If your business needs to print brochures, sales or promotional materials, it is important to choose a good commercial printer that can handle your needs.  There are so many print vendors available that it is often a process of narrowing the field to find the one that works best for you.But how do you begin the process?  What do you need to consider and what is the best way to shop around before making a decision? 

Here is a list of the TEN questions you need to ask yourself in order to select the right commercial printer:  

1)    What type of product(s) are you printing?  Many printers specialize in only one type of product others handle a large variety of printed materials.  Do you need flyers, catalogs, brochures, sales binders, posters, etc?  Does your company need a mix of several products?  Make a list of the products that you order most often.
2)    What is the quantity you need?  Do you need 500 brochures or 100,000 flyers?  Quantity is important because there are different options that come into play.  A small run of 100 pieces may be best done by a digital printer but 100,000 would be best done as an offset print job.
3)    What about paper stock?  Do you want your brochures to have long shelf life?  If so, choose a heavy weight cover stock.  If you are printing a large catalog, do you want light glossy paper or news stock?  If you are printing in full color, a glossy stock works best to display the images but the paper weight may vary depending on the product.
4)    Does the piece need to be folded, stapled or cut in any way?  This is referred to as the binding or finishing process.  Some printers can handle the job completely in house and have the equipment needed to bind, staple, cut or emboss the materials.  Others need to send out the rough print sheets to be assembled into the final product (which can raise the price)
5)    How fast do you need it?  Is this something that you need tomorrow?  Or do you need it next month?  Turn-around time is an important consideration and may drive some of your choices (and price)
6)    Do you need any mailing or distribution services?  Are you printing a direct mail piece that will be mailed to thousands of customers?  Or do you have multiple store locations that all need to get 1000 of the same flyers to distribute at the store?  Many print shops offer mail or distribution services that can make your life much easier by delivering the final product to the end user.
7)    Do you need help with the design or layout?  Many printers have in-house artists, designers or project management teams.  If you are not an ad agency or marketing, then employing a printer that offers these services can be a real time saver.  Plus, they can often help you save money by offering ideas and layouts that have proven to be successful.
8)    Do you want variable imaging?  Do you want to individualize each piece that you print? Variable imaging allows you to say “Welcome Mr. Smith” on one piece and “Welcome Mr. Jones” on another.
9)    How frequently do you need to order print?  Do you need to order flyers each month in the same quantity for sales promotions?  Do you need to get business cards and brochures for each sales rep that you hire?  If you order similar products on a regular basis, a print shop may help set up an ordering program that offers discounts for using the same layout. 
10)    What is your budget for printing?  The cost to complete a print job is obviously a big concern for many companies.  If you have a set amount to spend, a commercial printer can help explain the options available to you (i.e. different papers, layouts, finishing options, etc).  Many printers specialize in certain products and paper types so they can direct you to the best pricing that they can offer by working to the strengths of their printing capacities. 

This may seem like a long list but the more information that you can provide, the better the partnership with the commercial print company.  If you do not have all the answers, do not worry, give as much detail as you can on the project at hand.  Most printers can help give you direction so long as there is a starting point. 

What you should understand is that each commercial printer has a variety of equipment in-house and different levels of service.  You do not need all the technical knowledge of the print process but do realize that a printer that can complete the job in-house will generally cost less than someone who has to ship a piece out to finish it for you.  AND, if you can find a printer who has a printing money back guarantee, (like Conquest Graphics) give them a try!