The majority of iWork users are probably individuals or small businesses. You may live and work on your own deep in the countryside or on the outskirts of a big city without recourse to co-workers or the technical department of a big organization.
When we work on our own, we tend to develop all-round skills—from creating content to design and production. Still, it is simply not possible to master all the technical elements. If we try, our end product suffers. Many of us have to learn the hard way that even in the age of the Internet and web-based service providers, we can't sort out all our technical needs on our own. So, you should build a support network—physical, not just virtual—a network of professional people geographically close to you.
The following are general tips on how to build such a network with professional print shops:
- For printing services, find a small or medium size professional print shop that is close to you geographically and preferably not part of a huge chain.
You need to be able to deal with the same people face-to-face, get them interested in your project and excited about breaking new ground with an unfamiliar program or new creative possibilities. If you deal with a large printing business with massive print-runs, you often can't get personal attention—you can end up dealing with a different person each time you take your work for printing. The same applies to web-based printing companies. They are there for a quick turnover and while they may offer lower prices, they may not give you customized technical support.
- Make sure your printers use the same or a compatible version of the software you use.
Each new version of Acrobat adds functionality, and even minor differences can affect the quality of the final printed product. The current version of Adobe Acrobat is 10.0 (released in 2010), but previous versions 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0 perform well with iWork.
- Synchronize Acrobat settings with your printers.
Arrange a meeting with them, bring your iWork, PostScript, and PDF documents, and write down the settings or make screenshots.
- Find a good computer service company.
This should preferably be a small, specialized business, so that you can get to know the technicians you are working with. Develop a good working and personal relationship with them, so that when a crisis looms they will go out of their way to help you. Smaller Apple retailers often have strong service departments. Check what service plans Apple itself offers in your area.
- Have technicians to check your workflow, system, and settings.
They may find something that you've missed or suggest a more efficient workflow. This is especially advisable when you have one or two recurring problems with press-ready PDFs. Let better-qualified technical people help you spot and eliminate any problems, then stick to the process that works.
If you are happy with your computer technicians, sign up for a long-term support or service contract, so that you can call them on the phone or have them come round and fine-tune your machine.
- Ask them to prepare a set of prepress Acrobat settings.
Explain what level of quality you want to achieve, ask the technicians to prepare the settings for you, and set your Distiller to use them as default. Save settings separately for backup.
- Take notes describing your problem step-by-step.
For a technician to see where the stumbling point is and find a solution, they need to recreate what you've been doing step by step. Simple adjustments can often make a big difference, for example making the font slightly bigger or removing shadows.
- Take notes when you find a solution.
Some problems occur less frequently and you may find a solution yourself. As soon as you do, make a note describing the solution, step by step, and set up a special folder with technical documents and keep such notes there. When the same problem strikes again, you may find that you've already solved it but have forgotten how you dealt with it. This is when your notes will prove invaluable.