subject: 3 Quotes Not Good Policy - Finding a Good Printer, Great Policy [print this page] I can think of 3 good reasons why you should try a different approach!
If you have corporate colors, a logo, or a brand you are trying to establish and/or protect, sending every other print job that comes along to different print providers based on price alone is asking for trouble. Before you know it, you will have brochures with different colored logos on different paper stocks, and the headaches will really begin.
If you haven't taken the time to establish a relationship with a print professional, it could cost money and time. To blindly send print specs to 3 printers usually negates the possibility that there might be a better mousetrap. Maybe your project is sized badly and the parent sheets of paper stock will yield poorly, making your project 40% more expensive. Your booklet job could be too small to be perfect-bound inexpensively, and should just be saddle-stitched. You may never know.
When rush jobs hit last minute, or the designer busts in and reveals there was a typo in his file, having a printer you know by name and have a relationship with could be the thing that turns you into a hero. Reprints at cost and working on the weekend are things that happen mostly in established relationships, not low bidder scenarios. That's just the way it is, folks!
Corporate policy is hard to fight. But, if you are the person who sets it, or if you have any pull in your company, endeavor to move away from the "3 quotes" system. It may take a few tries, but if you put in the time to find the right print professional, who will take the time to go over your project, look at it from all angles, maybe ask you a few questions which you won't think you have time for, perhaps you will develop a relationship based on mutual respect and a commitment to quality and value.
Anything that gets printed deserves to be printed right. We aren't talking about screws or rivets. Printed products are often the only way your company is judged visually. Don't treat your company's image like a commodity. Make the call, and have a conversation. You might just like it!
3 Quotes Not Good Policy - Finding a Good Printer, Great Policy
