6 Ways a Print Broker Can Save You Money — and 3 Ways They Can't

Whether your company has been in business for decades or you’re just starting out, one of the equations you’re undoubtedly trying to solve on a regular basis is how to gain more customers without stretching your budget too thin. Print on paper, promotional items and signage are some of the most effective ways to make it happen, but you need a print company you can trust to deliver quality without an insurmountable bill.

You might be wondering whether to go with a regular print house or a print management company, also called a print broker. At Integra, we’ve been in the print management industry for decades, and we’ve learned along the way who makes a good fit and who would be better served by a brick-and-mortar printer.

While we’d love to tell you we could save you money in absolutely every instance, that’s simply not the case. So we’re putting our bias aside here to show you six top ways we might be able to save you money, as well as three situations in which the model may not suit your budget. Our goal is to make this stressful process easier for you — and keep other brokers in the industry honest about what they can and cannot help with.

Whether you’re considering a local brick-and-mortar print house, looking into Integra Graphics Synergy as your print broker or looking into other professional print management companies, this breakdown will help you feel confident in finding your perfect fit.

6 Ways Print Management Businesses Can Lower Your Print Costs

First, let’s see which cost-saving benefits might apply to your needs. To improve your bottom line, reputable print brokers will:

1. Learn your marketing infrastructure: First and foremost, a print broker should be eager to learn the ins and outs of your business, budget and goals before making suggestions. If you get on the phone with one who immediately starts trying to make a sale, you should run for the hills. We believe the greatest strength of the brokerage model is the ability to serve various specialized marketing needs, from signage and promotional products to every kind of print on paper out there. They should become something of an extension of your marketing team, taking your goals and success on as their own. And part of that success, of course, is coming in under budget without sacrificing effectiveness!
   
   
2. Tap into comparable services with lower costs: When you work with a well-established print broker, you’re trusting one source to find the right services for you across a multitude of print facilities. They’ve already built relationships with reliable printers. Once they learn your goals and budget, they can either find a printer to complete the job just as you envision it, or they can suggest alternatives, such as different paper types, to provide a comparable product that costs less.
   
   
3. Take advantage of trade-only connections: Many brick-and-mortar printers will not deal with an end customer directly. They work exclusively with print brokers, and they often provide lower prices for a range of print services and materials. They know they can trust the print management companies they partner with to bring in business, so they can focus on the equipment and print work they specialize in, lowering costs. 
   
   
   Wondering what it’s like to trust Integra Graphics Synergy as your print broker? Click below to learn how we handle print projects and client relationships.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Use gang printing where it’s available: Many trade-only printers save money by running large, similar jobs from numerous clients at the same time. Instead of needing to spend time and setup costs preparing their equipment for each small batch, they can knock out several similar projects at once to boost efficiency and lower prices. Print brokers will have an intimate knowledge of the locations available for this type of printing, and they can try to get your project worked into the gang run to meet your timeline and price.
   
   
5. Cut down shipping costs by printing locally: There’s nothing worse than missing a deadline or overspending because of shipping. Everyone hates a hefty shipping fee, so it makes the most sense to get your materials from a local printer. When we say local, we mean local to wherever those materials are going. If you attend or host events throughout the country or even around your state, a well-positioned print broker can find quality print professionals near each event to help you save on shipping time and shipping fees (while still managing the process from start to finish so you can breathe easy).
   
   
6. Save your marketing team time by acting as a single touchpoint: A print broker can streamline your marketing efforts by consolidating all your print needs into one efficient channel. This centralization reduces the time and resources your team spends on coordinating with multiple vendors, translating into significant cost savings. By having a single, knowledgeable point of contact, your marketing team can focus on strategic initiatives rather than getting bogged down in the details of print management. This perk not only optimizes your team's productivity but also maximizes your budget by reducing indirect costs associated with time and labor.

Now let’s look at some of the print needs for which a print broker may be unable to offer much saving.

3 Ways Print Management Companies Cannot Lower Your Print Costs

While lowering costs isn’t the only benefit of working with a print broker, it’s a major one. Unfortunately, the print management model doesn’t help save much money when you need a company to:

1. Take a small-batch order from you as a new customer: Getting started with a print broker involves some initial setup and understanding of your broader printing needs. If your immediate requirement is a small batch, say 50 business cards, and you don't anticipate a regular need for diverse printing services, a same-day print service might be a more practical choice. In such cases, the unique cost-saving benefits offered by a print broker are less pronounced, making traditional printing options more suitable for your immediate needs.
   
   
2. Print highly specialized artistic pieces: While we're equipped to handle a wide range of printing needs, highly specialized artistic projects may fall outside our typical scope. These intricate works often require specialized skills typically found in art houses or with publishers who focus on artistic printing. If your project demands this level of specialized attention, partnering directly with a dedicated art printer will ensure your vision is realized with the expertise it deserves.
   
   
3. Handle a one-off project: Our strength as a print broker lies in managing diverse and varied printing needs, leveraging our network to provide cost-effective and high-quality solutions. However, if your requirement is a one-off project without much variation or complexity, a direct engagement with a single print house might be just as economical. In these cases, while we can still help with factors like stress management and timeline success, the versatility and broad network access we offer may not translate into significant cost savings for your specific project.

Does a Print Broker Make Sense for Your Company’s Budget and Goals?

Deciding whether a print broker is right for your company comes down to understanding your specific needs and long-term goals. If your printing requirements are varied, frequent and potentially complex, a print broker like Integra Graphics Synergy can offer significant value and cost savings. We excel in managing diverse printing needs, leveraging our network to get you the best deals and ensuring quality across all your print materials.

On the other hand, if your needs are more straightforward, limited in scope or highly specialized in artistic quality, a traditional print house or specialized art printer might be more aligned with your requirements.

In the end, the choice depends on a balance of factors: the nature of your print projects, the frequency of your needs, the level of customization required and, of course, your budget constraints.

At Integra, we're committed to transparency and honesty in helping you make this decision. We believe in building partnerships based on trust and mutual benefit, ensuring that you get the best printing solutions tailored to your unique business needs. If you’d like to learn about the additional benefits of this model, feel free to check out our article on the four top perks of trusting your project to a print management company.

Lots of print buyers ask about budget first, timeline second. If you’re among them, click below to use our timeline calculator and receive an estimate based on your unique project parameters.