NEW YORK, N.Y. (Oct. 17, 2007) - With a long history as a graphic arts provider and a reputation for delivering quality services to major agencies in New England, Williams & Partners Studios recently decided the time was right to move forward with the implementation of a monitor proofing solution. So they looked to the technology that offered them the color management capability and features with which they were most comfortable: Remote Director from Integrated Color Solutions.
"We saw that the world was moving in this direction and wanted to be at the front of the curve," explains Neil Stockbridge, senior partner at Williams & Partners.
Virtual proofing was the next logical step for Williams & Partners, which is firmly planted in the digital world and provides digital photography, image retouching, color services, prepress, asset and color management as well as development of automated e-workflows that streamline production, produce exceptional results and, most importantly, save time and money. "We also have a deep understanding of the science of color and the importance of color management," adds Stockbridge, whose company is a member of IDEAlliance and is a certified G7 Master of the new IDEAlliance proof-to-print process.
Williams & Partners uses a number of different proofing solutions, including Epson inkjets and PolaProof systems for hard proofs and, before adding a monitor proofing solution to their range of services, Williams & Partners was spending in excess of $6,000 per month on proofing consumables. Additionally, employees were spending hours each week driving back and forth to their customers' offices in Boston to deliver the latest hard proofs. "Of course, by the time we arrived at our customers' offices with the proofs, they often has come up with additional changes and even new ideas. It wasn't uncommon for the approval process to continue for several days," says Stockbridge.
Remote Director was installed on 11 workstations at Williams & Partners' offices and is now up and running at several customer locations, including some of Boston's largest advertising agencies. "As expected, there was some initial resistance to the new processes, but once customers saw the cost-savings and experienced the streamlined workflow, they quickly became enthusiastic," Stockbridge adds. "Our employees also embraced the new technology and were excited to increase their color management skills."
Stockbridge reports that Williams & Partners began seeing benefits right away, including a much quicker turnaround time for jobs and a 60 percent savings in proofing consumables. "Now, our customers can review proofs with a simple 30-minute conference call and they're delighted to have a partner that they can trust to manage their entire color management process," he says.
"Paper proofs will soon be history," concludes Stockbridge. "For years, they've been the best predictor of on-press results. Now that LCD monitors and color management technologies have come of age, virtual proofing is the better method, when you have the correct environment and equipment installed."
For more information about virtual proofing or Remote Director, please visit ICS online at www.icscolor.com.