: Examples of expensive color related printing mistakes? I was preparing a lesson for new designers about "How to make print ready files?" and I wanted to add some historic facts about the greatest

@Turnbaugh909

Despite about 4 sets of proof readers and the client signing off I once managed to have two 21st's on a notes section of a calendar... which wasn't noticed until every one of the 12 A3 pages where printed (it appeared on each page of the calendar) and hand collated ready to be spiral bound... I was physically sick when I realised that about 6 pallet loads of paper and days of work would have to be redone.. :(

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@Reiling762

Adding one more experience:

Be very careful about whether white background on photo is really 100% white.

Our client give us main photo for a campaign. Girl model on white background. We used it and prepare some materials (flyers, posters, clothes hangtags, etc ).
Design was simple: white paper, this photo on white background, typo, logo.
We sent it via e-mail in PDF to client. Client was happy with our work so we sent it to final print. (Without any test printing.)

BUT what?! Sh*t happens. That white background on photo wasn't truly white. There were lot of pixels with about 3-5% of yellow. This can't be seen on any computer display, but good printers print this out. So finally on print were parts white like snow and background around photo was dirty/old yellow. :(( (Guy behind the printer thought its by design kinda art or something.. so he let it be and print it.)

I was bad :/.

Real example of photo background color vs white. Can you see a difference?:


Simulation how it was printed. (Actually I couldn't see any difference on my EIZO monitor):


So IF some photo looks like its on white background, recheck it IF its REALY 100% WHITE or you can got a problem :)

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@Debbie163

I don't know about historical. I'll just post own experience.

Nike magazine

We were making a magazine for Nike about some runners. There was a photo of one, which previously used Adidas...

Fortunately the small logo was discovered on the first magazines binded, so we only needed to repeat that sheet of paper.

Calendar

One client wanted to be a smarty pants, and after a design was provided to him, he wanted to save some dollars on the arragement on the sheet of paper.

Instead of having January and fliping the page February, etc, he got January, December. He lost all his project.

Fliping colors

This was a press issue, in the times that you used negatives instead of direct to plate. On one sheet they fliped cyan with magenta...

A computer bug

One time, when generating a PDF, the computer totally droped one photo and swiched it for another photo of the same page with diferent proportions...

Overprint on

Once I sent one file with a black zone over a photo, covering it. As I'm used to ask for balck overprint, the photo showed as a gohst.

As it was printed on a 2 head machine all the paper was already printed with the first colors. It was solved using 2 passes of black.



Historical mistakes can probably be found on stamps or bills, or trading cards.

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