The 5 ‘must knows’ when buying print

Buying print is easy ... isn't it?

You know what you want, you contact your regular printer and place the order and a few days later your printed leaflets, booking forms, printed office stationery or whatever it is you have ordered arrives, just as you expected.
If only this happened this way every time for everyone – it should. 

Although for many businesses this process seems to work fine there are a lot of things you need to get right when buying print or design and many small businesses just don’t really understand what they are buying.
There is an assumption that everyone ‘needs’ certain things and that they must be produced a certain way… because that’s how it’s always been done!

While this holds true for some tried and tested principles, we are living in a world where the digital age has transformed what is available to us and many things in print have now changed.
Then there is design work to consider. Do you really know what you need, or just what you think you would like to happen? There is a difference. Print and design can do a huge job for most businesses when things are done correctly, but equally, you can easily waste your money.

A word about written copy. Although some don’t consider this part of the design, it really is, and unless you have a professional copywriter employed to do this for you the chances are that the witten stuff for your printed material or website copy is going to be done by yourself.

In the first instance, don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. Your story is what’s going to separate you from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do. Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

5 Point Checklist

1. Do you need it? Are you clear about the purpose this piece of print or design has?

2. Are you getting the best value? Could you order more to reduce the cost per item, or order less, because actually, you might not need that many?  – The design might need to change, or it might now be that the cost per item is cheaper!

3. Is there a better product for your purpose that could have more effect for the same cost? Eg. You were thinking of 5000 flyers because you’ve used them before, but maybe now 500 targeted neighbourhood cards might have more effect?

4. Are you clear whether you need artwork done or whether the artwork is ‘print-ready’? Printers usually give you a price assuming you have ‘print-ready’ artwork. That means you must have the high resolution digital files ready to send exactly as to be printed. There will usually be extra costs involved otherwise and these can be quite large.

5. Will the printed material enhance your brand? 

Okay, this one might seem a bit heavy but if you don’t consider this it’s an opportunity missed. Brand is important, it’s not just about print and design, but every material you have should at least be produced ‘on brand’ and represent your business.

So these are the basic points, but the truth is there is a lot more you can do and alot more help you can get when you need it. Print buying should be a positive thing for any business. In this age where digital technology and artificial intelligence appear to be taking over decisions about when and where you buy your print, what you choose, and how you construct your budget becomes more important to get right than ever before.
Get in touch or comment if you would like to find out more.
​