Back in the day, before email was even a thought, orders were received from customers via US Mail. They were mostly handwritten, with the key words “as per sample.” Our mechanicals were a collection of cut and paste, shoot samples, parts of negatives, and––best of all––handwritten corrections. Shipping instructions were complete and accurate: a ship-to address on the printed sample (no cost centers or multiple locations). The method of shipping specified was “cheapest way.” Our main piece of up-to-date order-entry equipment was the IBM Selectric II electric typewriter.
State of the art 1969
The production order form was a six-part snap-out form. The hard part was to be sure that the number you put on the order was entered, by hand, correctly in the order logbook and on the job jacket. The order number was written on the upper right of the job jacket at least 3″ high with a black marker. The real heart-and-soul item was the rubber cement. The trick was to remove part one of the six-part form and glue it to a 10″ x 15″ envelope (job jacket) without getting glue all over yourself and, more importantly, place it dead center, lying flat without any bubbles. We were so efficient. It only took 20 minutes to enter an order.
Vanguard Direct heard our prayers … enter Easy Order 2. How do Vanguard and our clients do it now? Easy Order 2 will be the subject of my next post.
Author: Joe Corbo
