Mission: Proofread the World

Yesterday, disgruntled and aggravated, I was waiting around at the flooring store while our saleswoman scurried about looking for samples that would actually work in our house instead of the stuff we had originally chosen which no one from the store told us was unsuitable for our type of sub-flooring until the installer came; as is my habit, I started to read whatever was in front of me--this sign.

A bonanza. 2 typos in one line, with only a word separating them. (Hint: look at the 2nd line.)

I can imagine being on press for this job and just letting those typos slide by, not saying a word, because, unlike bad graphics, where there can always be a dispute, typos nowadays are solely the responsibility of the client--most printers just "capture their keystrokes."

Actually, I would have probably caught it long before it went on press and, unless I really liked the client, would have let it go and not just because I'm an ornery sort. The problem with finding a typo is that the client is very grateful that you caught that one, and pissed off when you don't catch the next one.

For a moment I was able to forget about flooring and bask in Schadenfreude. Then it was back to dealing with people furiously trying to save a bad situation and make believe it wasn't their fault. It was a lot like being at a bindery, trying to fix a job that's already been printed and none of the solutions are good.