When you want to become a print buyer in the Lancaster region, the first step you’ll likely take is to look into your options. Whether you’re printing tons of wedding invitations for your upcoming event or working on a catalog for your company’s next product release, you need a business you can trust to get the job done right — and right on time.
At Integra Graphics Synergy, we’ve been in the print management business since 2005, and most of our team has been in the print industry for a whole lot longer than that. Along the way, we’ve learned just how stressful this decision can be for new print buyers.
Especially with long-term print relationships, where a company becomes almost like an extension of your own marketing team, you want to get the decision right the first time to avoid slowdowns, extra application processes, overpriced goods, shoddy printwork and just about any other issue you may have heard in horror stories from unsuspecting print buyers who went the wrong route with their print professionals.
So how can you make sure you’re selecting the perfect print company near you?
In this article, you’ll learn how to identify your print priorities, choose the type of print business you work with and vet each potential choice based on a list of the most important factors. You’ll be able to select your Pennsylvania printer with confidence knowing you did your due diligence and made choices based on your own research.
So let’s get started!
Selecting a Lancaster, PA Printer That Meets Your Unique Needs
If you have just one project on the horizon that you need professional prints for, this decision can be a stressful one. If you’re searching for a print house you can trust on an ongoing basis with a range of products, like catalogs, postcards, direct mail pieces, pamphlets, flyers, promotional items and quarterly newsletters, it’s an even bigger undertaking.
So how do you choose?
Below are some of the top factors to keep in mind and questions to ask as you do your homework and consider your options.
Business Model
You may have already learned about the four primary types of print professionals, and if not, you’re welcome to read our article on the topic. To smooth the search process over, we recommend choosing the type of business model you want your professional printer to have. This can be an online printer, a print house, a print management company or a hybrid of an online printer and print house.
Each model has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a quick breakdown.
If you work with an online printer, you may see lower prices, but you won’t get much customer service. A print house will work with you on the type of projects they specialize in, but they’re typically limited by the types of equipment and experts they have on-site. A print broker will be able to source the right products and prices from the vendors and print houses with whom they’ve built partnerships, but they have to have good connections to be maximally productive. And finally, a hybrid online and on-site facility, such as office supply shops where you can pick up print orders you’ve placed online, will be quick and convenient in many cases, but lack as much customer support and also tend to have higher prices.
Specialties
Whether they’re a print house with equipment on-site or a print management company that can pull from a wide range of trusted vendors, the print professional you consider working with should be able to meet your current and projected future needs. Be sure they have access to the equipment your projects call for, and think about the future of your print needs so that the company you get set up with can evolve with your business.
Specialties are one major differentiator between print brokers and traditional print warehouses. When a company needs a broad range of products and services, from offset to digital printing to signage to promotional items to apparel, they may eventually hit a roadblock formed by space and equipment limitations at a print facility. A print management company, on the other hand, can pivot between different business partners to find the right specialties for your job, timeline and budget.
The idea here is scalability: You may only need postcards and business cards now, but will your printer be able to handle your product catalog down the line? Or publish your company’s book with the appropriate binding and finishes in five years? Sure, you can always jump ship, but who wants to start fresh with a new print professional when they don’t have to?
Average Timelines
Be honest with yourself here — will your business sometimes need last-minute products and services? Do you tend to face swiftly approaching deadlines or need a print house that can stick to a strict timeline? Be sure to ask the right questions to find out whether or not your prospective printer of choice tends to get the work done within a window you can accept. Many printers offer rush work for an additional fee — check for this option before committing.
Pricing and Quotes
You’ll of course need to consider your budget when you choose a print professional. Will they work with you to find the right solution for your price point? Are they priced fairly in general? What information do they offer about factors driving cost up and down? Finally, do they offer payment terms, and if so, do you qualify? At Integra, for example, we run a credit check on each company requesting terms, and we request trade references to protect ourselves and our customers by ensuring a good, reliable fit.
On the topic of pricing, you’ll want to find out what the quoting process is like for the printers you consider. Determine whether you should budget for hidden fees — or better yet, avoid companies with hidden fees in the first place. And what happens once you’ve signed your quote?
Proof Process
You’ll probably want digital or physical proofs — samples and mockups you can take back to your team and check for accuracy and aesthetic appeal before your full print run takes place. A business’s hard and soft proof process can affect everything from pricing to timeline to the way you view their customer service, so ask an expert at each location what you can expect in this regard.
Customer Service
Keep track of the amount of time a prospective printer takes to answer your calls or emails. Do they ask about your needs and work to keep your project on track? Do they lead with curiosity and make sure problems on their end don’t turn into problems on your end?
If you just need one job done at a low cost and then you’re done with printers, you may be able to squeak by without white glove, full-service treatment from your printer. We’ve all had to grit our teeth and bare it from time to time with a business offering a discount, right? It’s unpleasant, but not as unpleasant as missing a deadline because you want to swap to a new provider mid-project. Due diligence here can save you plenty of blood pressure spikes, but if you fail to spot customer service shortcomings early with a single print job, you can still come out the other side with quality products at your desired pricing.
On the other hand, if you need a print provider who can become a quasi-extension of your business and deliver ongoing care, planning, design, sourcing and printing, we highly recommend putting some extra time into rating their customer service before diving in. The last thing you want is a print company that doesn’t understand the importance of your time and each and every one of your print projects.
Onboarding Procedure
Be sure your printer of choice is taking new customers and that you can successfully complete their onboarding procedure, from credit checks and trade reference requests to background information and associated paperwork. Bonus points if the process is smooth, quick and seamless!
Guarantees and Assurances
Find out if your printer has any guarantees or assurances related to timeline, troubleshooting, hidden fees or delivery. What if the print house has an equipment breakdown, or worse, an explosion or fire at their facility? Will your timeline be delayed? Will you receive a full or partial refund of any amount paid up front?
If you want to be extra careful, ask potential printers how they ensure safety and maintain their equipment and materials. Are their operations happening in the same building, or spread across multiple buildings? Have they faced any fines or citations for OSHA violations, and are they subject to inspections that ensure OSHA compliance and industry standard operations?
Reputation
If you haven’t already, take a look at the customer reviews for any print company you’re considering. Check what people have to say on both ends of the spectrum, from the complaints and how they were managed to the praise and what the company is known to do well.
Depending on how entrenched you are in the local community, you may even find it helpful to talk to other locals who have used each printer’s services. Ask around on social media, or consult your network of other local professionals who may have experience with the business.
Location, Location, Location
Many print buyers in Lancaster, PA and other major cities across the country decide location isn’t as important in their selection process. That’s a valid position to take — afterall, if you go the online route, you may be ordering from other countries entirely. And if you go the broker route, as long as the broker is a high-quality, customer-first business, you’ll find that they’ve developed relationships with vendors in all kinds of locations to cut down on delivery time and fees and meet customers wherever they are.
However, if you prefer face-to-face meetings, site visits and in-person pickup, check for print companies local to your area. The only model of the four that definitely won’t have a brick-and-mortar location near you is the online printer.
Transparency
When you start researching these categories, keep transparency top of mind. Any business that won’t answer your questions about their credentials and capabilities is throwing up a red flag you should flee from at top speed.
Choose Your Most Valued Printer Qualities to Start Your Research off Right
Before you read through this article, you may have been wondering where to start with the vetting process for your best-fit professional printer. It’s tough to know where to start, especially when you’re looking for a new product or service within the print industry. Whether you need a batch of 100 business cards printed within two days or a run of 5,000 catalogs for next month’s tradeshow, the options and industry lingo can seem daunting.
Our hope is that you now understand a bit more about what differentiates the one print company from the rest. Deciding what qualities matter most to you out of this list will help you do your due diligence and come out the other side with a printer you can trust for your unique print project lineup.
Now, you may be wondering what it’s like to work with Integra Graphics Synergy and how we stack up in each of these categories. If you’d like to ask us any of these questions directly, feel free to reach out to us. Any one of your print experts would be happy to answer any inquiries you can come up with about our capabilities and business operations — including whether we think we’d be a good or bad fit for your project and print goals!
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