Filing Organization of films

[Sharkeystees]

What do you use to keep the 100's and 1000's of films filed and easy to find if needed years down the road for a reorder?

[Prince Art]

Check out this thread: http://www.theshirtboard.com/index.php/topic,10528.msg101437.html#msg101437
See alan802's contributions. We adopted the same idea, and it has worked well for us.

Longer discussion here: http://www.theshirtboard.com/index.php/topic,893.30.html

For more info, search "store films" & "film storage". Quite a few threads.

[Sbrem]

What do you use to keep the 100's and 1000's of films filed and easy to find if needed years down the road for a reorder?

Though we have files hanging with films from years ago, (mid-90's) we are finding that we almost never use a really old film, maybe five to ten times a year, so it's probably easier to re-output the films, especially if you are not well organized. Much faster to re-output films than to waste a half hour searching. That being said, the films are put into appropriate sized folders, and stored by customer name, alphabetically, and with appropriate sales order or purchase order numbers for reference.

Steve

[Sharkeystees]

Thanks.  I will check out the thread.  I bought someone else's business and combined the two so I have films filed by customer and then I have 100's of films thrown into boxes alphabetically.  Some days I spend way to much time looking for films.

[Frog]

Thanks.  I will check out the thread.  I bought someone else's business and combined the two so I have films filed by customer and then I have 100's of films thrown into boxes alphabetically.  Some days I spend way to much time looking for films.

I hope that you also got the electronic files, along the the actual films from the business that you acquired. Today's "films" are not as durable as the real deal we used back in the day, but are, fortunately also easier, faster, and cheaper to print replacements. One issue to remember on those multicolor jobs is that you probably won't be able to just re-do one plate and still have it register with the others done in the past on different printers, and perhaps at different orientation.

[mk162]

yeah, honestly, think of the time it would take to output the film vs. you looking for it.  it's usually easier to find a digital copy rather than a hard copy.

[tonypep]

What is this film everyones talking about? Seriously though I do NOT miss it at ALL!

[bimmridder]

He has seen the light!!!

[tonypep]

At the end of the tunnel indeed and its not from an oncoming train!

[jsheridan]

with today's ink jet film...
throw it away after a few weeks or months and build it into your cost.

If it's old imagesetter film or very high quality films or stuff that you just need to hang onto, then the threads above got that covered.

What's most important are the art files, most specifically the separation files as those will be used when you move to CTS.

[whitewater]

we throw away and just makes new ones. we have all the files saved on the computer.

[Sbrem]

What is this film everyones talking about? Seriously though I do NOT miss it at ALL!

I knew it was only a matter of time before someone would mention DTS. But if not ready for the plunge, they need to do something. I especially like the suggestion to throw the films away and just re-output them when needed... unless you know you will do it repeatedly of course, but then that is still a lot less handling.

Steve

[merchmonster]

we store all of our art files / separations on Box.com
the artwork is stored in a folder structure like this

Art > Customer Name > Job Number > Separations

To pull the separation and output it again I just search the job number ex 1234
Open the separation in illustrator or photoshop
hit print

not sure why you would bother to catalog the films, given space and time constraints.

[Frog]

not sure why you would bother to catalog the films, given space and time constraints.

Maybe a holdover from the days when films were real films, and there was a little more to it than just hitting "Print". You young'uns have it easy peasy.
Appropriately, just today, cleaning out a closet,  I came across my old diffusion transfer printer, LOL!

[Maxie]

We file a sample of the print on a piece of material with the films.
Makes reprinting must easier.
If you don't keep films or use DTS do you still keep a printed sample?