Choosing The Right Commercial Printer

If you are new to purchasing printing for your own business or the employer you work for, choosing a printer for your project can sometimes be overwhelming and confusing. It really boils down to the complexity of your job, your budget, and concern for quality.

If you are choosing several printers to give you estimates on cost, take the time to learn what each of their core strengths are. Some printers only have larger presses which usually cost more but can produce larger and sometimes a higher quality product. While other printers may have smaller presses which can cost less to use, but at the same time, may not be able to produce the quality your job requires. After you have priced several jobs with the various printers you have chose to do business with, you will get a sense to what each printer is really good at or what their niche is.

Another thing to consider is that if your project can be completed from start to finish at the printer you want to use. For example, your project may require die cutting, laminating or UV coating. Also, if your project requires some special folding or maybe even hand assembly, it can complicate things. Will the printer you choose have to job any of these activities to an outside vendor? If they do, how will this effect price and delivery time. There are few printers who can provide all of the items I have explained above under one roof, so sometimes you are left with no choice. Also, do you really want to mess with taking the job from the printer and try to get it folded or laminated on your own? That involves time and a good knowledge of the printing industry/vendors to make sure you do not make a mistake. If you let the printer handle the whole process, then you only have to worry about one person to call if the finished product does not live up to your standards rather than try to fight with multiple vendors you have used to produce one project. There less risk of you making a mistake if you employ one company for the whole project. Mistakes will be made, but hopefully they are small and minimal to increasing cost.

I have been doing this for 10 years, so I have come to learn what different presses and press sizes are capable of. It comes easy to me, but at the same time I embrace technology and can understand why things cost what they do.

The one thing that I can guarantee is that the printing industry is constantly changing. The technology used today is not always the same that will be used tomorrow. But I guess that can be said about anything. Just do your homework on the printing vendors you are considering before you buy and you should help to eliminate unnecessary costs.

Brian