subject: What To Look For In Commercial Printing Companies [print this page] You can't always expect commercial printing companies to generate the same outputs. If you want only the best printed promotional materials, you need to spend some time picking the right printer. Here are some qualities a good one should have.
Excellent Offshore Services
You can save a lot of cash if you pick a printer with offshore operations. The price cuts are largely the result of savings that print companies also enjoy due to low cost materials and labor. Take note though that in some instances, distance and language differences can lead to botched up jobs. This is why you should only settle for printers that have clear systems and standards for outsourcing.
Ideally, the external offices of commercial printing services should not be separate partner entities. A company that owns its offshore units will be better able to demand that its high standards and policies be followed. Also, satellite offices should be operated by local personnel to ensure that cultural and language differences do not become issues. Find out if these offices can meet your deadlines by checking their print and delivery processes.
Green Printing Solutions
The alarming state of our environment should be enough of a reason to adopt eco friendly solutions. Printers can do their part by using recyclable materials, non chlorine based paper and vegetable oil inks. They can do even more by using alternative sources of energy such as solar power and partnering with suppliers that have high environmental standards. You can do your part by choosing commercial printing companies that maintain commitments to environmental preservation and conservation.
Project Management System
You can't always expect your print projects to run smoothly. This is especially since there is more to printed promotional material than ordering and getting your hands on the final output. You have to worry about a lot of other things such as coming up with a design; choosing between coated and uncoated paper; picking the appropriate paper weight; choosing inks and storing printed materials. If you are too busy with the core concerns of running a business, the issues surrounding your promotional materials can go unattended.
To make sure that you still get a good printing job done, you should select from among the commercial printing services that follow project management strategies. Real project managers can take control of the entire task starting from designing to storing and delivering the materials.
One outstanding quality of a good project management system is customer relations. A printing service shouldn't just listen to customers. They should also initiate contact and provide different instances for customers to review work progress and provide comments. An important part of all this is the provision of work proofs or, at the very least, clear photographs of work outputs. This is a must for offshore operations mainly to avoid language errors or mistakes owing to miscommunication.
You can't afford to make a mistake with commercial printing companies. Making the wrong choice could prove expensive, wasteful and frustrating. If you want an excellent service that can do the job properly the first time, pick a company that has all the right components.
