold the interview in a private place, like a hotel room.

What to do

It’s important to be open and honest about an exit interview.

• The departing employee’s boss must be informed that such a meeting is going to take place and what was said.
• Issues coming out of the interview concerning the boss should be discussed.
• Remaining employees must not perceive that the interview was conducted to attack their boss, or that the boss has been reprimanded as a result. The boss must not be placed in a position that will result in a loss of credibility or respect.

Finally, do something with the information from the interview. You can be sure the departing employee has told his or her colleagues about the company’s problems, real or imagined.

• Discuss the matter with management and get their input to determine if the problem(s) are real or imagined.

• If there are issues that can be improved, make sure you deal with them. It’s best to do that sooner rather than later. You don’t want other people leaving the organization for reasons that you are aware of and can fix.
• If the issues are such that you cannot deal with them, communicate this to the employees and explain the reasons.

Q I have a file stuck in the Trash. It’s not locked but I still can’t empty the Trash. What can I do about it?

Hopefully, you have already checked the permissions on the file. You can do that by selecting the file and choosing “Get Info” from the File menu. On the info pallet that opens you can click the triangle beside “Ownership & Permissions” to see who owns it and what the permissions are. To change the owner or permissions you can click the lock to unlock the pull-down menus and change the settings.

On the command line you can also change the owner with the “chown” command and change permissions with “chmod”. Using the Get Info pallet can do the job for most users.

If you still can’t delete the file you may find that the “immutable” flag has been set. This flag is used to protect files from changing or from being deleted. Open the Terminal, and navigate to your file (You can drag the file into the Terminal to save from typing the path to the file.) To check if there is an immutable flag type “ls –alo” at the prompt. The “-o” shows the immutable flag and you will see “uchg” beside the file.

To change the immutable flag type “chflags nouchg filename” to unlock it and “chflag uchg filename” to lock it.

Once you resolved the ownership, permissions and flags you should be able to empty the Trash.

Q For some reason my keyboard keeps acting up. When I type a slash I get a “é”. Other keys are wrong. Do I need a new keyboard or can this be fixed.

No your keyboard is fine. The culprit is the International settings. It is a common problem with Macs that are sold in Canada. For some reason when you install MacOS X or buy a new Mac with MacOSX installed the folks at Apple assume that your using a French Canadian keyboard. When you enter the name of a Canadian city the computer sets up a slew of Canadian preferences. The keyboard remaps the keys to match the French Canadian keyboard which has easier access to accented characters. The date formats sometimes switch to French and printers that use “Rendezvous” sharing show up as “Bonjour” printers (Perhaps someone should tell Apple that “Rendezvous” is already a French word.)

To fix your problem I recommend that you change a few settings in the “International” pane in the System Preferences. Begin by going to “Input Menu” tab and unchecking the “Canadian CSA” keyboard layout (Incidentally, holding “Apple and Option” will flip between Keyboard layouts – Yes, it’s the same keys used by Adobe to magnify.)

Once you fixed the “Input Menu”, visit the “Formats” tab and change the “Region” to “United States” unless you like the date and number formats that Apple has chosen. (Again I have no idea where they get their info from!)

With Macs that you’ve purchase the setting may be set but you can avoid this in future if you buy another Mac or if you install a new copy of MacOS X. When you put in the city and province enter the Canadian city where you live or work, then when the installer asks which keyboard layout to choose select “United States”.

Q I want to move to MacOS X but I have some SCSI devices that I need. I’ve heard that SCSI cards don’t work on MacOSX. Are there any that work?

Unfortunately many of us have the same problem. There are a lot of FireWire and USB devices that make it hard to hang onto SCSI devices, Zips, Jaz drives and Scanners et al. But you may also have hard drives and tape drives that you need. Most of us switched over to Adaptec cards when buying G3s and G4s. Adaptec is not supporting MacOS X and the drivers that Apple has included don’t work reliably. Other SCSI card manufacturers, Orange Micro and FWB have either gone out of business or been acquired by other companies, so drivers are not available.

We’ve recently had great success with SCSI cards from ATTO Technologies. Their ExpressPCI UL3S and UL4S are the only cards recommended by EMC Dantz makers of Retrospect Backup software and LaCie, makers of SCSI tape drives. If you have a mission critical application like a Tape Library or a RAID then you may want to get an ATTO card. Otherwise, I would take the money that it would cost for the card and invest in FireWire products.

Last month’s column explained how being a good employer can improve your profits, business sustainability and customer satisfaction – and offered practical suggestions to position your company as an employer people want to work for. This month’s column continues the same theme with six more tips on how to be a good employer:

1) Recognize and reward team and individual performance. One way to acknowledge your staff’s valuable contributions to your corporate targets and goals is with tangible rewards dispensed through a creative compensation plan. The plan offers raises, commissions, bonuses or gifts tied to achievement. By first establishing effective benchmarks and measurement tools, you can then create an incentive plan that rewards people for exceeding the benchmarks.

The prize does not need to be monetary, however. For deserving staff who take pride in their work, public recognition can be the sweetest reward of all. It can take the form of a plaque, mention in the company newsletter or a creative gesture that typifies your company’s personality.

It is important to acknowledge the contribution – not just to the contributors themselves, but also to their peers and significant others. By making a formal presentation or posting congratulations, you demonstrate that the company cares about its employees’ efforts and inspires other staff to perform better.

A thank-you note to contributors’ families lets relatives know that the employee is valued and reinforces your appreciation for the time and hard work the top performers have contributed to the company.

2) Provide training and professional development. Enable people to succeed by giving them the professional training necessary to do their jobs well. Training acknowledges the employee’s value to your company and recognizes that you have a future together.

Realize also that the best employees seek opportunities for challenge or advancement. Without the chance to assume new responsibilities or work on new teams or committees or projects within your organization, they may feel they’re stagnating and might move on. People are motivated to work for – and stay with – companies that nurture their careers.

3) Be proactive to improve team interactions. Start from day one by implementing an orientation process that integrates new team members effectively. Additionally, people leave managers and supervisors more readily than they leave companies or jobs, so any measures you can apply to improve the quality of supervision your employees receive will aid in employee retention.

4) Adjust your physical environment to help staff meet your customers’ needs efficiently. Functional work spaces and work surfaces, adequate task lighting and appropriate safety and environmental conditions can all boost your staff’s performance. In an industry that now operates 24/7, employees’ safety getting to and from your building is also an important factor.

5) Give staffers a forum for open dialogue. Employees are the ones who see your operation from a day-to-day perspective. They are stakeholders in your business. Value that. Encourage and empower them to contribute ideas for improving your operations using well-thought-out reasons to substantiate their points of view. In exchange, provide them with meaningful feedback, including an explanation of how their input was considered or acted upon – or if not, why not.

6) Use humour. Some organizations have devalued humour and laughter at work, seeing them as unprofessional or unproductive distractions from getting the “real” job done. Yet, a recent study of financial institutions found managers who facilitated the highest level of employee performance used humour the most often.

The great psychotherapist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl defined humour as “one of the soul’s weapons in the fight for self-preservation.” In a crisis, it can be an effective mechanism for defusing stress and giving people a break from the disruptive negative emotions of anger and anxiety.

Physically, laughter has been proven to lower blood pressure to a healthier level, oxygenate the blood (thereby increasing energy), relax muscles and stimulate production of endorphins – natural “feel-good” painkillers that raise both our mood and coping abilities.

Psychologically, appropriate workplace humour promotes self-detachment, emotional and mental flexibility, problem-solving and improved morale. It can also serve as a social lubricant to break the ice, soften criticism or conflict and strengthen staff relationships and esprit de corps.