Online Printing Services

What good is an online printing service that can’t print what you need? Companies can spend thousands to millions of dollars on printed materials. The goal of this article is to demonstrate that by analyzing and separating the different purposes of a company’s printed materials can significantly save time and money on their printed materials by exploring new online and printing technologies. Offset Digital and Office Printing are the two key factors when it comes to online business card printing and providing the best online printing postcards, posters etc. When choosing a printing strategy it is important to know what type of printer to use: Offset printing is an older process which prints using metal plates to transfer the image on to the paper.

Printing with this method means that the individual elements in the print material cannot be changed unless a new metal plate is generated. This process is cost effective when used for printing large quantities. Digital printing is a newer printing method which reproduces images onto the page. This print method supports variable printing in which any element in the print material may be changed without influencing the fixed costs. This process is cost effective when used for smaller quantities (approximately 10-500 PHS).  Online printing is not a relatively new method of printing. With the advent of color printers as a staple in nearly every office, online printing services have become a convenient advantage. The disadvantage however, is that paper and ink for printing in larger quantities can become quite expensive. In addition to the cost, not all office printers offer the professional quality desired for materials such as brochures and data sheets. Knowing which printer is appropriate for the quantity and quality of the materials needed, will aid companies to make the right choice and save on printing costs.

Selection
What good is an online printing service that can’t print what you need? While several of the printing services we reviewed have just about every print product you could want for your business or holiday needs, some may not offer exactly what you have in mind. Look for a printing company with a broad selection of products to choose from. You should be able to print business cards, menus, fliers and other paper products, as well as designs for non-paper products like mugs and T-shirts.

Design Features
Whether they’re creative editing tools or simply upload and preview abilities, design features bridge the gap between your original design and the finished product. Several of the online printers we reviewed include custom creation and editing tools to help you tweak your design or even start from scratch. The best online printing services include a variety of downloadable templates to guide your design, as well as a number of pre-made designs that you can use. Some sites only accept PDF uploads, while others are compatible with Word, Photoshop, PowerPoint and other file types. You can see a physical or electronic proof of your product with some of the best companies. As you move between designs, some sites have a dynamic price preview that instantly gives you the cost of your current product design.

Print Options
As well as convenience and advanced options, one reason to use an online printing service is for premium quality. If the end result looks like you printed it off on your home printer, why bother? With the best online printing services, you can expect consistent performance: rich colors, excellent finish, precise cutting and folding, and excellent overall quality. Also consider the breadth of optional formats for your finished product. Gloss and matte finish make your items look more professional. For more elaborate projects like scrapbooks, companies offer binding, covers and hole drilling.

Help & Support
Printing your documents online should be simple and easy, but sometimes you need some extra help. Whether you’re having trouble trying to open your files or need a custom price quote, online printing services should offer a variety of solutions as well as a venue to get personalized help. You may find additional support through online resources, phone, email or even live chat, which is usually the fastest way to get in touch with company representatives.

Print Options
As well as convenience and advanced options, one reason to use an online printing service is for premium quality. If the end result looks like you printed it off on your home printer, why bother? With the best online printing services, you can expect consistent performance: rich colors, excellent finish, precise cutting and folding, and excellent overall quality. Also consider the breadth of optional formats for your finished product. Gloss and matte finish make your items look more professional. For more elaborate projects like scrapbooks, companies offer binding, covers and hole drilling.

Combining all the right features and excellent quality, online printing services are the ideal way to print your business documents or other projects. Take a look at our in-depth reviews of online printing services to find the right one for your needs.

Cheap Business Printing Strategies:

The first step to cheap business printing is breaking down the function, process and outcome of your printed materials.

Most printed materials serve a three functions:
Presenting a good professional impression to relevant parties such as, investors, clients and suppliers increasing brand awareness by leaving relevant parties with a visual reminder of a company and product/service. Data sheets and company profile brochures are necessary for a company’s image. These print materials also communicate information to clients about the company’s products and services. This white paper provides tips for saving money and time on planning, designing, and printing of office and promotional materials, by analyzing and separating their functions.

Data sheets serve as a communication tool to help customers and suppliers understand a company’s product. Many companies print a minimum of 1000 copies of each data sheet on an offset printer in order to gain a low cost per sheet. With the advent of digital printers, it’s possible to print smaller quantities but as the quantity increases the cost per data sheet is static while printing on an offset printer generates a decreasing cost per data sheet as print volume increase. Once the specifications of a product changes, the data sheet is outdated and must be updated. The outdated data sheets are frequently discarded.
Online Printing Reviews

A graphic designer will need to prepare the layout and graphics for the original data sheet template. This cost may range from approximately $65-$500. Once the template is constructed, each additional alteration cost may range from $100-$500 and then another couple of hundred for several design changes. Since the main purpose of a data sheet is to convey information and reinforce the company’s image, printing the data sheets and brochures on an office printer will fulfill the function of communicating information but it does not fulfill the purpose of reinforcing the company’s image. This issue may be resolved by printing high quality presentation folders on an offset or digital printer. This will present the clients with a first impression that reinforces the company’s image in an organized and professional fashion.

Presentation strategy – Save with folders. Presentation folders provide the perfect solution for ensuring that data sheets and brochures are presented in a professional and attractive fashion. Folders are a very useful and versatile presentation tool. Inserting a data sheet and other informative materials, into a well designed and branded folder will leave a professional impression on those receiving the information.

Although folders tend to be expensive, ordering folders in large quantities will not be a waste. They may always be used to present a wide variety of communication materials. Purchasing folders from an online printing company that offers free design templates, or a do-it-yourself design and image upload application, will reduce the cost to about $0.46 per piece. With a folder, the data sheet’s only purpose will be conveying information and the folder will provide the professional impression needed to impress clients and colleagues. In this case, a data sheet with a simple letterhead or logo will be effective. By keeping the design simple, the template can be kept on file and the data sheet may be updated as needed. This will prevent expensive reprints at a printer. On the internet it is easy to find existing brochure and data sheet templates that may be downloaded for Microsoft Word. This strategy is applicable to printing a company profile brochure as well. Today many companies print brochures in large quantities at an offset printer. However, many companies are changing their management, business focus, or other company related details due to market changes and such. It would save time and money to print these brochures at the office as well. However, this strategy is only effective for companies printing small quantities at a time. This method of printing requires that the company pay two separate subcontractors, a graphic designer and a printing company. In addition the employee will also have to spend work time with the graphic artist.

Working with a graphic designer requires: Explaining the concept and graphic requirements, Discussing layout, design and colors, Revising and adjusting drafts. Once the design is ready it is time to contact the printer. The online printing process. Working with an online printing company for small or large quantities can save a significant amount of time and money. This method provides companies with professional printed materials that fulfill all three functions as outlined above – presentation, brand awareness and information communication. There is no need for folders because the printing is high quality.

Why are online printers a cheaper solution? Since they are online, they may be located in low rent areas. Many are bigger than traditional printers and can reduce their costs due to economies of scale. Free design templates make it possible to work without a graphic designer. They eliminate the time that an employee spends working with a graphic designer. Reduce the time-to-market, since there is no wait time with respect to design approval and revisions.

Printing small quantities at the office provides a strategy which allows materials to be more up-to-date because they are printed in smaller quantities and more frequently. When compared to the

Typical/offline strategy this method provides a saving of 47%, however the printing quality is low and in the end, printing 250 sets at the office costs more than printing 1000 sets at an online printer.

Online printing solutions offer businesses an effective and efficient strategy for producing small or large quantities of printing materials. In comparison to the typical/offline printing costs (as per the example in this white paper) the online printer offers businesses a total saving of 68%. Thus the online printer offers the cheapest business printing solution.