Rework, rebids, and delays. These are among a long list of words that someone in the construction industry would like to avoid all-together while working on a project, right? While many factors can contribute to speed bumps in the construction process, there is one way to easily reduce much of the human error that occurs - and it happens before any tools hit the ground.
Printing your construction documents in color adds cost on the front end, but does it end up saving you money in the long run? According to Lyra Research, every $1 invested in printing in color can save you $4 on a project. So, how does that work? When an architect draws their plans, they often utilize color to highlight details like wall types, piping, and revisions. When a black and white printer is used that does not have the capacity to distinguish colors, important detail is lost.
While the color of a few lines in a set of plans may seem like a minor detail when compared to the scale of the project, missing even the smallest element can be disastrous. Issues can arise on the font end of a project, costing you wasted time and money; imagine the snowball effect that can occur if this mistake is not caught until later in the process. The impact of an incorrect set of plans after the foundation is laid and the structure has already begun being built is tremendous. If you show up to the jobsite and then realize that a pipe doesn't work in the place that you had planned for it to go or a wall has been put in at a slightly wrong angle, you will incur the large cost of added labor, resources, and time. Mistakes like this happen, and they happen often. No matter the experience of the team reading the blueprints, mistakes can easily be made when the documents are not easily readable.
In a study conducted by HP, it was determined that in up to 65% of cases, color documents are more easily understood and the information is retained at higher rates versus black and white documents. In addition, up to 80% of errors are reduced when utilizing color documents. By deciding to print your documents in color, your chances of making mistakes related to blueprint reading errors goes down an extreme amount, therefore reducing waste of time and money.
No matter the size of the project, one thing is certain: every minor detail is important. By choosing to print your construction documents in color, you can greatly reduce the risk of human error that is likely to result from a set of plans that are not easy to read. A small cost up front can potentially save you thousands of extra dollars and the headaches that come with rework and delays. The next time you go to print your plans, keep in mind the significant impact that the simple choice of utilizing color can have on your project.