Comprehensive Guide to Choosing The Right Commercial Printer

Your business has a lot riding on the outcome of your commercial print projects. Every detail matters when presenting your business to your audience. Businesses need a commercial print partner that can take the valuable time and money spent on your project, planning, and design to produce high-quality final products that make the difference in the way your customers perceive you. Beyond simply providing printed material, building a partnership with your commercial printer offers a long-term strategic and collaborative relationship that can provide valuable insights, recommendations, and support that drive success for your business.

Securing a partner with a G7certified commercial print location means less stress about the quality and look of your printed material.  In the long run, a strong relationship with an experienced print shop will continue to save you money, reduce risk, and help your projects run smoothly.

Before we share steps you can take to find a commercial printer, here are a few reasons why relying on a commercial printer can help drive success for your business:

1. Gain From Print Industry Expertise
   A key to a successful project is using a trusted commercial printer that provides expertise when planning and producing your printed material. They’ll be able to spot potential problems before they arise, and even help you avoid mistakes altogether. Working with an experienced print shop lets you concentrate on the artwork and design elements while they handle making the final product look and feel exactly as you intended.

2. Improve Efficiency
   It’s likely you have more than one print project to manage throughout the year, whether you require signs for seasonal promotions, envelopes or labels, banners for trade shows and conventions, constantly changing retail promotions, direct mail campaigns, or marketing materials. A good commercial printer has the technology and experience to find cost savings through effective inventory management, high speed production, and print on demand (POD) capabilities. As your relationship grows, a good commercial printer can come to anticipate your needs and scheduling requirements.

3. Speed and Convenience
   It’s convenient to have a local commercial printer that you trust when emergencies arise, or last-minute projects need to look great and be produced quickly. Commercial printers, like Marketing.com, can also handle many facets of the print process and help you streamline everything from design to distribution in one print shop. Through-channel marketing platforms let you quickly share files with your printer to cut down on additional steps in the process. A print shop that provides print on demand (POD) is always prepared to react quickly and support targeted marketing campaigns.

4. Avoid Costly Mistakes
   If you lack experience managing large print projects, it can be easy to make a mistake throughout the process of selecting the right materials, substrates, and finishes, keeping inks and colors consistent, handling multiple design files, or making sure they’re in the right format. Post-production, inventory must be managed, maintained, and protected from damage – and ready to ship whenever needed. Instead of trying to do it on your own, a professional printer can streamline the entire process.

5. Use the Right Materials
   The feel of your commercially printed material can be every bit as important as the look. With a variety of paper stocks, a commercial printer can find the right solution to fit your business and impart the image you want to project to your customers. They’ll help you locate sustainable materials that are durable as well as inks, substrates, and finishes that are eco-friendly. Utilizing the right materials allows your printed products to make a difference in the way your customers and prospects see you.

6. Stay Current on the Latest Industry Trends
   Working with an experienced commercial printer brings you the opportunity to capitalize on the latest innovations and print capabilities. Applying industry trends adds unique and memorable elements to your print material by integrating digital experiences. Including a printed QR code on direct mail, product packaging, labels, and signs can help you generate more website traffic or send customers to personalized landing pages.

7. Reduce Unnecessary Spending
   Utilizing a commercial printer eliminates your efforts to purchase production materials to coincide with marketing needs. Commercial printers offer a solution so that your campaigns are quickly accessible and ready. Not only do they secure better prices and have material readily available, but they also have capabilities to inventory or warehouse your project – removing your cluttered office space. Many commercial printers help you access better direct mail rates through USPS promotions and offer other cost savings efficiencies with kitting and fulfillment services.

8. Limit Risk
   Accidents happen, merchandise gets damaged, supply chains temporarily break. You can limit the disruptions they may cause to your day to day when you work with a commercial printer. An experienced printer, like Marketing.com, can help you catch problems through quality control procedures to inspect design files and materials throughout each production stage. Using ISO standard quality practices, G7 certified printers can spot errors that might arise from print quality or color variances that could result in printing delays.

9. An Invested Partnership
   Commercial printers only look good if the product they deliver reflects their craftsmanship and professionalism. A print partner who knows your business inside and out can offer tailored solutions that meet your unique needs. Over time, as they become intimately familiar with your processes, goals, and challenges, they can provide suggestions and recommendations that streamline operations and improve outcomes. partnering with a trusted vendor can lead to innovation and continuous improvement. This partnership creates an environment where new ideas are welcomed and implemented for the success of your project.

How To Find the Right Commercial Printer For You

More than providing print services, a commercial printer should be a trusted vendor and strategic partner, Here are key points to take into consideration when choosing the commercial printer for your project:

What Kind of Expertise Do They Have?

Do they have experience working in your industry vertical, whether it’s healthcare, hospitality, franchise, finance, non-profit, retail, or education?  Commercial printers that serve your industry are intimately aware of trends and best practices that may be unique to your space.

What Services Are Offered?

Does the print shop offer offset printing, digital printing, variable data printing, and POD? Can they print wide-format for your banners, wallscapes, or billboards? Do they provide finishing services in-house? It’s important that your commercial printer can deliver the type of printing services you require. It can also be a benefit if your commercial printer can provide direct mail services and kitting and fulfillment. Working with a printer like Marketing.com that provides all services under one roof eliminates the need for multiple vendors and transit cost and time between services, as well as provides a single point of contact that is closely aware of all your projects.

Is Their Work Quality?

You can ask for samples to help you choose which company meets your needs. Inspect the products produced by the print shop, especially pieces that you’ll be using in your marketing campaigns. Is the printer G7 certified to maintain color accuracy and resolution with images and designs? Discuss quality procedures that occur at each step in the production process.  

How Do You Communicate with their Customer Service Team?

There can be a lot of moving parts to manage in your print projects and the relationship with your printer could involve many stages of review and revision. It’s important to find a commercial printer who has standards as high as yours, is responsive to your inquiries, and provides timely and useful communication throughout the project. You want a commercial printer that solves problems, and not create them.

Is Their Pricing Competitive?

Cost, although important, is only one factor that should go into your decision on which commercial printer to work with. What’s most important is that your business is getting value for its money. Will the print shop also include services like folding, die-cutting, or laminating without adding costs? Make sure that printers’ quotes are based on the same paper grades, inks, and finishes to prevent lower-quality materials from affecting bids. Identify what’s most important to you, and focus on finding a commercial printer who fills those needs affordably.

Can You Count On Them?

Find a commercial printer who fits the needs of your business and can accommodate the requirements for all your different projects. Utilizing a commercial printer with multiple locations, like Marketing.com, allows you to experience the best of two worlds: you can take advantage of the buying power and vast capabilities of a large company, as well as have the local presence of a production facility and team members in your neighborhood.

Are Security Protocols in Place?

If protecting sensitive data is a priority for your business or your clients, it’s vital to find a commercial printer that maintains security protocols, compliance, and certifications such as HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2 Type 1, or ISO 27001. Look for a print shop that has knowledge of the federal and state regulations, or GPO Level 1 certifications as well as standards specific to your industry. It’s important that the confidentiality of your data is secure through every phase of the production workflow.

Are They Eco-Friendly?

At some point, your print collateral will need to be recycled. Environmental and sustainable practices matter to customers. Working with a commercial printer that adequately recycles waste, and offers sustainable stock and substrate options can make an impact with your customers.

Beyond providing printed material, developing a partnership with your commercial printer establishes a long-term strategic and collaborative relationship. This relationship offers invaluable insights, recommendations, and support that contribute to your overall success. With their expertise and guidance, you can navigate the intricacies of print projects more efficiently and effectively, ensuring that each piece reflects your brand's values and resonates with your target audience. Marketing.com can help you connect the dots to find the ideal commercial printer to meet all of your print marketing requirements regardless of where your business is located.