Your guide to good trade printers

If you’re working on a budget or are a designer keen to maximise your margins, the online high volume, low cost trade printers may seem like a tempting option.

But here’s the rub: if they seem too good to be true, they are.

The low quality they produce is damaging the print industry – and they may damage your business – because it isn’t all about the cost.

Because when it comes down to it, massive savings in the short term may lead to a false economy in the long term: customers just won’t appreciate low quality that not only is cheap, it looks cheap too.

And there are a few other reasons why you should avoid the low cost trade printers if you value quality, repeat business and doing a good job.

Here’s our top 7:

Quality

We value good quality. It’s why our customers come back to us again and again. With over 20 years working in the print industry and through the digital printing revolution, there’s nothing we don’t know about quality – and how to deliver it. In contrast to the high volume, low quality control conditions they operate, we focus on investing in the technology and the people essential to delivering your expectations.

You can see it yourself when you compare the end product.

Brand Building

Building that relationship with your customers is essential to the long term success of your brand. So first impressions and fifty-first impressions count. If you just can’t make that kind of positive impression with low quality print, how are you even going to sustain it?

Make the right first impression with high quality print that is vibrant, sophisticated, high quality and stand out.

Customer Service

If you’ve ever ordered from a low cost printer and received an order that leaves you feeling less than satisfied, we’re sure you have a story to tell. Whether that’s about placing a call and not getting through, being put on hold forever, or not being able to get a straight answer.

Contact us. We are here for you from even before you submit an order. You can chat to someone online, or you can give us a ring.

There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

‘Free’ comes with all kinds of provisos. You have to use their template. You’re stuck with the printer’s logo or a calendar (?) on the reverse. You have no say in paper stock or size. Delivery costs are unreasonably large.

So it may be free, but is it what you want?

It’s Never Straightforward

Try it, we dare you: go through the process of ordering from a low cost, high volume trade printer and you’ll immediately notice a few things. The offers are very restrictive. The website is confusing. The information isn’t terribly helpful. And once you do have what you want in your basket, you’re still not done: you’ll be offered a plethora of upgrades and extras that most often come as standard from a reputable supplier.

It’s Not Cheap!

The low quality, high volume suppliers may appear cheap, but think about it: what are you really getting for your money?

A cheap job is a cheap job. Where’s the value for money?

We’ve done the sums: once you’ve added on the cost of upgrades and extras, of removing the printer’s logo to make that business card truly your own, and delivery charges, your order cost will compare with that of getting print from your local supplier.

And it will still be sub-standard quality.

Paying just a few pounds more – we’re talking in the €13.75s and €27.50s here – will get you a higher quality product and a relationship with a local printing expert who can advise and guide you on every print job.

And that is invaluable.

Your Printer Cares

Local and reputable printers care. That’s because they’re only as good as their last print job.

They rely on customers coming back again and again, and recommending their services to others.

So they go all out to give you great service. They give you good advice that makes every job easier and better. And they love print, so they make sure you get the highest possible quality at the best possible price.

We know we do anyway.  In fact, we guarantee it.