Getting the Copy Right

Searching for "the truth"

Given the type and volume of information (content) a label must display with absolute accuracy, it isn't hard to understand the challenges associated with managing all this data such that only the most up-to-date, accurate information is selected and reproduced. Stephen Kaufman, chief technology officer for Schawk, Inc. (www.schawk.com), refers to this as "the truth," or the "system of record." The twist, he says, is that the truth is rarely static. Rather, it continually evolves in accordance with the customers' needs, changing market conditions, legal requirements, and other variables. In reality, packaging text may be revised a number of times before it goes to press, with no guarantee that eleventh-hour modifications will wind up reflected in the content management system (CMS) where the data reside.