If you’re looking to outsource your company’s print then you’ll hardly be lacking in choice. There are countless print companies to choose from, both independent and national, so how can you be sure that you’re getting a good deal and benefitting from the best quality service? Take a look at some of the important considerations to bear in mind when choosing your print company…
Cost
Many people will tell you that cost isn’t the most important consideration when choosing a product or service, but when you have a limited budget to play with it certainly comes near the top of the list. It’s important to shop around and choose the print company that offers the right price, but remember that often in life one gets what one pays for. Just because a certain print company offers rock-bottom prices doesn’t mean you’ll be getting a bargain.
Value
…Which brings us onto value. If ‘cost’ is the basic price of a service then ‘value’ is a means of measuring what you get for your money. One print company might offer rock-bottom prices but come up short in terms of the services they provide and the quality of the finished product. Consider what you get for your money as well as the amount of money you’re spending, as oftentimes a slightly more expensive service will all but pay for itself in time.
Ethics
An increasingly important consideration in the business world, you’ll want to ensure that your print company shares the same ethics as your business. If you’re concerned about the environment and want to reduce your carbon footprint, you’ll need to find a print company that uses recycled paper and treats the other aspects of print in a similarly responsible fashion. Some print companies pay special attention to corporate social responsibility, while others will be more lax.
Quality
If you’re using a print company to handle your print marketing materials and other outside print projects then you’ll want to be sure that the end result is of a sufficiently high quality. Some print companies simply won’t have the capacity to reproduce the kind of large format images you need for billboard or poster campaigns, while others might lack the finesse to reproduce your business cards exactly as you imagined them. If the quality isn’t good enough then you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Speed
Speed is important when it comes to print. It won’t always be within your power to get projects over to the printers long before your distribution deadline, and the last thing you need with a deadline looming is the response ‘we’ll have them completed by the end of the week’. Time is of the essence, so choose a print company that prioritises your needs and helps you get projects out the door when the clock’s ticking.
Print management
