Print Production Manager

Olberding Brand Family; Ashford; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job description

Print Production Manager – Kent, UK

Founded in 1919, Olberding Brand Family (OBF) is a family company focused on delivering the highest quality and client services in the graphics design, management and printing industry. Our clients are consumer products companies and printers, and we help them by delivering a broad range of services from brand strategy and packaging design, to adaptive design across various print and digital platforms, all the way to color management and the production of printing plates. With our world headquarters located in Cincinnati, we have over 350 employees throughout the United States and offices in Europe and Asia.

Reporting to the Director of Operations, UK, the Print Production Manager is responsible for managing and supporting their assigned brands in all print related functions; from pre-production to press attendance. This role will analyse incoming files for printability and accuracy. This role will work with on-sites to help decide how files will be separated for print and identify print issues before the files reach the production floor.

Duties and Responsibilities Include:

• Effectively utilize and support the clients’ artwork process, provide print solutions that are technically feasible and innovative, and establish competency in the printer’s capabilities.
• Lead option analysis and work with printers to reduce risks of printing issues for new designs.
• Act as the key link to colour separations to enable timely delivery of accurate artwork colour separations and print tools.
• Conduct print feasibility assessments to establish the printer’s capability to meet design intent for all pieces of the artwork process.
• Recommend options to reduce rework and costs associated with the clients’ prepress/print supply chain(s).
• Lead resolution of technical issues with artwork process between design intent and print application.
• Provide innovative technology ideas as needed to design/client’s supply chain.
• Ensure the alignment of color strips/tone scales in each piece of artwork, which has a minimal impact on consumers while still providing the necessary graphic control elements.
• Recommend proofing and/or prepress testing that should be required for the initial print trials.
• Collaborate with necessary parties to communicate specific print specifications and provide technical input on designs (print feasibility).
• Attend design planning meetings, pre-production meetings, and any post-production meetings as needed.
• Recommend colour managed proofing/pre-testing to improve predictability of reproducing design intent.
• Communicate colour setup, production art, and proofing options for modelling/simulating print characteristics that could reduce costs.
• Collaborate with OBF Ops teams to ensure the quality of the final artwork meets the design intent.
• Distribute notes from the prepro calls.
• Coordinate drawdown requests and approvals, press approvals and printer onboarding.

Qualifications Include:

• Minimum of three years in printing, pre-media, or prepress industries.
• Knowledge of print software tools.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Printing, Graphic Communications or related field.

The Olberding Brand Family is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes individuals of diverse talents and backgrounds.

For fastest consideration, please apply online to the Careers section of our website www.olberdingbrands.com. Only applications received through this process will be considered. No phone calls please.