When you need a lot of pieces printed in a short amount of time, you need a commercial printing company that can handle the size of your job. What many people fail to consider is that no two printing companies are the same. Sure, their services and equipment are often similar (or even seemingly identical), but there are a lot of factors that are easily overlooked that can greatly affect the end product that your potential customers will see. If you’re looking for a commercial printer, it’s important that you consider:
1. Are they Qualified?
Do you trust anyone to repair your car? Scratch that, most people don’t even trust more than one person to cut their hair. So why would you trust just anyone with printing marketing materials or fliers for your company? Always check for reviews, referrals or testimonials before hiring a printing company. How long have they been in business, a couple years or a couple decades? Have they won any awards or other accolades? While most printing nowadays can be automated to some degree, the “human factor” can still have a big impact on the outcome of your print job, so it’s imperative that you work with someone you trust will take care with your job and ensure the quality is up to your standards.
2. Are they Green?
Even though the print business uses a lot of paper, a majority of it is either recycled or will be recycled to be used again and a lot of paper used today comes from sustainable tree farms. Even if going green isn’t necessarily important to you personally, consider that a printing company that puts little or no effort into reducing their carbon footprint may be slacking in other areas too.
3. What is the quality of their work?
The quality of the actual prints that your customers receive will speak volumes about your business, so make sure that what they get is up to your company’s standards. Ask to see some materials or prints from previous jobs. If you received these prints or mailers, would you be enticed to buy? Are prints frequently different or do they have printing errors? If they did the same work for your company, would you be proud to send it to customers? Don’t settle for just anyone; make sure that what you’re sending out is worth the time and money it takes for you to print.
4. Do they have a quality or satisfaction guarantee?
The mailers you send out will likely be your first (and possibly only) chance to make an impression on new customers and introduce your business. Is the printing company you’re considering confident enough in their services to offer a satisfaction or quality guarantee? If not, do you trust them enough with your marketing funds to do a good job?
5. While Important, price isn’t everything.
When choosing a print company, many people make the mistake of looking at the price quotes they receive and pick solely based on the bottom line. While the saying goes “you get what you pay for”, it’s still entirely possible for a bad printing company to overcharge or a really great printing company to be inexpensive. Sure, price is important and you should definitely take it into consideration, but don’t make a final decision without checking the printing company out and ensuring their quality is up to your standards.
Choosing the right printing company for your needs can be difficult once you consider all the factors. Don’t just pick the first or cheapest printing company you find, do some research and find a company that fits with your message and goals and will be up to your standards. Make sure you are sending something to your customers you can be proud of that won’t go straight in the trash.
If you have questions about a print job or finding the right printing company for you, call Brooks Litho today for help.