As a busy marketer, managing your print requirements can represent a significant drain on your time. Our Top 10 Tips could help you to avoid costly mistakes, protect the quality of your brand, avoid data breaches, and get ahead of any price increase.
1. The correct advice
First and foremost, we know that print is a significant element within your roles of responsibility. And yet, it is a complex, specialised discipline which, without the right advice, can contain many pitfalls. We believe a good print management company are essential advisors guiding you across the full range of print requirements within the marketing mix.
Outsourcing to a print management company like Printech will give you the extra pair of hands within your team and free you up to spend more time with your customers, at conferences or events, meeting up with colleagues, or taking time to reflect, plan or just be curious.
2. We build relationships
As well as our own commercial offering under our own roof, we have strong relationships with a network that we regularly use which gives us better leverage on price than you would have on approaching an individual printer.
A good print manager will act as an extension of your team, becoming familiar with your detailed requirements and able to translate these into technical recommendations that save time in the decision-making process. We are available for meetings and consultations, or to deliver samples, hard copy proofs or advance copies.
3. The right skills for the job
Some printers focus on high volume runs of ink-on-paper while others specialise in merchandise, point of sale or promotional items. Printech have access to a range of print techniques and specialisms through their network so that you can leave it with us to ensure your jobs are placed on the correct presses whether its offset or digital.
Of course, it remains your responsibility to achieve best value for your budget and that is why you might spend a great deal of time searching the market for the most cost-effective suppliers. And because printers differ widely in their expertise and the kit they employ, that means a lot of legwork to cover the wide range of items within your marketing plan, extending from printed brochures and leaflets, to point of sale and exhibition stands, to promotional items and corporate merchandise.
Outsourcing takes the headache out of making decisions that could have a significant impact on your brand. Our print managers will ensure the project management tools to keep track of complex projects, and that their print software and associated technology is up to date.
They will check data security in the light of GDPR, so you can rest assured that your data will be handled safely, and you can avoid any breach. Crucially, your print manager will understand the financial stability of a supplier reducing, the risk of trusting them with a high value job.
4. A supplier with the know-how
Like the idea of saving time and money on print? Making changes to the way you plan print runs and getting the pagination right can streamline the process and reduce costs.
The UK spends £17bn on print each year and there are over 10,000 printing companies at your disposal. From digital to sheet-fed or web offset printing, the range of kit and capabilities is vast. Many printers do not own the full range of kit in-house and may outsource your job to another company, potentially without your knowledge.
We invest in our own equipment and we are completely open about its decision-making process in selecting the best press for your job, taking direct responsibility for the quality and timeliness of the finished product. The advantage to you is that your entire job can be handled via a single contact.
5. Don’t compromise on design
Many factors affecting print are inherent within the design, so it makes sense to use a print management company that incorporates a design studio. With all the expertise in-house, they will be able to advise on how your design brief translates into the finished item, taking production costs into account.
In briefing the design team, you need to be clear about your expectations of the finished item and how this meets the needs of your target audience. Is it a disposable means of highlighting a time-limited offer? Or will it be something that customers keep and refer to repeatedly? Understanding how your print item will be used, and how it will be distributed, influences its format, size, weight and the type of the stock on which it is printed.
You need to know from the start whether you will require your item to fold into an envelope or point-of-sale dispenser. A designer should be able to advise on formats to ensure that your strategic objectives are being met.
In the same way, you should expect a designer to advise on the implications of finishing including different types of binding and whether your item would benefit from being perfect bound or saddle stitched. Some designers might recommend lay flat binding which enables the item to be fully opened for easy browsing without cracking the spine.
A good design team will be able to advise you on how finishing effects such as UV varnish can create impact and boost the stand-out of your brand. UV varnish cannot be applied to uncoated stock, so always ask the studio to advise on paper choices. Your project may benefit from lamination, using gloss for striking impact, or matt for a tactile high-quality effect.
In addition, you could choose metallic inks and the design team will make sure you are aware of the impact this will make on the overall printing cost. Foil blocking can also create stunning effects but has similar implications for cost. Foiling and embossing can be requested on areas that are too intricate, causing detail to be lost.
6. Dedicated to your business
Our print managers can advise on all aspects of print and production and may be able to look at the way you operate from a fresh perspective. Having a dedicated account manager is a definite bonus because, in time, your contact will get to know your business and be able to offer a strategic overview of all your requirements. For example, it always pays to consider whether you could print multiple items on identical stock at the same time, even if they are not all required for the same deadline. Types of paper say as much about your brand as what is printed on them and inconsistencies can affect perceptions.
7. Keeping track
Print can absorb a significant part of your budget so establishing the size of your print run is a delicate skill and estimates must be accurate to avoid wastage or costly reprints. You might also be able to make use of a print-on-demand service for your frequently used items where repeat orders are accessible via a web interface, so you can make changes to the copy or imagery without having to pay design costs.
8. Protect your brand
Your brand will be affected by customers’ perceptions of your print item. Think carefully about how it is printed, and the process for getting it out on time.
Environmental credentials count in print whether it is the source of your paper supplies or the materials used to produce your promotional merchandise.
It may help your brand credentials to use a supplier like Printech that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), demonstrating that you take environmental issues seriously and enhancing your Corporate Social Responsibility.
Of course, print is not limited to paper. Technology allows printing to be applied almost anything from vehicles to pencils. With the current focus on the use of plastics, you may need advice on recyclable or sustainable materials including for promotional items and clothing, from cotton to bamboo, and from metal to wood.
9. Load off your mind
Ultimately, your print item or piece of promotional merchandise could lose impact unless it reaches your customer at the right time. When specifying print requirements, you will need to factor in where stock will be stored and how it will be distributed.
Printers may want to deliver the entire consignment as soon as it is complete and may not have the space to retain it indefinitely. Print management companies can organise storage for you like we can do in our own warehouse where we can keep your items safe and secure until you need them.
We are on hand to assist you with storage and logistics, so you can move your items to where they need to be including multiple locations.
10. And Finally…!
It can be helpful to combine the storage of your printed materials with fulfilment through a single supplier. From merchandise to marketing campaign material, you may need a partner that can fulfil bulk orders or pick and pack items as required.
Engaging with a print manager means that you can scale up your operation as your business grows, or to meet seasonal demand. A great print management company can offer full-branded custom packaging that will delight your customers.
Postage is an additional significant expense that can sometimes be overlooked as part of the fulfilment process. A print management company can advise on your choice of stock to make sure that the finished weight of the item will not be prohibitive to post. Uncoated stock can be bulky with a high pagination, creating extra weight. Make sure your item will fit through a standard letterbox if it is part of a mail drop to consumers.
Print managers can help you to navigate the minefield of delivery services, including access to Royal Mail. There are many savings to be gained by getting advice on the right postal service option, or the most efficient way to present your mailing that will help you to reduce costs.