Mistake #1 -- You choose a printer based only on price!
The old adage is really true. “You get what you pay for.” This is especially true in the printing business. If you want good printing you should decide to deal with a printer because of the overall value you receive, NOT because they are the lowest priced.
Here’s Why...
Value = Quality + Service + Price
It is impossible for any company in any industry to offer the cheapest price, have the highest quality, and provide the best service all at the same time.
You can get high quality and super service, but you can’t get both and still get the lowest price.
Just like in your business, you hire the best people and buy the highest quality products -- consequently, you have to charge more for your services.
Total Value is all three. Quality, Service, and Price!
The 3 most common problems YOU WILL have when you pick a printer who only offers the lowest price:
1) The first problem is that dirt cheap printers don’t usually stand behind their work if there is a mistake. Sure, other printers might do your printing for a little less money, but how will they treat you when there is a mistake with your job? To give the cheapest price, they usually have low-wage, inexperienced employees that have not been adequately trained. They also cut corners by using cheaper inks and lower quality paper to give that low price. The end result is that you get what you pay for. And the little bit of money you saved ends up costing you more in the long run! Believe me, this is a little saying we tell our customers: “The good feeling of a cheap price is long gone before the stench of poor quality is ever used up.”
2) The second problem with a printer who offers the lowest price is that they tend to also offer the lowest quality. Your printed piece is your image. It directly reflects on your professionalism and the standards of work you are willing to accept.
If you hand out shoddy materials, it rubs off on your company image. Plainly said, “Shoddy or low quality printing because of cheap price makes you look bad.” No amount of savings is worth this. You’ve worked too hard and spent too much money to build your company image. Why throw it away for the few pennies you save on printing?
3) And the third reason why picking the cheapest printer is a problem is that you might get charged extra for things other printers normally include in their quote in the first place. You’ll be charged extra for such things as plates, film and cutting. Cheap printers nickel and dime you to death. What seemed like a good price actually ends up costing you more in the end. This is just a tactic cheap printers use to get in the door.
To avoid buying on price alone, we suggest you choose two or three printers and rank them in the order that is important to you such as Quality first, Service second, and Price last.
THE 8 BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN CHOOSING A PRINTER.....
Mistake #2 -- You think all printers are the same!
Every printer is different. No two printers are really the same. Every printer has different equipment and different employees who know how to print certain kinds of jobs well. Every company has a different number of employees, each with different abilities, and different lead times to complete your work.
Printing is art and craftsmanship combined. Most people who buy printing don’t truly understand that despite all the technological advances, printers still use the same techniques as twenty years ago.
Contrary to what a lot of people think, printing is not just running paper through a copy machine. It takes craftsmanship to turn out quality printing. Printers have to adjust ink, water, plates and paper before they can print the first sheet.
Communication is the key to picking the best printer for YOU.
• Ask what type of work they print: full color, labels, newspapers. (Ask to see samples).
• Ask what their average turnaround time is.
• Ask any other questions that are unique to your needs. This will help you decide whether they are the best printer for YOU!
After you ask your questions, it will become pretty obvious which company you should choose. The company that wants your business will prove to you they are the best printer to do your work. Take your time to decide which printer you would like to use -- but when you decide, you must be loyal to them (See Mistake #3).
THE 8 BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN CHOOSING A PRINTER.....
Mistake #3 -- You Always Have Three or More Printers Competing With Each Other For Your Work.
You may think this is a good way to do business. And it is to some extent. But here is why it usually isn’t a good way to deal with printers. A good printer has enough loyal customers that they don’t have to deal with price shoppers.
Once you find a good printer, you must be loyal to them. If you flip-flop from printer-to-printer, a good shop won’t be too motivated to keep YOU as a customer.
Price is important. But price should not be more important than good quality and good service.
This is what purchasing agents typically like to do. They try to get everyone fighting for the same piece of pie. This might be an OK short term strategy because you save a few bucks. But, when you need a favor, or superfast turnaround -- not one of these companies will instantly bend over backwards to help you. (And if you have been a price shopper in the past, they will probably charge you more!)
Every printer expects to bend over backwards for their loyal customers now and again. He or she might have to work all night, print a super rush job, or pull off a miracle. Provided the customer is loyal, the printer will do all he can to help you meet your deadline.
All good printers will be loyal to you if YOU are loyal to them.
Keep loyalty in mind when you pick your printer.
THE 8 BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN CHOOSING A PRINTER.....
Mistake #4 -- You Think Having The Right Equipment Is All A Printer Needs To Print Your Job
Many printers own great equipment, but that doesn’t mean they know how to run it. You can have the “latest, greatest technological wonder gizmo”, but if you don’t know how to operate it properly, you are better off not even turning the darn thing on. Compare this to using all of the complicated controls on your VCR.
Studies show that half the people who own a VCR don’t even know how to set the clock, let alone use its advanced features.
The same thing happens in the printing industry.
Many printing presses have a lot of bells and whistles, but if the printer has a pressman who doesn’t know how to use the new features, you might as well go to a company that has old equipment.
Make sure the pressman is trained by the factory or another competent company. This ensures your printing will get done right the first time. And on time!
THE 8 BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN CHOOSING A PRINTER.....
Mistake #5-- You Don’t Give Your Printer Enough Time To Print Your Job Properly!
Mistakes happen when you rush!
When you’re in a hurry, you may forget to tell your printer certain instructions. Or you might make a mistake on your original artwork because you were concentrating on getting it done, instead of getting it done right.
Schedule. Schedule. Schedule.
Before you work on your printing project, talk with your printer. Get your printer involved from the beginning because there might be a more efficient way to finish your project on time that you don’t know about.
You can save time, money and headaches from the very beginning by communicating with your printer!
Why do most people do the opposite of this and wait until the last minute to talk to the printer? Because everyone takes the printer for granted. Everyone thinks the printer can easily take care of their work. Most everyone thinks the printer is sitting around waiting for their job to come through the door. This isn’t the case.
You should think of your printer as your “project partner”. Consult with your printer. Let them know in advance what you want printed. Ask them if there are any tips they can give you to make your printing go smoother.
You are not the only customer your printer has. When you walk in the door saying you need it now, a printer can’t always help you. YOU need to work together.
THE 8 BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN CHOOSING A PRINTER.....
Mistake #6 -- You Pick Printers Who Don’t Guarantee Their Work
All reputable printers guarantee their work automatically. This means if they make a mistake on your printing, they will re-run your job at no charge.
Unfortunately, there are unethical printers who won’t do this. Instead, they won’t make good on your printing and may not take any responsibility for their mistakes.
An unethical printer may hold your artwork hostage. Or may say they will fix your printing, but pin the problem on you and tack on an extra charge. There are about a hundred other things a not-so-good printer may do to you.
The best thing you can do is pick a printer who unconditionally guarantees their work. If it’s not printed right and it’s their mistake, they will run it again.
THE 8 BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN CHOOSING A PRINTER.....
Mistake #7 -- You Don't Ask for References.
This is probably the easiest way you can avoid any problems with a printer. ALL good reputable printers will eagerly give you references.
Ask your printer to give you at least three names of people who they have done business with. And also ask them how long they have worked with this customer.
Also ask them what type of printing they normally do for those references. Try and get the names of customers who print similar things like you need to print.
This is the easiest way you can pick the right printer for YOU!
THE 8 BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN CHOOSING A PRINTER.....
Mistake #8 -- You Don't Understand What Your Printer Needs
Alright, this wasn’t one of the original seven mistakes for this booklet. But it IS important. It’s so important, that we have written a book to help you to understand the printing workflow and be able to provide electronic files your printer can use. Download your free copy of "Pre-Press 101 or How to submit electronic files your printer can use the first time!" (Rev. 2/06) The files are updated regularly as technology and equipment is changed so check back frequently.
TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
GRIPPER: The “gripper” is the space at the top of the sheet that is needed for the press to grab the sheet of paper and pull it through the press. The gripper area cannot be printed on. So when your printer is laying out your sheet, they need to consider the non-print area at the top. This only becomes a problem if you are trying to cover the whole sheet with ink. The typical non-print area ranges from 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. Holley's Printing's standard gripper is 3/8 of an inch.
BLEED: Area that extends 1/8" past the finished size of the job. If your backgrounds, photos or any graphic elements will print right up to the edge of your document, it is imperative that this extra image area extend 1/8" (.125) past the trim edge on all sides. Be sure that only non-essential text and graphics are included in this area.
IMPOSITION: This is the process of taking electronic files and positioning them with imposition software. The image must be placed in an exact position, based on the press it will run on, so that the lasers will image it correctly on the metal plate.
Modern technology has replaced "film strippers" with digital pre-press technicians. If you compose a job and give the printer the disk, you have already done 90% of the stripping in your computer. However, the files still need to be put in position top to bottom and left to right.
LINE SCREEN: A line screen is the density of the dot screen a printer uses to reproduce photos and images. Typically, Holley's prints at the following line screens: sheetfed four color process offset: 200 lpi, flexographic: 150 lpi, small offset press: 133 lpi and web press: 120 lpi. The higher the lines per inch, the better the quality.
SPOT COLOR SEPARATIONS: Printers need to separate Color 1 from Color 2 because when they print your job, everything that is Color 1 needs to be on plate one and likewise for Color 2. Let’s say you need to print black and red on your letterhead. Your printer must image a plate for the black and another plate for the red. If you attempt to print two spot color separations to your laser printer and you output more than two pieces of laser paper, you must go back and revise your file.
PROCESS COLOR SEPARATIONS: Jobs printed in full color, also known as four color process, are built out of the following colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK). Your printer must image a plate for each of these colors. It is imperative that all graphic links and elements in a four color process job are saved in the CMYK format and DO NOT contain ANY RGB elements!
PLATES: Metal plates are the method Holley's Printing uses to print offset and web jobs. The days of film and bluelines are gone for good! Electronic files are RIP'd, imposed and imaged directly to a Cromapro proof and then to the plate once the proof is approved. With the Nexus "RIP once, output many" server ease, your job can be ready for the press quicker than ever. Metal plates give you a superb quality print job.
THE 8 BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN CHOOSING A PRINTER.....
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