For many businesses, a printing vendor is one of their most important business partners. If your company requires printing services regularly, having a vendor you can trust is critical. You can waste a lot of money and time if your printed materials are incorrect/unprofessional or if you have to constantly monitor the work your printing company is doing.
Interviewing and evaluating potential printing services is a great way to find the one that will be best for your business needs. Some companies choose two or three vendors to evaluate by giving each an order. This option allows you to evaluate the end product, as well as the process to get the work done.
One way to make the evaluation easier for you is to create a simple checklist for evaluating the printing service provider. Note the following on your evaluation form:
- Availability of products
- Lead time to receive products
- Set up fees
- Variety of products
- Cost
- Quality of finished product
- Re-run required?
- Responsiveness of representative
Once you have evaluated a few vendors based on these criteria, you will likely have a very clear picture of the best vendor to provide printing services for your business.
It is also a good idea to have a backup printing service in mind in the event you need rush printing services and your primary printing company is unable to provide the work needed in time. As you perform your evaluation, choose your primary printer and your backup vendor. Ensure your backup vendor has already performed a set up of your logo so they are ready for rush orders.
Be honest with vendors as you perform your evaluation. By discussing differences in pricing or quality between vendors, you can often influence the pricing, as printing services can be very competitive. Once you find the right vendor, you can feel relieved when it comes time to submit your printing needs.
