"I'll take Productivity for $100."

A. Faxes and delivery services.

Q. What are the two most popular ways that advertising agencies send print collateral layouts to clients for proofing?

Although faxing and deliveries have their place, they are not without problems. For example:

• Faxes are hard to read.
• Faxes don't handle oversized originals very well.
• Faxes do a lousy job on colors and photographs.
• Faxes are often printed on cheap thermal paper making them hard to handle.
• Delivery services are slow.
• Delivery services are expensive.
• Delivery services require a hard copy proof -- which makes the creative cycle even slower and more expensive.

There is a better way. (Or else why would I pick this topic for an article?)

Once an art director prepares a layout on a computer, wouldn't it be great if the client could review the layout on their own computer screen?

The answer, of course, is yes. I call the technique Remote Digital Proofing.

Here's how it works:

1. Art director prepares the layout on their computer (probably a Macintosh).
2. Instead of printing, they save the document in a portable document format (PDF) using a software package called Adobe Acrobat. All font and graphic information is stored within this saved file.
3. Art director sends the document to the client's computer using Internet electronic mail or ADCB Toolbox Exchange.
4. Client opens the document using the free Acrobat "viewer" software on their Macintosh, Power Macintosh, Windows 3.1, or Windows 95, Windows NT or UNIX computer. The document looks exactly the same as the original.
5. Client proofs the layout on their computer screen. Sometimes they also print it on their own laser printer for additional review.

The benefits are:

• Printing and delivery of physical documents not required.
• Full color available.
• Able to magnify small type on screen.
• Able to author in one operating environment (i.e., Macintosh) and view in another environment (i.e., Windows).
• Originating software package not required on receiving computer (QuarkXPress, Pagemaker, PhotoShop, etc.)
• Fonts not required on viewer's computer.
• Knowledge of original software package not needed.

The use of remote digital proofing certainly can reduce the time and costs associated in the creative cycle. As an added benefit, it can break down the geographic barriers associated with a search for new clients or a new advertising agency.

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