Printshop Owner translations for Newbies

[ROHfan]

Originally Posted by John1234

I got one

owner: "I got a HOT one here"

translation: "Its been sitting on my desk for two days and I forgot about
it - so bust your butt and get it done in a hurry"

Wow, how did I forget that one? They usually remember about the job the day before it's supposed to deliver.


ROHfan

[John1234]

Sometimes around here - the day its due

[Earendil]

It's crazy, the first thing to be given away in order to win a bid is prepress labor. We're sitting at a computer all day anyway, why not just cut out the prepress expense to get in under the competition.

Yeah, got the job!

Still mad because of having to pay a prepress tech more than the department brings in. It doesn't matter that it is their choice to not fully charge for computer services.

[John1234]

Owners have to realize that pre-press is not a for profit dept. It is a convienence. A neccessary evil if you will - Yes and its too bad we don't get paid what we are worth.

[Earendil]

True, but I'm content with my current wages.

My point was, how can they be happy paying us at all when they aren't charging for our services. We should be making a profit off prepress services, at least some. That's the whole point of being in business, I know I don't work at a non-profit shop.

When the owners look at the bottom line for each department, they get irritated for having to pay good money to an experienced operator when actually it's their fault for not charging for the service. In other words, they will pay us what we're worth, then resent us for it.

[John1234]

In my shop how the owners justify pre-press is not the money we make for them.

But how much money we save them.

Does that make sense?

[Joe]

Printers make their money on the presses and post press. A good owner knows the difference between a good prepress operator contributing to the overall success of the operation as opposed to an upfront expense that irritates them.

[ROHfan]

Originally Posted by Earendil

True, but I'm content with my current wages.

My point was, how can they be happy paying us at all when they aren't charging for our services. We should be making a profit off prepress services, at least some. That's the whole point of being in business, I know I don't work at a non-profit shop.

When the owners look at the bottom line for each department, they get irritated for having to pay good money to an experienced operator when actually it's their fault for not charging for the service. In other words, they will pay us what we're worth, then resent us for it.

It's a frustrating situation. Either we take it up the a** and deal with it, speak up and say "No" and risk getting fired, or find another job which we soon will find out has the same problems as our last job. As for me, I am NOT content with my wages...was supposed to get a raise after three months and they pushed it back to six months. Not getting paid for all the lunacy that goes on here is just insult to injury. I think the only solution is to get out of the trade, which I'm trying to do. Once you've sweat all the blood that you can, once they squeeze out every bit of energy they can from you, you'll be tossed aside for the next hungry kid willing to take a meager salary to do your job. And the cycle will start all over again.

Wow, am I ever bitter today. Somebody got a cold one for me?


ROHfan

[Earendil]

I'll drink with ya bro! How bout a nice cold Dos XX on tap with a lime and a big plate of steak fajita nachos! Don't forget the shot of Don Julio.

[John1234]

Set me up one also - I could use a drink or twelve