Shopping for Printers

Competition for consumer affection is more ferocious than ever in this uncertain economy. During times like these, cutting costs to save some much-needed cash may be in order.

In that vein, some catalogers have taken the step of shopping around their print work. While that can be a smart move, it’s easy to lose sight of considerations other than that all-important bottom line.

Choosing a printer based only on price can be a treacherous and slippery slope to travel. Francis Crowley, executive vice president of sales at Spencer Press, a Wells, ME-based catalog printer, admits it’s true that catalogers can cut great deals in this economy. “But there’s an old saying: ‘You can know the price of everything and the value of nothing.’ … Too many buying decisions these days are based solely on Lotus spreadsheets,” he cautions. “And print buyers may be forgetting that in the printer-cataloger relationship, there must be a balance of both price and service.”

Tom Benedict, vice president of sales and marketing at Banta Corp., Menasha, WI, agrees that catalogers must look at the total value proposition. “What is the printer bringing to the table? Are they just showing up with a price, or are they presenting a total solution that’s going to help their clients grow their businesses?”

For Ames Parsons, creative director at New Pig Corp., a Tipton, PA-based business-to-business catalog, price is only the second consideration. “The first is whether or not the printer can meet our quality expectations,” Parsons says.

If the Printer Fits

Crowley notes that catalogers must realize printers often are set up to do a certain range of work efficiently, and he cautions catalogers to “be realistic about where they fall in that printer’s ‘food chain.’ Every print buyer is inclined to think that his or her catalog is special — and rightfully so! Or that their jobs warrant the utmost attention to quality and deadlines from their printer. And they’re right.”

But take, for example, those catalogers who give their print work to one of the large multi-plant companies, Crowley continues. “They say, ‘This catalog is a big deal, so I’m taking it to a big printer.’ They may not realize that their project may not be even a blip on the printer’s radar screen.” So, you have to stay focused on what kind of service you’re going to get.

Crowley offers an example: “Say you’re contracted with a big printer, and you’re used to printing, say, at its Atlanta plant. But a week before you go on press, you’re told the book won’t be printing there after all. Now it’s going to be printed in Minnesota, because a more lucrative client has bumped your job from the Atlanta press schedule. So, you have to travel to some other city to go on a press approval with a bunch of strange people you’ve never worked with before, and you have no rapport with.”

That scenario is just one of the many reasons you must ensure the partnership you form with your printer is one based on trust, says Crowley, and that your job, no matter how big or small, is given the attention and consideration you think it deserves.

Miriam O. Frawley, president of e-Diner Design & Marketing, a Highland Mills, NY-based catalog agency, agrees it’s vital to know how big of a fish you really are to a printer to minimize risks. “Find a printer that’s the right fit for you,” she advises her catalog clients. “It’s normal and to be expected for a small- to mid-sized cataloger to get bumped by a larger publisher. ... Still, there are several leading printers that specialize in catalog printing, and many are quite adept at making even the small catalogers feel like big ones.”

Steven Frye, a printing and publishing consultant, suggests that the best way to save money is to make sure your printers are making a healthy profit. “When I say I want my vendor to make more money on me, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m paying him more money,” Frye said while speaking at the Spring 2003 PrintMedia conference in New York City. “It simply means that my printer can make more money than their competitors.”

How can that be done? “By fitting your product to the right printer … and by ensuring that you’re not going to sacrifice quality, delivery or service for price,” Frye said. “Choose a printer that can produce your job well on equipment that fits the job. The printer will make more money, which makes you a more valuable customer.”

Let’s Talk

A big part of customer service is a printer’s ability to communicate effectively and quickly with customers. Beyond just your typical CSR (customer service representative) communiqués, many printers have come to realize that phones, faxes and e-mails just aren’t enough to get information to their clients in a timely and responsive fashion. So they’ve adopted Web-based solutions that provide real-time customer access to information about press schedules, consumables and job status — thus ensuring that the customer is kept fully in the loop.

But communication doesn’t travel down a one-way street. It’s essential that you be equally committed to discussing your challenges and gripes with your printer.

Takeaway tip: Follow each completed project with a status meeting or conversation intended to examine issues of quality, workflow, successes and failures. For example, ask what went well, and what can you do better next time?

Make the Work Flow

Determining whether a printer can manufacture your catalog in the most streamlined and cost-efficient manner also is critical to the partnership’s success. But looking at lists of what equipment a printer has can tell only part of the story.

For example, just because a printer seemingly has a stable of state-of-the-art prepress, pressroom and finishing equipment doesn’t mean each of these components is “married” in the most efficient manner. It’s essential that you fully understand workflow nuances, such as:

• how your files will be received and processed;

• how, why and when proofs will be generated;

• what quality-control measures the printer has in place; and

• if the printer has adopted industry standards (e.g., accredited file formats and SWOP specifications) and automation tactics (e.g., CIP4 compliance).

Along the same lines, printers have been (and will continue to be) the best source of information and education for their clients. A valued print partner is one who has adopted best practices internally and can extend those to the cataloger.

“Another important factor for us,” explains New Pig’s Parsons, “is whether a printer has made improvements to its systems as the technology evolves. Beyond that, we also feel it’s important that our printers position themselves to better serve our internal workflow by helping us put processes in place that enable us to work more productively and effectively — and to need fewer employees rather than more.”

Banta’s Benedict cautions against using technology for technology’s sake. For example, he notes, it isn’t enough to say, “Let’s try a technology like remote proofing; here’s a digital proofer to use.” Maybe remote proofing isn’t the right solution for you. Perhaps soft proofing is a better match for your catalog’s workflow, he explains.

In that vein, Banta offers a digital-services team that performs a needs-assessment for clients. “We look at their workflow and make recommendations on how to make that workflow more efficient,” Benedict explains. “It’s also not acceptable to just throw some software their way. For example, for clients who find their workflows are bogged down by numerous approval cycles, we may recommend our eMerge solution, which offers shared access to files with varying levels of security and access,” Benedict says. “Other clients may need our help with things like keeping their proofing systems calibrated.”

Publishing consultant Bert Langford agrees that catalogers should treat their printers like partners. But he cautions: “While that’s certainly wise advice, there’s a fine line between a mutually beneficial relationship and one that is unhealthily dependent. You must rely on your printer to ensure that you know how to most efficiently and effectively use its plant equipment and capabilities, including new technologies,” he continues.

But your printer’s expertise shouldn’t be relied upon solely. For example, if you can’t even estimate your own printing bill, says Langford, or you don’t fully understand what’s behind every line on your price schedule or invoice, you’re at risk.

He thinks your own catalog production personnel must be fully knowledgeable about printing and manufacturing. “I’ve found too many who rely solely on their printer for manufacturing expertise,” he notes. “This distorts the cataloger’s mindset to believe he/she cannot get by without the current printer.”

Consumables and Distribution

A printer’s expertise often can extend beyond offering technological guidance. Indeed, printers can be valuable sources of information and help when it comes to consumables such as paper and distribution of your catalog, as well.

In June, PrintBuyersOnline.com and PaperSpecs.com produced results from a survey that sheds some light on paper-buying trends. The 140 survey participants represented organizations that collectively purchased more than $213 million a year of printing; 36 percent of the jobs they sourced were catalogs.

A mere 10 percent reported that their knowledge of paper was “excellent,” while 74 percent said they relied on their printers to help them determine what type of paper is best for their print jobs. An overwhelming majority of respondents (84 percent) rely on their printers to purchase paper on their behalf and manage the inventory.

And looking at the distribution end of your catalog operation, your printer may be of some help there, too. “Since so much of the catalog business is dependent on distribution, it’s critical that your printer be able to help you achieve your mailing goals, as well,” e-Diner’s Frawley advises.

“Some printers may have established their own relationships with third-party vendors who will provide you with the mailing channels you require,” she notes. “Others may be able to recommend pool-shipping or co-mailing programs. These are important questions to ask of your potential printers.”

Word of Mouth

Before signing that all-important print contract, check the supplier’s references. Don’t be shy about asking for customer contacts with whom you can speak candidly about the printer’s track record. The following are some questions to ask the referrals:

1. Can you provide any examples of how the printer has gone the extra mile to get your catalog job done?

2. Has the printer ever missed a print or mailing deadline?

3. How has the printer helped you overcome technical or financial challenges?

4. Have you ever been disappointed by the quality of the final product?

5. When you have technical questions, is the printer immediately responsive?

Once you’ve done your homework and made your selection of a printer partner, clearly document your expectations in the contract, suggests Langford. “The printing contract should include detailed performance standards to enable you to contractually hold the printer responsible not only for quality but also for service.”

Gretchen Kirby Peck is the president and chief creative officer of P.A.G.E.s, an editorial consultancy and freelance writing firm specializing in the graphic arts.