Are you in a situation where you’re seeking last-minute prints? Maybe you need a few dozen business cards for an event happening tomorrow, or you want to get flyers up showcasing a missing pet and offering a reward. Whatever the case, it’s critical for these copies to be in your hands and ready for action in the next few hours. Where should you go?
Here at Integra Graphics Synergy, we receive 10 to 15 weekly requests for small batches needed as quickly as possible. As much as we’d love to handle every print job out there, we want to make sure you have the perfect tools at your fingertips for the specific task, and sometimes that tool comes in the form of self-serve print locations, which we’re going to detail in the coming sections.
If you’ve worked with us before or have an active account with us, you probably already know we’ll handle these small requests along with your other print work, because hopefully, we’ve become like an extension of your marketing department. We’ll pull whatever strings we need to if you’re in a pinch, and because you’re already an established client, we can work quicker than we could with a brand new prospect.
The bottom line is that in some cases, you simply don’t need the full capacity of the team you’d find at Integra. With small, one-off jobs like the business cards or flyers mentioned above, you may be better off going with a self-serve, same-day printer. To that end, we’ve outlined the four best same-day printers we know about below, with details on their offerings and capabilities to help you choose the right service for you.
But first…
When Is a Print Broker Still the Best Option for My Print Work?
Even if you decide a same-day brick-and-mortar printer is the right fit for this particular job, you may find yourself wondering if and when working with a print management company would better suit your goals. Many customers find that there’s a time and a place for both, so how should you decide?
A print broker might be a great solution for your organization if:
- Your business is growing: And with it, your print needs. Maybe you’ve recently begun attending trade shows, or you’ve settled into a new physical location you want to decorate with interior and exterior signage. Whatever the case, your bigger jobs are likely to go more smoothly with a single point of contact that has connections within the print industry and an understanding (along with hard-earned negotiation capabilities) of timelines, pricing and expertise.
- Your print needs are becoming more diversified: More than just a boost in quantity, the types of printing you need done will expand with your business in most cases. It might start with a few flyers for an upcoming sale, but it could easily grow into a need for branded apparel, merchandise, catalogs and direct mail campaigns. At that point, trying to manage all your work on your own at a service center likely won’t cut it — especially if you’re aiming for cohesive branding across all materials.
- You have less time on your hands: With a thriving business comes a load of responsibility, which you may find leaves you with few spare moments. Some businesses choose to hire extra professionals, while others opt to leverage a print broker’s services almost like an extension of their own team and operations. Either option can work wonders — it’s all about determining whether you’d rather expand your current marketing team efforts or lean on an established print broker.
- You want specialized customer service: Business owners decide they want careful, white glove handling of their projects for an array of reasons, ranging from hyper-specific color requirements to wanting answers to lots of questions to a simple desire to stay involved in the process and request changes as needed. If something goes wrong with your copies, you may not want to deal with it, and that’s when we’d recommend a print management specialist over a self-serve print center.
Now, with that out of the way, let’s assume you’re focused on one quick, small order of 250 copies or less. You need it done quickly, and it’s a fairly simple project that won’t require much finesse or careful oversight.
Fortunately, depending on your business’s physical location, you probably have a number of quality options to choose from. Most major cities in the United States have access to one or more of the following top-notch self-serve printers.
1. FedEx Office
With more than 2,000 locations across the United States, this option might just be your best local same-day printer. The user-friendly FedEx Office website allows visitors to choose from a wide range of products and styles, from customized postcards and brochures to business cards, flyers and more.
You’ll need to upload your own design on the site, or use their site-integrated Canva templates to build your project before printing. Be sure to check your timeline before ordering, but for most non-premium ink to paper orders, you can pick up from a location near you as long as you order before 12 p.m. in your timezone.
2. Staples
One incredibly convenient perk of using the Staples site to order your prints is that you can navigate directly to a category for same-day pickup. You’ll also find professionally designed templates that you can plug your information directly into and print. For instance, if you need a small batch of postcards printed same-day, you can use your own design or choose from a list of pre-established templates. Just remember, you may end up seeing other companies with the same postcard design if you go this route.
In most cases with Staples, you can order all the way up to 2 p.m. for same-day service.
3. Office Depot Officemax
We love Office Depot Officemax for their clear, upfront guidelines on same-day orders. While their site overall is a little less visually user-friendly than some of the others we’ve mentioned, you’ll find a list of the quantities and products eligible for same-day printing at the bottom of their same-day services page. Get flyers, postcards and business cards in small quantities by using your own design or filling out a template provided on the site.
Make sure you select same-day service on your job ticket and have your work in by 2 p.m. local time, and your work will be ready to go home with you by end of day.
4. UPS
While UPS ranks lowest on our list, it certainly still makes the list for having top-quality, professional print solutions, many locations and lots of available materials.
So why does it rank lowest? We can’t provide you with much in-depth information about what does and does not qualify for same-day turnaround, because services vary by location. You’ll have to check with your local store to learn specifics.
Quick Tips for Same-Day Printing
The four locations above met our criteria for user-friendly interfaces, quick service and a range of selections. You can get your work done quickly and without much stress when you’re after a same-day turnaround. To make things go even smoother, remember the following quick tips:
- Keep an eye on quantity: Most print shops will provide only a certain quantity under their same-day locations, so if you’re looking for bulk, plan to spend a little extra time and work with a print management company or print house.
- Remember the clock: You won’t get same-day turnaround if you submit your project too late in the day. Check requirements before you start building your design with any of the above locations, as their listed deadlines are subject to change.
- Check their sizes: Most same-day services have a preset list of available sizes. If you have a particular need, such as a USPS requirement for direct mailing your postcards at a certain rate, you’ll want to check for availability of that size before clicking the order button. You’re unlikely to find custom sizes on a same-day timeline, so save yourself some time and check before designing.
- Make sure your location is open: When you go directly to a self-serve printer or send your design for a shop professional to process, it’s on you to make sure your desired pickup date and time are available. Even the best laid plans and designs will fall flat on same-day parameters if you find yourself at the location staring at a “Closed for the Holiday” sign.
Get the Perfect Short Order Prints From a Self-Serve Printer Near You
When you got here, you may have felt a bit frenzied about your timeline and the need for a quick turnaround. So first and foremost, we appreciate the time you took to check out our recommendations.
Now that you know about the best options for your small, one-time job, you can start looking for locations near you out of the above list and exploring their design and template offers. You should be able to take a nice, stress-free breath once you’ve gotten those orders submitted — just make sure you keep our quick tips in mind for as seamless an experience as possible!
If you’ve decided you may want to hold off and opt for white glove service rather than self-serve or same-day, that’s a valid choice too! Or perhaps your order size doesn’t fit within the appropriate parameters for a local same-day printer and you need help with a bulk order. Fret not.
At Integra, we’d be happy to help steer you in the right direction or answer any questions you have about the print process. You’re more than welcome to reach out to us for general information.
We’ve also created a timeline calculator that can help you determine an estimated timeframe for the project you have in mind in just a few questions. Click below to check that tool out — the turnaround typically won’t be same-day, but it can certainly be zippy!
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