“Our work is hidden, but everyone can see the results of it clearly”
Name: Monja Zimmermeyer
Job title: Prepress Team Leader
Hobbies: Photography, hiking
Age: 53
Joined KATZ in: January 2024
The room is quiet. The soft clicking of a mouse and a rhythmic tip-tap on a keyboard can be faintly heard. Complex layouts can be seen on the monitor – lines, fonts, logos that need to coalesce into a perfect whole. Welcome to Prepress, where Monja Zimmermeyer is in charge. The air is thick with concentration – the four-person team is checking data, correcting layouts, thinking ahead. Ask Monja Zimmermeyer, and she will tell you that Prepress at our German site in Willstätt is not just a production step, but actually the stage where ideas become tangible reality. It is the hidden part of the process that makes everything possible: right before our beverage coasters see the light of day. We learned this and more during a chat with her – about the importance of precision and how KATZ gets extraordinary results together with its customers.
What was your career path like before you came to KATZ? And what was your job when you first joined the company?
Well, it all started when I completed a platemaker apprenticeship at a newspaper publisher, which is comparable to a media designer apprenticeship nowadays. I then went through an advanced training program for information designers and instructors in the early aughts, but always stayed in the printing industry. My last job there was at a packaging producer, and then I joined KATZ at the beginning of 2024 as a media designer. I also became the Team Leader of the Prepress Team recently.
What does the Prepress Team do?
Prepress is the interface between the customer or agency that makes a design and our Production Team. Among other things, this means that we’re constantly in touch with Sales, who are our point of contact with the customer. We check and edit print data, make sure that all colors and formats are right, and prepare everything for printing – that includes data checks, image editing, color management, platemaking, and providing the printing plates for our printing machines.
What do you like best about your work?
I love making products that you can hold in your hand – that used to be packaging with my former employer, and now it’s beer mats. To tell you the truth, it’s an amazing feeling to be at a restaurant and see a coaster we made!
What steps are necessary before a design can be printed on a beverage coaster?
Well, first we check all the corresponding data to make sure it’s complete and can be printed, and then we make any necessary corrections and make PDF proofs for approval by the customer. Once we get that approval, we prepare the printing plates and make them. That can take about one or two days for simple jobs, but more complex projects with special colors or finishing options can take longer and require more coordination with the customer.
How does the Prepress Team make sure that every design is implemented optimally?
At Prepress, precision is absolutely vital. We’re often working with very tight schedules while making absolutely sure that every single detail is right, so there’s not much wiggle room there. That means that we generally want to start off with the right level of quality from the moment print data comes in, so we always make sure to proactively assist customers with any questions or doubts they have about getting their data to us, not to mention that we always provide tips on how to best prepare designs.
Then, to keep the level of quality constant all the way from design to printing, we use calibrated monitors, color proofs, and standardized work processes. That makes it possible for everyone in the team to take over seamlessly and efficiently at any point. And we’re obviously always happy to offer additional proofs and approval steps to ensure maximum certainty and perfect results.
Here’s my personal tip: The best thing to do is to discuss things with us first and use our data sheet, which has all the important requirements on it. Open communication always helps set clear expectations and prevent misunderstandings!