A Guide for Printing Customers or How to Be the Best Customer and Get the Best Printing Service?

Let’s start today’s walk and embark on the vast spaces on how to win the printers on your side and get the best service they are capable of and how we can offer best online print service . It is an indisputable fact that most printers are product-oriented and their main goal is to achieve maximum return on the high investment in the equipment they have made. In times of crisis, however, we all learn that to recoup these investments, there must be buyers, but those who value, not price. That is why the printing houses are developing more and more new segmented products, which cannot be kept in stock and it is necessary to provide enough time for their production. Of course, the price is also important, but it should not be reduced at any cost and the expense of quality, right?

Experience is very important

This is where the partnership between the online printing services and the customer (whether final or intermediary) comes in, where the former can offer a set of solutions to optimize production costs, based on the experience they have. A very important condition is to know some of the printing technologies, especially in cases where you act as an intermediary between the printing house and the end customer. There is already a lot of useful information provided even by the printers themselves, which will save you the unpleasant feeling that you are being lied to with the prices. And, this feeling remains in most customers when they get a price for the same product, which has 2-3, and sometimes more times the difference between the lowest and highest value. No, no one is lying to you! It’s just that colleagues have different technologies and offer what they have,

It is much more important, to be honest.

As I mentioned at the beginning, it is very important to have at least minimal knowledge, but by no means laymen, because the latter can easily be caught with the naked eye by a professional. I have noticed how in some cases the information is concealed, even after a clarifying conversation. My experience suggests that there is often a lot of trouble behind this, which automatically leads to a price increase to avoid the risk that may arise with the application. I do not consider it at all embarrassing to seek information from the online print shop and explain what the desired results are, whether it is a method of execution, speed or advice to reduce costs.

I’ve also noticed that when asked about the budget, the other party immediately shudders as he expects to get a knife in the back. No, it’s just an attempt to offer the maximum for the amount you have. Honesty breeds honesty in relationships, so put all the information on the table. Of course, ask for the same in return, because there are still colleagues among the printers who play by the old rules, but fortunately, they are less and less. And one more thing from honest relationships. No one is forbidden to send countless inquiries about the same product, but there are offer systems for this purpose, which I will write about soon. However, it is unpleasant when in one printing house an inquiry is received from a client, then from 5 more advertising agencies, and in extreme cases from another printing house, which is not able to perform the product itself. We are in a small and limited market and a similar demand for prices from everyone and everyone usually does not give a good result.

For rights and responsibilities

Inevitably, problems arise in working together. It doesn’t matter who is to blame, once it gets there, it is more important how they will be resolved. And, in case a solution cannot be found, it is the fault of all partners. That is why it is very important to be clear from the very beginning the rights and obligations of both parties. Who is responsible for graphic design, file verification, poster printing, delivery and other important parameters? What are the deadlines for submission of materials to meet the deadline for submission of printed materials to the customer? Everything must be clearly and precisely written. Whether in a contract or for each order or offer, but all information must be in writing. Forget about the phone with such important details. Yes, you can specify certain parameters through it, but they must be written later, to save our nerves and the subsequent mutual accusations in case of a possible mistake. However, few people work in our industry and the opportunity to meet elsewhere tomorrow is huge, but how will we look at each other in such a case?

Treat

Everyone wants to be respected, right? Working with someone for a long time inevitably leads to slight frictions in the relationship, which can at some point erupt to unprecedented and mostly unheard-of dimensions. A good attitude, a smile and a thank you at the end of the communication are enough. Here it is important to remind about something from the previous point – the deadlines. Never miss them, whether it’s providing information or paying. And why not praise someone on social media, instead of using them only in a negative case? Or write a recommendation on LinkedIn? Surely in this way, everyone will benefit from such a partnership.

In short, things are very simple to describe. First of all, be informed and keep yourself informed. Many of the non-printing sites that keep their name offer enough useful and complete information. If it is not enough, do not hesitate to contact by phone and specify the parameters before the inquiry, but of course, here comes the most important part in any case not to miss (purposefully or not) important information on the task itself. Don’t be one of those people who doesn’t have the time or desire to write an email answering specific questions instead of picking up the phone. This will save you a lot of time nerves and effort at a later stage. I hope that in the new year we will all follow these rules and at the end of the year we will get together and discuss the results of beer.