You know you need to find a printer for your business. You’ve read all the articles and blog posts that explain how important it is to have printed marketing materials. You understand why you need a commercial printer. The question is, how do you choose the best one? You might think that being an entrepreneur means you don’t have to follow rules or answer to anyone, but if you’re going to be successful, that isn’t true at all. An effective business has well-planned processes in place and understands the inner workings of their company at every level. They also know their strengths and weaknesses as well as what they need their employees and partners to do so they can focus on what they do best.
Hiring a Commercial Printer
If you’re just printing a few things for yourself once in a while, you can probably use your home printer. But, if you’re a business owner and you want to print marketing materials for your business, you need to hire a commercial printer. Commercial printers specialize in printing for businesses because their machines are designed for the volume associated with businesses. They have large presses, usually use roll-to-roll paper, and have turnaround times of a few hours or less. They understand what you need to get printed and how to do it. You don’t have to worry about setting up the job and making sure it comes out right.
1. Know your requirements
Make a list of everything you need printed. Then, break it down into categories based on what you want printed and their priority. Keep the categories as simple as possible so you don’t get overwhelmed with all that you want done. Once you have the categories and items listed, you can start to estimate the costs so you can get an idea of your budget. You should also keep the following in mind when making your list: - Paper stocks, such as weight, type, and finish are important factors to consider when choosing your printing materials. You also need to decide how many you need printed and how many different items you have. Consider volume discounts if you have enough work to make it worth it.
2. Check the reputation of the company
You could go into a garage and hire someone to fix your car. The car might get fixed, but that doesn’t mean it’s good work. So before you hire someone to do work for your business, you need to make sure they have a good reputation. There are different ways to do this, such as asking your network. Do you know anyone else who has hired a printer? If so, what are their thoughts? Read reviews on sites like Yelp, Google, and don't forget the reviews on the printer's Facebook business page. Contact organizations like the Better Business Bureau or the Chamber of Commerce or anyone you know who took the time to write a positive recommendation and see what they have to say.
3. Look at the quality of work
You will never know if you will like the work a commercial printer does unless you ask to see some samples. Most printers would rather show you samples than talk about how great they are because they know what you really want to know is the quality of their work. Ask for a sample if you can. If the printer is local, visit their shop and ask if they can print something for you. Ask to see samples of previous work. You don’t have to choose the printer who shows you their best work. You just want to see if their work is within the quality you need.
4. Ask about process and protocol
You’re hiring a commercial printer because you want to outsource a part of your business. This means that you don’t want to be involved in the process of printing your pieces. If you want to retain control over the process and make sure it’s done right, you almost certainly don’t want to hire a printer who wants you involved. Ask these questions to find out how the printer works and if it will fit with your company. What is the process for getting a job done? How long does it take to get work done? Who is involved in the process? What types of files do they accept? What is their workflow? How are they organized? How do they keep track of their work?
5. Ask for references
You should always ask for references. This is especially true if you’re hiring a commercial printer. You want to make sure the printer is trustworthy by asking for references from former customers. If a printer has a bad reputation and no one will recommend them, don’t hire them. If a printer has a good reputation and references, call them and ask them how their experience working with the printer was.
Wrapping up
You want to make sure you hire the best commercial printer for your business. That means more than just going with the first one you find. It takes a bit of work and research to find the right commercial printer for you. But once you do, you’ll be glad you took the time to find the best one. Call us at HD Print & Marketing today to see how we can help with your project.
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