One of the many complicated decisions marketers in any industry have to make is who to trust to produce high-quality print materials, from grand-format signage to print-on-demand flyers or catalogs. Rolling out a great print campaign requires a great print vendor to produce and ship your print pieces, but with so many vendors on the market, it can be hard to know which ones will uphold your brand standards of quality and accuracy without blowing your budget. To help you make an informed decision, we’ve compiled a list of essential questions to ask when selecting a vendor for your printing needs—from POD to grand format and anywhere in between.
Before we dive into the questions, though, let’s take a look at the two types of vendors on either end of the printing spectrum. What are their specialties, and why are they both critical for business?
Unlike traditional bulk printing, a print-on-demand (POD) vendor allows businesses to order the exact amount of printed materials they require, reducing waste and saving costs on small-batch projects.
Choosing the right POD vendor is crucial for your business’s marketing efforts, and committing to the wrong provider can be costly, resulting in budget overruns and significant materials waste. In order to save costs and build efficiencies, look for a POD vendor that can provide end-to-end services, including not only printing but distribution, storage, and inventory management.
Grand format printing, also called wide format or large format printing, is the process of printing materials that are too large for most standard commercial printers to produce––anywhere from seventy inches to more than one hundred inches wide.
The best grand format printers don’t just offer printing services, but they also provide expert advice, project management, and other related services. In essence, they are a strategic partner that can help you leverage grand format materials to achieve your marketing and branding goals.
No matter what your printing needs, these ten questions can help you identify the right vendor for your business.
One of the best ways to evaluate a vendor’s capability is to look at the work they’ve done in the past. Ask for samples of products similar to your requirements. If you need a postcard, for instance, ask to see postcards.
Along with sample products, ask about a vendor’s quality control policies, accuracy rates, and (especially if you’re in an industry like finance or healthcare) data security protocols. All of this is critical for your print needs and speaks to a vendor’s quality standards.
Don’t be afraid to ask for references, either, as a vendor’s reputation is a good indicator of their capacity to deliver quality work.
In other words, how quickly can the vendor produce quality work?
While advances in technology have reduced production times, they can still range from hours to days. Will a potential vendor’s turnaround time fit within your marketers’ flow of work, or will long wait times be disruptive to campaign execution?
A vendor’s certifications demonstrate their standards, experience, and priorities. Look for vendors with industry-leading certifications like G7 compliance, which ensures adherence to the highest quality standards.
If you’re torn between several prospective vendors, highlight the products and abilities that are essential to your campaigns, and ask each candidate about the specifics of each of them. The more your vendor can do, the better the fit for your marketing team.
Here are a few capabilities to consider:
If you’re developing a direct mail piece, you need a vendor that understands the requirements of the post office and will ensure your work is appropriately printed and sorted. A great direct mail partner will be able to provide postage savings through USPS discounts, as well.
What’s more, you want to be sure your vendor’s mail match capabilities are second to none so that the right personalized postcards make it into the right mailboxes. This is particularly critical in industries dealing with sensitive information. If Jane Doe receives John Smith’s end-of-year financial statements, that’s not just bad for the brand—there could be financial and legal consequences as well.
A versatile printing partner should be able to accommodate a wide array of print materials. For POD, this includes:
For grand format printing:
Many print vendors are strictly that. But the best ones offer true end-to-end partnerships, starting with asset creation. The time employees, field reps, franchisees, or other end-users spend searching for approved branded materials can compromise efficiency, brand integrity, and the bottom line, but a robust digital asset management system can boost productivity and streamline processes. Even better if it’s connected to the print vendor’s ordering system so approved marketing users can place orders with the trusted printer directly from the platform. Whether you need POD or grand format printing, the vendor should offer a platform that supports various file types, allows access from anywhere, and lets users manage branded content with ease.
Define which areas of content can be changed and which ones are “locked.” This keeps marketers in control and simplifies the process for end-users.
Use pre-designed, editable templates to customize, localize and personalize marketing content without jeopardizing brand guidelines or approved messaging.
Localize national level marketing materials to capitalize on brand recognition while meeting the needs of local consumers.
Don’t assume you can trust a vendor’s system with information from your marketing database. An insecure system can expose you and your customers to serious data security problems and put you in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Make sure your print-on-demand vendor takes data protection seriously by following appropriate security protocols and certifications like the following:
These certifications speak to a vendor’s commitment to helping you protect your customers and keep your company in compliance with data security regulations.
Your ideal vendor should provide in-house fulfillment and distribution at the scale you need. This ensures timely deliveries and reducing shipping costs. Without streamlined regional distribution, frustratingly high fulfillment and shipping costs can quietly eat away at ROI.
If your business has a national reach, a partner with multiple fulfillment centers can save even more money than one with a single facility by fulfilling orders close to where you need rather than halfway across the country.
Finally, executing print marketing strategies is just one piece of the puzzle (albeit a big one). Keeping track of your marketing supply chain before, during, and after is another, and a comprehensive view is crucial for making informed decisions about how to prioritize spending. Make sure your printing vendor can provide modern analytics and reporting tools like:
All of these insights will help you save money while homing on on just the right strategies to engage your current and potential clients, and the right vendor can provide them for you.
Choosing the right print vendor for either print-on-demand or grand format printing can make a significant difference to the success of your marketing campaign. It’s not merely about who offers the lowest price, but about who can deliver the highest quality, adhere to your timelines, ensure data security, offer versatility and customization, and provide value-added services like in-house fulfillment and tracking capabilities.
Remember to ask yourself these ten questions as you vet candidates, keeping in mind that a well-chosen print partner can not only save you time and money, but can also elevate your brand, enhance your marketing efforts, and ultimately, help drive your business growth.
At OneTouchPoint, we know the value of a true partnership. From our U.Connect digital asset manager to our printing and fulfillment capabilities to our host of vendor-managed services, we strive to enhance every piece of our clients’ marketing supply chain, supporting their brands and saving costs along the way. (For example, in a single year, a company that partnered with OneTouchPoint for print-on-demand saved $120,000 in freight costs alone thanks to our network of regional fulfillment facilities.)
When you’re ready to select a new print vendor for your business—whether you’re looking for print-on-demand, grand format, or both—give OneTouchPoint a call to talk about how our end-to-end solutions can support your marketing strategies from conception to fulfillment.
Choosing a commercial printing company shouldn’t be a last-minute decision. As the go-to partner for your printing and graphic design needs, you need a company that can take you through the process and deliver high-quality work on time. To help you make an informed decision and know exactly what to look for, this blog will cover 10 of the top questions to ask a printing company before choosing to partner with them.
Before beginning any major endeavor, it’s a good idea to start off with a little introspection. This will help you better understand what you need and what you’re looking to accomplish before you begin the hunt for a commercial printing partner. Below are two questions to ask yourself before you begin the process of interviewing commercial printing companies.
What you’re looking for will help you determine what you need in a commercial printing partner. Start by making a list of the types of commercial printing jobs you may need — whether it be annual reports and custom booklets for your company or brochures and direct mail campaigns, etc.
Be as extensive and descriptive as possible. Some questions to help you get started could include:
Also on your list, include the project specifications, such as the quantity, whether the printing is in color or black & white, if personalization is needed, and if you have any fulfillment needs.
What are you looking for in a commercial printing company? Is your need for a printer for a one-time project? Or, are you looking for a commercial printing company with whom you can build a partnership? If your need is for a long-term partner, be sure to ask questions that will ensure that company has the capabilities to meet both your current and projected needs.
Now that we’ve covered a couple of questions to ask yourself before looking for a commercial printing company, let’s take a look at 10 of the top questions you should ask your potential commercial printing partner.
Perhaps the simplest question on this list is also the most fundamental. This is also why we started with the “what type of print and print-related services do I need?” question. Once you know that, you need to confirm the print and design company you’re interviewing has the capabilities your projects demand.
For instance, does the company offer the following services:
Basically, you want to know the commercial printing company has the resources you need for your projects — whether big or small. At Safeguard by Innovative, we offer full-service flexibility. Our knowledge, products, and services extend across the spectrum of commercial printing solutions — providing the best fit option for all of your project needs.
Does the commercial printing company have the equipment needed to fold, glue, saddle-stitch, or bind the project? Can they die cut for folders? Do they have a partnership with envelope converters? It’s easy enough to find out what services a printing company has to offer and what types of printing equipment they have. But it’s also important to dig deeper and go behind the scenes.
You don’t need to understand all the industry jargon to find out a company’s backend capabilities. You just want to find out if they can complete the project as designed, within budget, and within your schedule. You want to make sure the company you’re interviewing has all of the capabilities needed to make your project a success.
For instance, you wouldn’t go to your local quick print/copy store for a high-end, large-quantity brochure project that requires die cutting, embossing, and dry-trap varnishes — they just don’t have the right tools to get that sort of job done.
Simple enough, but it’s always a good idea to gain a better understanding of a company’s history. How long have they been in operation, and how many customers have they serviced — all of these are good questions to ask. Also, ask if they can share any customer testimonials or examples of projects with you.
Many professional commercial printers use a variety of methods to complete their clients’ orders depending on the project. It’s a good idea to know the printer has a wide range of capabilities — from digital to offset sheetfed and web printing — to complete your project in the most efficient method possible. This question will also help you gauge how helpful and knowledgeable the company’s sales representatives and/or account managers are.
Regardless of the print quantity of your project, proofs are necessary to ensure the item is being printed correctly. Proofs ensure there are no typos, no missing logos, and no formatting errors. If a commercial printing company doesn’t include proofs as part of their standard quality processes, then you’ve just spotted a big red flag.
Turnaround times will vary depending on how large your order is and what types of printing methods are required to complete the project. However, a commercial printing company can give you an estimate of the expected turnaround time for any given project.
If you think you’ll have projects that will require quick turn-around times, be sure to find a full-service commercial printing company with services like print-on-demand and shorter-run digital printing.
Is your commercial printing company capable of helping you run strategic marketing campaigns like direct mail campaigns? Do they offer marketing services and solutions that can help you grow your business? Are they able to provide demographic information, reporting, or analytics to help determine the success of campaigns/printed items?
Finding a commercial printing company that can do more for you than simply print your projects is vital for long-term growth. If you want a long-term partner you can establish a relationship with and learn to trust, you want to find a company that is capable of providing you with the long-term value you need.
The commercial printing process can be a lot to take on when you’re unfamiliar with the process. Be sure to ask the printing company about their processes and how they can help you with your projects. Do they have a dedicated account manager who will get to know your business and answer your questions? If not — and if you’re looking for something more personal and hands-on — then you’ll likely want to keep looking.
Supply chain disruptions have occurred on an international scale in recent years. Be sure to ask your potential commercial printing partner where and how they get their paper. Also, how do they go about dealing with supply chain issues, and what are their contingency plans should there be a shortage?
This is where you can really get to know a company. A lot of highly-skilled managed print services companies will have similar capabilities. But not all companies operate and take care of their customers the same.
Be sure to ask a commercial printing company what sets them apart from the competition. What’s the “why” behind what they do? Additionally, how will they work to understand what you do so they can best help you meet your goals?
Another important question is: what are your quality control procedures? Quality control is essential to building a successful business that delivers products that meet or exceeds customers’ expectations. Be sure to ask about the company’s quality control procedures. Finding out the quality control process of a commercial printing company will reveal a lot about their operation.
Now that we’ve covered some of the most important questions to ask a commercial printing company, let’s take a look at three important qualities to look for in a printing partner.
A company that can make suggestions and provide guidance. You want to know you’re in good hands. Finding a commercial printing company that has industry professionals you can bounce your ideas off of is much nicer than a faceless corporation, and much more conducive to long-term success.
A company that is candid. Finding a company that is honest about turn-around times, disruptions happening in the supply chain, and what may or may not be right for your company will save you a lot of money and headache in the long run.
A company that has up-to-date printing technology. Simple but easy to overlook, you don’t want to partner with a company that’s perpetually stuck in the 90s. Be sure you find a commercial printing company with all the most up-to-date capabilities, and one that routinely performs quality control checks — such as reviewing print projects for color consistency and mailing projects for personalization and accuracy.
Finding the commercial printing services partner best for your project and your company can seem like a large task. However, if you use the information provided in this blog, you have the roadmap you need to get started.
Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions, an experienced printing company will be happy to help you understand the process and talk about their capabilities.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of what is bopp label material, bopp-bi-oriented, bopp film company. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.