Print Broker Saves You Money Time & Stress

Peter Kirkham, experienced Print Broker was interviewed at The Swanbourne Business Centre, specialist in serviced offices.

Today our serviced office blog highlights the benefits of using a print broker to save money on your print jobs. If you are a small business owner whose printing needs are confined to business cards and stationery, you may not know what a print broker does. Peter advises that different printers specialise in different kinds of printing and it is wise to use a knowledgeable print broker who will advise you where to go for your requirements, to not only save money but to save headaches and stress.

Julia “How do you find the right printing company for your particular needs?”

Peter “With great difficulty, unless you’re an expert”.

Regardless of whether you are a small business or a conglomerate, the specifications for your print jobs will vary greatly not only in physical size but also the number of ink colours, quantity, embellishments, binding requirements and special finishing. Think of the coloured brochure printing that comes through your letterbox every week – cards, booklets, single sheets and invitations.

Printing companies operate within specific market segments, primarily based on the equipment they have and generally they’re not inclined to tell their customers this fact. Each printing company will have strengths and weaknesses. Some printers are also small business themselves, who will confine their services to a small variety of printing jobs.

Image of Printing $ notes

Save Time, Money and Stress

Commercial printing brokers know exactly which printing company will be right for your job – and they’ll only place orders with printing companies who have proven, over a significant period of time, that they can deliver best quality – on time – every time.

Not only do you save time and money but managing your printing is way less stressful. When it comes to a dispute,you have someone to act on your behalf and sort the problems out for a mutually successful conclusion.

The Print Broker’s Job

The print broker’s job is to find the one that best suits your particular needs, whereas the printer will try and find a way to print your order even if they do it on unsuitable equipment. You see a print broker is service driven whereas printing companies are production driven.

Some printers specialise in full colour ‘glossy’ work while others only do general work like letterheads, business cards, envelopes, etc. Some are much better at very large print runs, some at shorter print runs.

The problem arises and quality generally suffers when a printing company tries to produce an order on equipment that’s not really suitable for that order.

Graphic Design

Some printing companies offer a comprehensive graphic design service whereby they can design and create anything from a business card to a multi-page, full colour annual report, while others just print exactly what they’re given.

There is a huge list of printers in any given city. Your chance of finding the right one will more than likely be hit or miss.Quality, pricing, and services will vary immensely between them. You’re definitely flying solo when it comes to finding the right one for you, unless you seek professional assistance. This is the specialty of a print broker.

Print Brokers Are Made, Not Born.

There’s no such thing as a university or college course for people who want to know how to organise, manage and control the costs of their own printing.

Far better to use an experienced print broker to guide you through the process.

A print broker:

• has wide experience in the printing industry
• remains informed of upgrades in technology
• knows each printing company’s specific products & services
• monitors customer feedback and print company reputations
• will examine your current requirements and future needs
• devise a cost-effective and efficient programme for you

So whether its books, brochures, catalogues, reports, technical tender documents or general business stationery, your first stop should be your print broker.

Everything Has To Be Learned On The Job.

The printing business is intensely competitive, so you need to be aware that some printing companies will stretch the boundaries of their expertise [and what they’re actually equipped to do] and make promises they can’t keep, just to secure your business.

The downside of that is your print job may suffer through over-pricing, under-delivery, second grade quality or even worse, print errors.

Find The Right Printing Company

The challenge is finding the right printing company, not just for your business, but the particular job you need to get done. Over a period of time, you might need business cards, brochures, flyers, letterheads, company reports – the list is endless.

You may find you need to be dealing with two or even three printing companies for the different printing needs of your business. Do you seriously have time to spend on this hunt for quality and suitability?

With a Commercial Print Broker Things Are Different

What switched-on business owner or manager these days doesn’t use the services of a broker, or brokers, of some kind?

An example is when you organise business finance, insurances or mortgages – for the best deals you go through a broker. The broker keeps abreast of who is offering what in the market place, which company is likely to meet your needs most precisely and where the pricing is most competitive.

In the case of mortgages for example, the bank pays the broker, so you don’t pay any more than if you went direct to the source and, you don’t need to deal with a bank. Well, that’s exactly how a commercial print broker operates.

Do You Ever Run Short of Stock?

With our free offsite warehousing and print management facility, you’ll never run short of your printing stocks again. We’ll call you before you run out.

Printing is High Tech

Printing is a technology driven, specialist industry that can be very intimidating to the consumer. With the constant increase in sophistication of machinery and the choices available it is hard to keep abreast of the industry.

As a commercial printing broker, OPS (Online Printing Services) has learned all the tricks and tips to ensure you get prices better than if you went direct to the printer -plus you get guaranteed quality and your order is managed from top to bottom by a professional with over 39 years of industry experience.

Talk to a print broker if you want to pay less for business printing than you’ve ever paid before.