You have finished writing your book and now want to share it with the whole world. Choosing a reliable printing company is the next logical step.
When choosing a printing company for your book you will be faced with many options, ranging from global online printing service providers to the local printer just across the street. What you need is a solution that is going to deliver you true value for money. You need to get the best professional finish possible as it impacts the marketing of your book and leaves a lasting impression on potential readers.
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( votes)Potential readers may question the quality of your work if they see that the printed material is not up to the mark. That is why it is imperative that you pick the right printing company for your project. Read our step-by-step guide which will prepare you to select the right printing company for your printing needs.
How Is the Company’s Reputation?
It is important to know a company’s reputation in the market before engaging with them. The reputation can help you to decide if you should actually trust the company or not. You can check their client list and website to see their experience in printing and how long they have been in business. You are also entitled to ask the company for references of existing customers and personal recommendations. You can also judge from the experiences and reviews of others by using LinkedIn, Twitter, or other social media platforms.
Check Out Their Premises
How the quality of your print job turns out is very important, so make a visit to the printer company’s premises if possible. You can use that opportunity to check out their facilities, maybe talk to a few staff members to get a feel of the way in which they operate. You can get an idea of what kind of work they produce by checking out the quality of their premises and how they present themselves. You can also use this opportunity to meet with your account handler in person and see if there is a good rapport between you two.
Check the Quality of Their Work
You need to be assured that the book printing company will be able to deliver your work at a high quality. This is why you should ask them to provide you with samples of their recent work. Check the printing quality by seeing if there are any text or formatting errors or if any of the ink gets smudged. Also, check to see if the images are printed ok or if there are any blurry ones.
Don’t just go for the cheapest publisher as low prices usually reap low-quality work. And having a sub-standard print job will definitely impact your brand negatively. Companies mostly use low-quality ink and paper to be able to keep their prices low. Low costs may also mean that the printing company will print your job along with a few other customers. This would mean that the quality of the finishing and the lead time will get affected.
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Check the Customer Service They Provide
Trust is a paramount factor in this business as you must be able to trust the printing company and that the person will handle your account professionally. Their client management skills will tell you a lot about their quality. The perfect printing company should be able to take care of your whole project, including the printing, collation, finishing, binding, and storage. Your project will be handled more efficiently if all these steps are performed by the same company.
How ‘Green’ is the Printing Company?
If you choose a printing company that does not take steps to manage its carbon footprint then this might have a negative reflection on your business. The printing company you choose should be efficient at using natural resources and committed to preventing pollution and taking care of the environment. Having accreditations, such as Forest Stewardship Council and PEFC along with ISO 14001, goes a long way to state how committed they are to being a green company.
Choose the Right Printer Format For Your Job
The turnaround time, cost, and quality of your project are affected by what type of printing press is used by the company. There are many digital printers available that now offer low-volume print runs at a low cost, producing good quality results. On the other hand, if you have a larger quantity of work and you want it on a higher quality print that allows print effects and special finishes, you can go with litho printing.
What is Their Response Time Like?
An easy way to differentiate between a regular printing company and a professional one is to see what their response time is like. There might be instances when you need to have some material printed on very short notice. A good printing company should be able to quickly provide you with an error-free printing service. So go for a printing company that can meet your special emergency requirements with their express service.
See the Range of the Services Offered
The variety of products a company handles says a lot about their quality. Choosing a company that handles a wide range of printing products will have you more covered. This way you can get all your products printed in the same place. A company that prints products such as envelopes, flyers, catalogs, calendars, business cards, brochures, labels, and stickers is certainly one that can be trusted with all your requirements.
Also, check how good their options are for customization.
Winding Up
Printing your book is one of the most important steps of completing your project. Hence it is paramount that you choose a company that you can fully rely on and will deliver your product according to your needs, on time, and within budget. Once you have found such a company, stick to it, unless something negative happens to deter you off. Best of luck with publishing your projects.