Account Manager Spotlight: Heather Curtis
Meet our featured Account Manager, Heather Curtis. She's one of the Winners that make Circle Graphics' personalized services the best in the industry.
What do you enjoy most about being an Account Manager?
I
really like the opportunity to build of personal relationships with my clients; people who unfortunately, I will probably never meet face to face.(though I have met a few) The amazing thing is that these one-on-one relationships become incredibly close. My clients and I share photographs of their loved ones, their travels, pets and more. Among a few of my clients, we've developed such great relationships, that over the weekend, I look forward to talking to them on Monday and sharing our stories. I know that I have friends all over the nation!
What is the Circle philosophy on customer service in your opinion?
We are working hard to be the best for our customers by offering them incredible prices, consistent quality and the very best customer service they will ever find.
Can you tell us something else about you that your customers might find interesting?
I enjoy the freedom of motorcycling. I ride a Honda VTX 1800 Cruiser. My bike is called "Trinity". That's because I believe that good things always come in threes, well at least for me. The farthest point that I have ever driven "Trinity" to was to Pawnee Buttes, here in Colorado. That was a little scary as I did not realize that there wouldn't be any gas stations there! It is a pretty isolated place. I ended up meeting a local man, who had a gas storage tank on his property and I bought some gas from him, so I could get home. Amazing how the universe provides.
For pets, I have a cat named Fluffy who is a Flame Point Himalayan. She's not pure bred and so she doesn't have the squashed nose. She is my best little buddy, and at 16, she's slowing down a bit.
What food do I like? Well, all food is fair game with me except I despise Bell Peppers. Green, red, yellow, it's just heartburn waiting to happen.
What is Your Background? Previous to Circle I was a darkroom tech and then a digital imager for a newspaper in Naples, Florida. I worked there for 8 years and then relocated to Boulder and moved into management at the Daily Camera eventually becoming the Night Production Manager for 2 1/2 of my 11 year newspaper career. An incredible learning experience overall.
My education was in photography, which I still practice as a professional photographer on the side.
In fact, a gallery in Cape Cod, Massachusetts just bought some of my small framed images I shot while on vacation there last year. I'm still using film. I haven't gone completely digital yet.
I love living in Colorado. It is absolutely the most gorgeous place that I have ever lived. I hope to build a home here soon, as I plan on staying with Circle Graphics for many years to come.
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Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) Time
Can Circle print on seamless vinyl?
Absolutely. Circle prints up to 16.4 feet in width on seamless material. Make sure to specify your desire for seamless material at the time of your next order. There is a small additional charge for seamless material. Check your pricing plan or ask your Account Manager.
What is your standard print resolution?
Our standard print resolution for billboards is 330 dpi. As such, all of our posters and billboard flex have sharp, crisp, and consistent images. Our transit production department produces graphics at an even higher resolution – between 720 and 1200 dpi depending on the application.
What transit products do you print?
We print most transit products (bus displays, shelters, subways, taxi tops, and benches). We bring the same terrific value to transit that we provide for your billboard production. Ask your Account Manager for details.
Do you print the new plastic louvers for Tri-Visions?
Yes! Circle Graphics now produces plastic louvers for Rotopanel, Action Graphix, and Prismaflex tri-vision units. We have invested heavily in cutting equipment and finishing equipment to provide this important product. Ask your Account Manager for details and pricing.
What is your turnaround time?
We can get your big project out... fast! Our turn time for posters is three days and flex and transit is four days. However, if your important project needs to be out quicker than this, simply let your Account Manager know about the urgency, and we will do everything we can to expedite your order... at no additional charge, EVER!
My online tracking report shows my job in postpress. Why can't I get it shipped sooner?
We get this question occasionally because we are completely transparent when it comes to the status of your job (which you can see in "real time" via My Circle). The answer to this question lies in the automated nature of our workflow. Printing is an important step, but not nearly the final one when it comes to your product. After your paper poster is printed, the large rolls of digital media are fed through automated cutting and folding equipment and then pass through a series of quality control steps where they are collated and verified. This makes it difficult to retrieve a print job that may be printed, but resides "buried" in the middle of an enormous roll of other digital prints. To expedite at this point, we would need to process the entire roll which might well affect our promised delivery to other customers. On an expedited order, it is always best to indicate a "rush" on the front end as we process these jobs together through the factory.
What is a color profile?
A color profile is a special file that contains the characteristics of a specific ink, paper, and printer. To manage color consistently from output device to output device, we use color profiles as the "set of instructions" for the printer on how ink behaves on different media being printed. For example, the color builds that are used to generate a red on your desktop printer will not look the same on every (maybe not any!) other printing device. So when that file is printed on an inkjet printer, a new color profile is applied to the file and the values are adjusted to emulate a similar look.
It is important to note that not all printing environments have the same color gamut. The substrate being printed may be more porous and the ink may soak into it giving it a duller look as compared to another substrate. A good example of this would be your Sunday newspaper. The classifieds are typically printed on lower grade newsprint than the inserted ads that have a coating which allows for a larger color gamut (because the ink do not penetrate the media as much).
Profiles are the great equalizer and every excellent large format printer is an expert at creating and maintaining these profiles as new substrates and ink combinations are introduced. Circle Graphics maintains hundreds of color profiles for our many output devices. We are experts at color management, and your image is in good hands when you send it to us for reproduction.
How can your hard copy proofs be color accurate when they are being printed on a different printer than the actual billboards?
We achieve color accurate prints by using excellent color management tools and processes. Our proof printers have been profiled to match as close as possible to our final output devices. With that said, there are some limitations primarily due to the variety of different medias. Backlit substrates and Vinyl Mesh are two examples that tend to look a bit brighter than a hard copy proof due to the fact that light will either be passing through it or a light source will eliminate it once it is installed in the field.
What can I do to help speed production and receipt of my job?
Orders entered via our website (My Circle) immediately become part of our digital work flow and are processed very quickly. Naturally, orders received via fax must be manually entered and take a bit longer. If you have not had a walk-thru of My Circle (for both ordering and order tracking) please ask your Account Manager to provide information on this helpful tool.
Additionally, our website (http://www.CircleGraphicsOnline.com/products/index.asp) recommends the best way to build your file and the proper template to use. You can get your proof quicker and likely speed your production if you supply your artwork to us in a pre-approved format.
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UTEk factory in the world having purchased over 20 VUTEk UltaVu II 5330 machines, a five-meter printer with the ultimate combination of highest print speed and best print quality. Circle also owns a number of VUTEk 3360 printers utilized in our transit production facility as well as a number of other presses. In fact, we have over 75 presses in use throughout our factory.
The main reasons Circle Graphics decided to partner with VUTEk were based on the reliability of their superwide digital inkjet printers and the reputation of the printers for speed, high productivity, exceptional color quality, and their ability to print on a variety of substrates. Our expectations in these regards have been thoroughly exceeded. Our customers have benefited from these quality improvements and our ability to print on seamless substrates – all delivered with exceptional service and value.
Circle Graphics is in the very final stages of development of a 100% recyclable, lightweight, non-PVC, flexible-face product called Eco-Flexx.
