Qualities to Look for in a Commercial Print Shop: A Checklist

As a customer, you look for certain qualities and offerings from your commercial print shop. As a print shop owner, knowing what the customer wants will make your business a success. Here are a few qualities that are on most customers’ checklists:

• Personal Customer Service

In this automated society that we are living in, sometimes it is a relief just to be able to talk to a person when you need help instead of constantly pressing a number to specify your needs. Having fast and friendly customer service available when putting together a printed project can be a true relief to most people. Sometimes customers will choose to work with a company solely on the basis of the customer services that the business provides. If a company provides the option of talking to a person on the phone as well as online help, even better.

• High Quality

The quality of the printing provided is a no-brainer when it comes to what most customers look for first with a commercial print shop. But quality goes beyond using the best inks and best papers for their projects. Anyone can choose to pay more for more specific quality but having high quality products available at the standard level is a major bonus for customers.

• Fast Turnaround

We live in a “I need it now!” society and catering to that mentality can be a determining quality with a commercial print shop. While most print shops offer fast turnarounds at additional cost, a print shop can offer fast turnarounds as standard practice will have an advantage over their competitors.

• Affordable

Price points are a sticking factor no matter what. A commercial print shop that has quality products at an affordable cost will almost always win out. A print shop that offers discounts for larger orders or incentives like free products with certain orders is something to look for from a customer perspective.

• In-house Graphic Designers

Finding a commercial printing company that has design help on staff is a major bonus for most customers. This is because most customers need design help. They may have a vision for how they want their products to look but they don’t know how or don’t have the right tools to make that vision a reality. They may also not have a vision at all and therefore they need someone that can give them a few ideas. Being able to personalize a template is also a possibility when there are in-house graphic designers to help out along the way. Being able to put a unique stamp on a printed project with the help of a designer can make a commercial printing company even more competitive.

• Free Proofs

Being able to check out a design and product before placing a large order is something that most customers wish was standard but unfortunately that isn’t always the case. Finding a printing company that offers free proofs can give customers peace of mind when placing an order.