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Mark Vruno

How do you choose a printer?
August 14, 2007

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Question: How do you choose a printer? What are the criteria to look for?

— Sunil S.

Margie Dana Answer: How to Choose a Printer? That is the million-dollar question! It actually depends on a lot of things: What you need from your printer, what products you’re printing, what qualities you value in a printer-partner, and if you require a printer who’ll educate you—or you prefer to hand over the file and let the printer work his/her magic. That being said, I’ve developed the following 10 tips for picking the right printer:

The Top Ten

1. Get some perspective.

Know the printing industry landscape. Appreciate that there’s stiffer competition than ever before.

2. Know thyself!

What do YOU need from a printer? Do you need a lot of hand-holding? Do you need a local printer? Will you be conducting press O.K.’s?

3. Understand how printers work …

All printers are not created equal: many specialize. It depends on their equipment. Understanding what equipment is most efficient for what kind of printed product is something every professional buyer needs to learn. It takes time.

4. Ask questions galore.

5. Get advice from your peers.

Find buyers in your particular industry and call them. Buyers will tell you everything!

6. Ask printers for references.

Get references from formerly unhappy clients, as well as from happy ones.

7. Ask for samples of the type of work you’ll be producing.

8. Tour the Plant.

Take a visit. Is the facility clean? What general ‘vibe’ do you get there? Are the employees generally happy-looking? Busy?

9. Interview the sales rep with whom you’ll be dealing.

Does he/she seem experienced, articulated, sincere, trustworthy?

10. Trust your gut.

Get Quotes
Of course, you’ll be requesting estimates from roughly three different comparable printers. (Five might be themaximum—any more than that wastes your time and theirs). Make sure these printers produce generally the same types of products. Ask a lot of questions.

All of these steps will help you make the right choice. Once you do, you’ll have a partner for a long time.

Editor’s note:
Margie Dana is chairing Graph Expo’s first ever Print Buyers Conference on Tuesday, September 11, 2007.

Posted by Mark Vruno on August 14, 2007 | Comments (1)

August 14, 2007
In response to: How do you choose a printer?
Bill Farquharson commented:

Margie-When I was in sales training just out of college (1982, if you are scoring at home), I remember the Trainer quoting Purchasing magazine and survey that was similar to the question you ask in your Blog: How do you choose a sales rep to buy from? The answers: 1. Raw sales ability. 2. Knowledge of their particular product or service. 3. Knowledge of the customer’s product or service. I never forgot that and repeat it many times in my seminars. Great Blog!