Print-Plus: What Cross-Channel Retailers Need to Know When Getting Print Bids

When I obtain print bids for clients, I spend the most time on distribution considerations. It's difficult for catalogers to understand the co-mail process. Often printers quote gross postal savings rather than net savings, for example. The main items to focus on are the actual postage amount plus any co-mail and distribution fees. Again, catalogers get caught up in the gross savings per thousand catalogs and/or the percentage of savings and neglect to look at the cost side of the equation. It's easy for a printer to manipulate a co-mail estimate to show a high savings per thousand catalogs while the net amount in your pocket will be less in the end. Have the printers you're considering process a recent mail tape in order to provide an accurate postage estimate net of all fees.