Schlafender Hase is celebrating its 20th anniversary. As part of the anniversary celebration, it is offering TVT users a free trial version of TVT Spelling and TVT Artwork for a limited time. Both modules will be presented in a special webinar on June 23. Mike Baird, Director of Product Management at Schlafender Hase responds to user questions.
Q. I’ve been using TVT for a couple of years now, but I don’t have any modules. I just received an invitation to your Webinar about two TVT Modules: TVT Spelling and TVT Artwork. Why should I watch it?
A. The simple answer: because it can help you get through your workday more efficiently, with less stress, and higher quality results.
Q. That’s a pretty general answer. That’s the same answer you gave me when I asked why I should use TVT. What is so different about the modules? How do they make TVT better than what I already have?
A. Let me tell you why we created modules in the first place. Since we launched the first version of TVT in 2004 we have learned a lot from our users. In a sense, we consider our users part of our development team. We learned, for example, that users in a highly regulated environment like Pharma and medical devices all have one big thing in common, but they also have many differences.
Q. Explain…
A. The one big thing in common: they can’t afford to make a mistake. That’s part of their professional work ethic and a personal commitment. Over the years we have learned from our users that getting it right, making no mistakes is a personal thing. And, of course, that’s what compliance in the pharma and med device industry really means. Making no mistakes is a business requirement.
But there are many, many different ways to make mistakes. That’s where we start to see the differences. Proofreaders are not computers, they use computers. Proofreaders are people, and people are different. And over the years we have seen how different the files have become that these different people have to compare. To put it another way, all of our users have needs, but these needs can be very different. The development of TVT as a whole, and the creation of the modules in particular, is a response to these ever-changing different needs. We try to make sure there are more ways to avoid mistakes than to make them. Different users use TVT in different ways, because they have to focus of different things, depending on their files and depending on their responsibility with their workflow.
Q. I understand, but avoiding spelling errors and finding deviations in artwork was always necessary. There is nothing new or different about that. What do the modules do that TVT didn’t always do?
A. Let me turn your question around. What do our users do that they did not always do? Has their focus changed? Some of our users are at the beginning of the workflow. They focus, sometimes exclusively, on verifying text. For users at the beginning of the workflow, where the original manuscript enters the workflow, verifying text might be the top priority. The files might include different, even complex languages, and maybe tables, but everything that must be verified is Unicode-based. TVT remains the benchmark when it comes to finding deviations in Unicode-based text.
Obviously spelling plays a major role in text, but spelling errors and deviations are not the same thing. That means, if there is a mistake in the original manuscript, then the same mistake will appear on the artwork copy you receive from the graphics department. Because the mistake in the original is identical with the mistake in the copy, there is no deviation, but there can still be a mistake. TVT Spelling helps you find the mistake, in 33 different languages. And you can also include Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, the check the spelling of medical terms. To put it simply, if your particular focus is text, then TVT Spelling will meet you particular need. But if you have a different focus, then you might need a different, or an additional module.
Q. Explain the different focus of TVT Artwork.
A. The principle is the same. Depending on your files and your responsibility within the workflow, you have a different focus. Let’s say you are at the end of the proofreading workflow. You are not worried about comparing things to an original manuscript, you are worried about making sure that the high-resolution artwork that you hand to the printer is completely error free. At this end of the workflow, it is not just about text, it is about detecting minute graphical differences, and maybe even about identifying spot colors and verifying PDF layers. You may be faced with a vectorized PDF that no longer includes selectable, Unicode-readable text. Things like this can’t be visually compared. This is a special need and TVT Artwork was developed to meet this special need. Mistakes are always wrong, whether the occur at the beginning, in the end, or in the middle of the workflow. Errors at the beginning of the workflow cost time, nerves and money in terms of efficiency. An undetected error at the end that makes it into print can cost much more – a reprint, a recall, or a threat to patients’ health.
Q. Which module is more important?
A. Again, this depends on your need. One module is not more important than the other. In smaller companies, the same person may be responsible for both ends of the workflow. In this case, both modules would be important. It is hard to be a specialist on both ends. The good news: no matter where you work in the workflow, TVT can help you every step of the way.
Q. Schlafender Hase introduced TVT Connect in 2020. How does that fit into the workflow?
A. It doesn’t really fit into the workflow, it actually enhances the workflow. TVT Connect fits your proofreading workflow into your company’s overall workflow. To succeed in today’s market, every company needs more than “just” proofreading. An information management system that tracks things before they enter the proofreading workflow and after they have left it and been printed and packaged is a must. Connecting TVT to your company’s information management systems adds a much greater level of efficiency, safety, in addition to a more comprehensible audit trail for compliance purposes. TVT Connect is designed to connect to any information management system: ERP, AMS, CMS, QMS, LIMS, RIM, PLM.
Q. What’s next for TVT?
A. (laughs) You tell me – you’re the user. We have been listening to our users talking about the growing importance of barcode verification. Toward the end of the year, we will launch TVT Barcode. We’re pretty excited about it. Our users have helped us understand the role of barcodes and were convinced that TVT Barcode will be the best solution on the market to deal with all the complex barcodes specifically relevant to pharma and medical devices.
