In this second part of this series, how can you help your team be more efficient when on the job site?
One of the many types of prints that we offer are color prints and Tyvek prints. Let’s talk about how this can improve your workflow and build accuracy.
Color for Clarity
When jobs are given out to construction companies, typically, there are many building disciplines that have to overlap with each other to get the job done. With color printing, seeing how the individual pieces overlap (ex. how plumbing in the walls must coincide with electrical or mechanical) can be critical. In a recent study, drawings were presented in black and white to project managers, electricians, and plumbers. They were asked to point out major elements for bid and construction in the drawings. In nearly 85% of the cases several key items were missed amounting to thousands of dollars. In one case a whole set of bathroom plumbing fixtures were missed because of the way that black and white shows on a page. When different groups were shown the same plans in color, the errors in bidding and construction dropped by 75%.
In a different study, there was an estimate that for every $1 spent in color printing, the construction project could save $4. That is a 1:4 ratio of cost versus accuracy. This is roughly in line with the study noted above. Those are big numbers. When all the disciplines are able to see their portion in context, the rate of deviation from the drawings drops substantially. Most CAD drawings are already native color drawings. Ask your architect to provide you with color CAD and print online with us. We have great pricing on color.
Tyvek for Longevity and Redlines
Redlines are part of every job. RFI’s, customer changes, and engineering and architectural addenda can all cause on-site drawings to change. Most of the time, there is a lag between addenda and the actual job site plans. Keeping these changes straight on the job site can be hard in environments where there is a lot of dust, metal shavings, dirt and mud, and even rain and snow. Enter the Tyvek drawing. Tyvek is an extremely durable, tear-resistant, and waterproof material. We are able to print on Tyvek with waterproof, polymer “ink” that will last the entire job. Since Tyvek will readily take permanent ink, redline drawings can be saved throughout the entire job.
When plans are taken from the job site trailer or Project Managers office, many times the plans will come back torn or stepped on, making them unreadable. With Tyvek, you don’t have to be afraid to take the plans where they need to be. Our Tyvek plans can be washed off with mild soap and water, won’t tear even in rough conditions, and are the perfect, long-term job site trailer set. Since it is so durable, think about printing your common sheets (sheets that every discipline needs) on Tyvek. This can save major time and hassle during the sign-off stage. PS. We can also print on Tyvek in color for a double-whammy of productivity gain.
Cost-Tracking Improvements
All our options can be ordered from our mobile-friendly website. Missing pages or addenda, upload and print directly from your phone. Your prints will be delivered in as quickly as 24 hours. Job printing as a cost can be tracked right on your phone by pulling up the order. No need to make a call to find out how much you spent on printing.
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