Many of us will take a professional, market printer for business card printing, and as our business expands, will require more diverse print work to be undertaken. When selecting a printer for your business, the first rule of thumb is don't take your card printer just because they did your first job and it turned out ok. Your printed material, from design, straight through to complete product, says volumes about your business. It shows how much you invest in your own brand and communication, your pride in your company, how contemporary and up-to-date you are, and how polished you are. Along with your website, it is normally what potential clients remember you for.
So if you're not a designer, what do you look for in a good market printer?
- competing prices. The printing industry is cluttered with a range of large and small printing houses -- some high quality, others producing work you would be ashamed to take with you on a client visit. Don't just go with the cheapest option! Ask not only for quotes from at least three separate companies, also ask for a range of samples of their work -- the more fancy items, as well as the daily marketing collateral. When you have both of these items, collate quotes and ability of work -- go with the most high ability work that has the most competing price. Remember also that printers expect to negotiate, so never take the first quote provided, all the time ask your list manager how much they can move on the quote.
