Every aspect of the marketing program matters when it comes to increasing the reach of your business’s target groups. Most importantly, knowing how to choose a commercial printing company might change your audience’s entire experience with your brand.
As a transparent and reliable company, we always want to assist you and ensure you are making the right decision. Our detailed guide will reveal all the factors you should consider when picking your printing company. You can also easily assess whether we at Thrive Screen Printing are the right fit for your business objectives.
From one business to another, here are some expert tips for choosing a commercial printing company.
How to Choose a Commercial Printing Company
Picking a professional printing company is not as easy as it seems. To ensure you stay within your budget but still get high-quality marketing materials, you should take into consideration the following factors when choosing commercial printing services.
Type of commercial printing service you need
All commercial printing companies are not created equal. The first main difference is the services offered by printing companies. Some companies offer only one printing solution, while others can have a wide range of choices.
The most popular printing techniques used nowadays are:
- Screen printing
- Offset lithography
- Flexography
- Digital printing
- Large format printing
- 3D printing
- LED UV printing and others
Every one of the printing solutions has its own benefits, and your company should decide which service is best for your needs. For instance, if you require high-quality prints on t-shirts and other appeals, you should look for contract printing services that offer various types of screen printing, like ours.
Having been in the printing business for decades makes us one of the most experienced companies that use the best printer press technology. We are one of the rare companies that can print large volumes of products. In fact, we are capable of printing 20,000 units in one eight-hour shift.
Additional services offered by the printing company
There are many printing companies out there that will offer only their printing services. If it is your first time hiring a commercial printing company, you can easily get caught up in the moment and only want to print out the design you have prepared.
However, in our experience, it takes a lot more than a good design for a successful marketing campaign. You should seek a commercial printing company that also offers expert advice and has an art or design department.
From our perspective, we can assist you in finding designs that will go best on the desired surface. We can give you endless tips on how to improve your current design so you can achieve your goal more easily.
Reliability and accessibility
In addition to the quality of the end product, it is natural that you should expect your contractors to finish the job on time and be available for contact every time you need them. Hence, it is important to research what type of customer service they have.
For instance, if you choose to hire us from Thrive, we made use you can get in touch with us in four different ways. Our friendly team will be happy to hear from you and help you with your inquiries.
Next, a crucial factor is for the commercial printing company you choose to meet the deadlines you have agreed on. That will ensure you will get your materials on time and you won’t face any disruptions in your schedules.
With a company like Thrive, you can expect nothing less than punctuality. We will explain to you how long the entire printing process will last and set a realistic deadline. We believe that is the only way we can maintain your trust and give you one more reason why you should consider us for your next printing project.
Learn more about the company’s project management capabilities
Each commercial printing company has a unique set of project management skills. More often than not, we all have our own way of handling the projects you will assign.
Hence, you should seek a company capable of efficiently managing your project. The best way to recognize such a company is to pay attention to whether they ask the right questions, suggest helpful resolutions to your challenges, and are willing to save you money.
Your best choice should be a printing company that’s:
- Able to handle the amount of printing units you require efficiently,
- Capable to use modern technology and is experienced in the field, and
- Here to monitor the printing project at all times.
Find out what materials the company uses
The materials the company uses will significantly influence the quality of your end product. When it comes to printing, you should opt for printing companies that use high-end inks that won’t fade, crack, or show signs of wear and tear easily.
Furthermore, the surface you will be printing on can make a big difference. Most importantly, the company should be able to suggest the most durable ink type for the surface you will be printing your marketing materials.
Check out the company’s previous projects
Knowing how to choose a commercial printing company goes hand in hand with company research. If you are not sure about the work quality of the companies you have narrowed down your list to, you should seek company reviews and testimonials. You can talk to businesses who have already worked with the printing company and ask for their experience.
In addition, you can do a thorough research online. You can find useful pieces of information on the company website by looking at their past projects and the companies they have worked for.
Printing and other hidden expenses
Before signing a contract for commercial printing press services, you must be aware of all the costs. Carefully read the fine print and find out all the factors that affect the pricing of commercial printing services. There are many companies that might seem more affordable in the beginning but end up charging a lot of additional costs.
Also, if you are looking for the best value for money, you should compare quotes from different companies. With most of the companies, you can request a quote by filling out a simple online form and get an offer for free.
Data security and privacy measures
When you are looking for a commercial printing company, you must ensure they take adequate security and privacy measures to protect your data. You can rest assured your sensitive information is safeguarded by picking a company that has robust measures. The data security measures should be able to protect your data from unauthorized access, data breaches, or potential misuse of confidential documents.
Eco-friendly options
Traditional printing techniques can have a huge impact on the environment. If your company is looking for a way to reduce its environmental footprint, you must look for companies that offer eco-friendly printing solutions.
If you pick us at Thrive, you do your part by using our green printing services. We can use non-PVC inks, and we use only soybeans or corn biodegradable chemicals in the post-production screen reclaiming process.
What to Be Careful About in a Commercial Printing Company
Another important aspect of knowing how to choose a commercial printing company is knowing what to avoid. Here are the most common warning signs that will help you pick the best company.
- Questionable print quality, such as blurry prints
- The company uses outdated technology
- Non-reachable customer services
- Bad reputation
- Lack of transparency regarding the pricing and work process
Conclusion
As a business, it is crucial for you to know how to choose a commercial printing company. You will get a lot of benefits from selecting the right one. To do so, you should follow our advice and consider factors such as quality, capabilities, customer service, pricing, environmental practices, and data security measures.
If you are looking for a printing company to print out t-shirts and other appeal, we believe we tick all the boxes. We are a dedicated and experienced company that prioritizes all of the important aspects of printing your marketing materials.
Robert Fisher is the founder and CEO of Thrive Screen Printing and brings extensive experience in the screen printing and fulfillment industry.