We had some complaints that we had too many words on our home page, so we are putting in some pics instead. (Obviously digital print clientele prefer looking at pics rather than big words, bit like me really, big hands, push plow)
Here's an interesting job we printed for a shady character last week - we never saw him, but he just left a wad of notes in the loading dock - it must have been an important job...
We were broken into on the weekend so we have redone our security signage
I hope they overdose on P from the money they nicked, little shits!!
Due to Labour Party censors we had to remove the slang word for 'sex' from this image, as it was not deemed appropriate for a digital print business. Helen was quoted to say "No fun is to be had nor placing of rude words on websites". I was not willing to cross him!!!
Aliens have taken over the dogs, found trying to steal convertible!
Interesting print job on the flat bed to. We could turn a blind eye on this one...
There has been mention of late that we are getting a little behind with our quotes, so we have increased our capacity to handle incoming quote requests. Apple de dog seems to be picking up print estimation well but still struggles with the whole sheet work VS work and turn thing!!
Yes this is Shelly de dog!! Dpod's inhouse security sporting the latest in corrogated cardboard armour. We had a quiet spell in wideformat, ok!
Dpod doesnt condone drinking and driving but..
September 01.08 - August is Over. Finally!
Spring is in the air! Finally... and after what seems like an endless winter, there's light in the morning, some warmth in the sun and a promise of better times ahead.
DPOD has had a frenetic August, with the launch of a new quoting and production system, it's probably been a bit tougher than it actually was. The new system is called 'Mission Control' and runs the company - it completely guides everything that goes on inside our walls. Quoting, print production, delivery tracking and invoicing are all controlled in there. Implementing the new system has not been a simple task, and this time we have gone for a complete re-build, top to bottom, inside and out. There was a lot to change and heaps to add on, because as DPOD has grown, our old system couldn't.
Work on the re-build basically started back in 2006, and there has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to this point. The planning and construction of a system complex enough to run all of the variables contained in a modern print company cannot be underestimated. The thickness of each piece of paper and cost of 20cm of sticky tape have all been measured in the execution of this project. Different computers and operating systems, RIPs and interfaces had to be considered.
Thanks to Andrew's good governance of the project and common sense, we were pretty much working as normal from August 1. Some instructions on jobs took a bit of explaining, but generally the new system coped very well right out of the box. This was fortunate, as there is no manual, just a friendly asian software developer. Sometimes the people running it were another matter (Ron doesn't always take instruction too well!) and we have come a long way forward in very short amount of time - and had a very busy month as well.
If you got any funny quotes or jobs that didn't mesh with what you wanted in early August that's what we call a snafu - an old air force acronym for 'situation normal, all f*cked up. There were quite a few of those in the first two weeks of August and we apologise if you were inconvenienced. Some of the mistakes had to be laughed at - someone receiving half a dozen A2 posters instead of four A1 sized posters does take some explaining...
Overall the launch of the new system went remarkably well, with only one attempted suicide and three meltdowns... stay tuned because there will be many enhancements and new products to come out of the new system soon. Ask your DPOD rep how to track your next order - you'll be surprised how easy it can be. Or how place a simple job really quickly over the interweb thingy.
The views expressed here are not necessarily the views of DPOD nor Management. But they probably are.
August 29.08 - So Long Uncle Morrie
Friday August 29 was the last day at DPOD for Maurice Hawkins, the founder of Plan & Print and since September 07 a member of the DPOD family. Maurice will continue on as a silent partner of DPOD, but wanted to get out of the pressures and stress of the print game. Maurice said he's out for a long holiday and then a kick at the consulting biz.
After 20+ years as one of the pioneers of the copy, print and digital print businesses in Auckland and New Zealand, we applaud Maurice in his career change and wish him all the best for the future.
I'm sure that we'll still see him whenever there's an opening (of a good red!) at DPOD in the future.
The views expressed here are not necessarily the views of DPOD nor Management. But they probably are.
August 29.08 - Steve Price visits DPOD!
Late in the week we received an email to produce some canvas pics of someone special (as usual, we can't tell you who) and promptly set to work at producing a tryptich of prints. To make a long story short, they were collected by Steve Price, captain of the Vodafone Warriors!
DPOD have been the Club sponsors of Steve in the 2008 season, and we are thrilled to do anything for him - especially when the team is winning! To be fair we ambushed Steve a bit, as we had prepared a few prints for him to sign - and the staff made sure that everyone got a chance to get a signature. Fortunately he took it all in stride and good humour, 'cause he not a small person.
The views expressed here are not necessarily the views of DPOD nor Management. But they probably are.
August 09.08 - Welcome!
Welcome to the new DPOD web interface! The paint is still wet in a few places and there's still a bit of construction to finish up, but we're confident that you'll enjoy the new look and information within the new site. The Client Ordering side will be up and running soon - the hardest part always comes last, and Client Ordering is not easy - as no two DPOD clients are the same!
2008 has been a very busy year at DPOD and we're only at the halfway mark! We've moved into our shiny new place in Stanley Street - 26,000 square feet of machinery, paper and stuff. Lotsa stuff. Feel free to drop in and say hi whenever you pass...
The New Zealand Print Industry continues to change and evolve, with some companies struggling and others failing to achieve any growth on 2007. Some companies have already given up the fight, and we feel that there will be further consolidation in the print biz in 2008. While current trading is very hard, we feel that innovative companies can still find ways to prosper in the cold market climate.
Winter can be a depressing time in New Zealand even without reading the doom and gloom in the papers - especially when the rain refuses to fall in the right places! One of these days this country will wake up and start building a modern energy infrastructure... yeah, right as they say on the billboards.
On a brighter note, we've passed the shortest day of the year and the warmer days of spring are not far away. There are plenty of reasons to be cheerful and optimistic: The second half of 2008 will see a new president installed in the world's last superpower and a chance for kiwis to choose their destiny. The All Blacks tour England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in November, which is always entertaining, and the Black Caps should do well in their tour of Bangladesh in September.
So remember, whatever sh*t sandwich today seems like, tomorrow will be better!
The views expressed here are not necessarily the views of DPOD nor Management. But they probably are.