Choosing a Printing Company for Your Invitations and Stationery

While choosing the best printing services for your company, you will find that there are more factors to be considered than you originally thought of. In today’s marketplace, which is highly competitive, image plays one of the biggest roles in the way consumers perceive and accept your product. Since the material that will be printed will be seen by the general public, and most importantly, potential customers, you should choose a printing company that produces high quality printed products. The quality aspect should not only be focused on the corporate imagery and design, but also on the physical features of the material, like the layout, paper, print quality, and the physical form in which it will be produced, such as a business card, pamphlet, brochure, letterhead or flyer, to name a few.

When it comes to printed material, there are many different formats that are required, which generally entail different techniques for printing. The formats range from ‘continuous-form’ materials like purchase orders and invoices, to ‘made-to-order’ materials like newsletters, flyers, books, and business cards. Most printing companies specialize in particular fields, and thus, it is essential for you to first determine which printer will be able to meet your specific needs, while providing the best quality at the cheapest price. It is important to build a good rapport with all your printing companies, as you will then be able to check up on their references. A good printing company will be able to handle the printing process smoothly, and will also give a few suggestions in areas concerning ink types and paper sizes. Even though this may seem convenient, it is not necessary for you to be loyal to a single printing company, as you might end up paying more or settling for poorer quality. Many printing companies accept projects that they are not equipped to handle, and so they outsource them to a third party.

When choosing a good printing company, your chief concern should be efficiency. How efficient is your printing company when it comes to print quality and turnover time? Is your printing company aware of your needs? Developing a good rapport with your printing company will prove to be beneficial because this will enable you to ask questions about maximizing the efficiency. It is good to ask your printing company for suggestions. A good printing company will always be ready to help you, as well as your project. From the number of inks used to the paper types, a good printing company should make recommendations. Reducing paper waste will lower your costs. More often than not, the material or paper costs forms the biggest part of the printing expenditure. Going for a single color will always prove to be less expensive. Keeping the least number of color designs will help you save money on ink as well as the cost of the printing plates. If you wish to use color in your designs, then you should consider using the following options:

• If you would like a two-colored project, then you could consider printing on colored stock, as this will reduce your extra ink costs.
• Projects that include bleeds are far more expensive. A ‘bleed’ or a ‘color bleed’ is formed when different ink colors are placed adjacent to each other, appearing as if they are bleeding into each other. However, it is wise to avoid using bleeds if you want to keep your costs low.

Get a good idea about what kind of clientele your printing company caters to by taking a look at their previous projects or portfolios. You will be able to find a large number of resources over the Internet, which provide complete descriptions of every printing company’s unique skills and specialties, their prices, turnover time, and whether or not they provide project designs.