The security and convenience of PDF files is a wonderful thing. It has changed the lives of many direct marketers. We remember when it took 5 steps to get copy and layout to this stage. Today, presto! A PDF is instant. There is a danger, however, that has become a real risk with the advent of this type of technology.
For years, art directors, creative directors, production and account managers all approved final copy and layout from "dummies" or print outs of color keys folded exactly the way each element was to appear in final form in the direct mail package. Then, electronic files (including PDFs) became the norm and their speed and convenience trumped the old ways. Here is the danger and the solution:
Never approve anything for final production from a pdf on screen—or any other electronic file on screen. Always print it out and fold it into a dummy before approval. If you don't, a flap, a page, or an entire section of a brochure or self mailer could end up being produced incorrectly ( upside down, for example) and all your planning becomes a costly mistake rather than a perfect piece. It happens to the best of us. Recently time was of the essence and I skipped this stage, proofed a PDF on screen and headed out for the airport. At the hotel that night, that silent, anal-retentive direct marketer in my head got the best of me. I printed the PDF out, folded it into a dummy and: voila! One panel, which looked fine on screen, would have folded the wrong way when printed. Now, do you see why we call them dummies? They save us from becoming exactly that.
