Keeping Your Printer Alive and Well

While any company benefits from professionally printed sales and marketing materials, your needs as a small business are different from the big companies. Before you choose a corporate printing service, ask the following questions. The answers will help you choose the right company for your immediate and future print needs.

1. Do They Offer a Full Range of Printing Services?

Small businesses often have different print shop needs to larger organizations. For example, if you're a start-up or simply a small operation, then you might not print much beyond business cards and occasional marketing initiatives such as small flyers or brochure runs. However, as your business grows, you might need to do more corporate printing. You might start to expand your sales and marketing to include larger mail-outs or more complex documents. You might produce customized signs for your offices or order promotional gifts for your customers.

While your current print service needs might be small at the moment, you should look for a printing company that can handle a wide range of solutions. Think of what you might want to do in the future as well as now. Look for companies that have the in-house machines, equipment, and expertise to meet your needs as your business grows.

2. How Do They Deal With Small Orders?

At this stage in your company's life, you might not need to order large print runs. You might not have the space to store a lot of printed materials in your office. Or, you might prefer to keep your marketing print programs fluid so that you can make rapid changes or scale up as your business grows.

While print shops typically deal with both small and large orders, you should check how they treat small jobs. A good printing service should give the same print quality and attention to detail to all their customers. They shouldn't put smaller orders at the back of the queue if larger orders come in. Some companies also set minimum print limits on some jobs. You should check these limits before you choose a printing partner. If a limit is too high for your estimated needs right now, then you might need to look at other printing services.

You will pay more on a per-item basis for smaller print jobs; however, your costs should also be competitive. So, ask printing services about their standard charges.

To get started, contact local corporate printing service providers and ask about their small business services.