iMessage for print shops and signage

Print has one irreversible moment. Before the proof is approved, everything is cheap to change; after it, a mistake means reprinting at somebody's cost. Almost all of the messaging value in this trade is compressing the time to that approval and making it unambiguous.

The proof and the approval

export const proof = {
  ready: (c: Ctx) =>
    `${c.shop}: proof for ${c.job} attached. ` +
    `Please check spelling, phone numbers, dates and the logo. ` +
    `Reply APPROVED and we'll run it — after that, changes mean a reprint.`,
 
  chase: (c: Ctx) =>
    `${c.shop}: still waiting on approval for ${c.job}. ` +
    `To hit ${c.deadline} we need it by ${c.approvalCutoff}.`,
 
  // Worth its own message. Colour is the second most common complaint.
  colourNote: (c: Ctx) =>
    `${c.shop}: heads up — screens run brighter than print. ` +
    `The ${c.colour} will come out slightly deeper on ${c.stock}. ` +
    `Happy to run a physical proof if it needs to be exact.`,
};

Signage has an installation problem too

Large-format and signage work adds a site visit, which brings the same access and arrival-window issues as any trade. Confirm measurements in writing with a photo, and confirm access the day before.

• Photograph the site and the measurements, and have the customer confirm them in the thread.
• Flag anything structural early — a wall that will not take fixings is a conversation, not a surprise on install day.
• Send a photo of the finished install, especially for customers who are not on site.

Repeat orders are the easiest revenue you have

Businesses reorder the same things on a rhythm — menus each season, cards when someone joins, banners each year. A message referencing the previous order converts extremely well because it removes all the work: no brief, no artwork, no decision.

'Same as last time?' is, in this trade, close to a complete sales process.