Let’s be honest, when you are looking for a company to facilitate your printing needs – you are spoilt for choice. There are so many to choose from, it can be time consuming and difficult to select the one that fits your business requirements. You are after all making an investment in your marketing materials, so you want to make sure you get it right. We have put together some handy hints to help you on your way to selecting the best option for you.
What are their Capabilities?
Some of the smaller printing companies may not be able to cater to your individual requirements depending on what they are. They may only be able to facilitate with a certain quantity, they may not have that paper or product on offer – or they may not be able to provide you with the turnaround that you need. It’s a good idea to spend a bit of time on their website to find out a little bit more about them and what they have to offer. If in doubt, give them a call.
What’s the Quality of their Products Like?
Something that you could do is ask for a sample. If you are looking for the supplier to design your calendars or posters for you, there may be case studies on the site – but if not, there is always the option to ask them to send them out something that they have previously created. This will also allow you to test the quality of paper as well as the design. If you are using the company to print calendars for example or other promotional items that are being sent out to your clients, you want to make the right impression and don’t want to take any chances.
How Long have they Been Established?
Of course, it’s not fair to associate a new company with a poor level of service – but it’s a good bet if you have a company that’s been around for a long time that there is good reasoning behind that. Have a look at their “About Us” or “Who We Are” sections – this should give you some more information on their background and their company missions and objectives. If they have been established for quite some time, it would likely come hand in hand with a good quality product and good customer services. Business reputation is important when making supplier choices.
Is Customer Service Important to them?
In the world of digital – it’s becoming easier to see how good a company is at providing customer services these days. It’s always a good idea to check out their social media channels to see what other people have been saying about them. You will find a lot of reputable companies also integrate the likes of Trustpilot or even Google reviews on their website, so you are able to see the reviews straight away. This is a good indicator that they not only care about their customers, but that they are proud to show off what they think of them.
What Collaborative Projects have they Completed?
This is something that’s quite important, and something that you may find info on when you are looking at their customer reviews. You want a company that can collaborate with you on projects, and not go ahead without ensuring your needs are fulfilled. Every client is different, and it’s fair for you want to be treated with a level of uniqueness. Especially if you are spending a lot of your money there and if you are getting them to help design your project along with printing. This is an option with a lot of printing companies these days – and a good one if you don’t have your own graphic designer or aren’t handy when it comes to doing that kind of thing on your own.
Competitive Pricing
It’s a common myth that the more money you spend, the better the product you will receive. That’s not always the case, and certainly not with printing companies. There are plenty of printers out there that are competitively priced and offer high value in terms of their end-product as well as their customer service levels. On a lot of printing sites, you will see that the pricing options are clearly visible online. This means that the costing structure is easily viewable – and you can make your decision from there. It takes into account lots of variations however such as paper quality, the finish required etc – so make sure you pay close attention to detail.
Are you feeling a little more confident when it comes to choosing the printing company for you? Now you have some things to look out for and can make an educated decision when choosing the printing partner for your commercial needs.
