Choosing a Commercial Printer: What You Need to Know
by: Bill Harris
There’s a wide variety of commercial printers out there that can provide you with most any type of printing you may need. However, not just any commercial printer can tackle every printing job successfully. Most printers have certain techniques and processes that they use to fit certain types of printing needs. In other words, when it comes to commercial printers, one size does not fit all.
For example, many commercial printers specialize in using newly developed laser or digital technology. This technology is much less expensive than traditional press printing in most cases. However, the quality may not be as good as you can get with traditional printing techniques. The images are not quite as sharp, but digital commercial printing is a great alternative if you have a lot of printing needs and need commercial printing frequently.
When it comes to choosing a commercial printer, you want to be sure that the printer has the right equipment for your printing needs. For instance, if the piece you want printed has die cuts in it, you will want to be certain that the printer has die cut capabilities—and is good at it! Ask to see samples of recent die cut pieces they have produced for clients. If you don’t like what you see, try another printer. If you want your piece printed on something unusual like fabric, again, question commercial printers about their capabilities in doing this and request samples of produced items.
Seeing samples is vital to ensuring you are choosing the right commercial printer. There’s just no substitute for seeing the quality of actually produced pieces. Don’t simply take a printer’s word for it or go by examples they may have on their website. Printing can be very expensive, and you don’t want to risk not being happy with your final printing.
You also want to do some comparison shopping to find the best commercial printer that fits both your budget and your quality needs. Most commercial printers will happily send you a quote for a printing job once they have the printing specifications and quantity you want. A good rule of thumb is to always get three bids for a printing job.
It’s also a good idea to hit a full range of printers, from the expensive to the inexpensive, with one in the medium range as well, when choosing a commercial printer. Most printers will give price breaks for large quantity printing jobs, so that expensive printer you don’t think you can afford may surprise you when it comes to the cost of printing a large number of pieces. So it’s a good idea to have a commercial printer price out different quantities which will likely make it possible for you to afford both a better, more qualified printer and more printed pieces than you originally thought.
About The Author
Bill Harris is a retired foreman who spends his spare time as a freelance writer for sites like
http://www.foremansfinder.com – a resource site for all things industrial. If you need information about die castings, copper alloys and Teflon hose, ForemansFinder.com is the place for you.
