Prepare to Print and Profit What Should You Come to Expect From Your Printer?
By Jenny Adams
"I think quality is the biggest thing. I mean, you get what you pay
for,” says Charice Keener, sales and marketing manager for the Shout!
House in San Diego. Keener isn’t talking about the bar service or the
menu, however –– she’s talking about printing.
Putting your company name and logo on something and handing
it to a total stranger on the street is your first –– and sometimes
only –– impression. It is a direct statement about the quality and
experience that can be found in your bar or club. Finding the right
printer can mean the difference between your flyer finding its way into
a person’s pocket or into the nearest trashcan.
Turnaround and Face the Cash Register
Pricing and turnaround time are crucial when considering a printer. The
Shout! House is new to San Diego, and at barely a year old, it is
grappling like all the other newcomers to find its niche in the market
and to make a name for itself. Thinking ahead, the management of The
Shout! House made an early connection with a reputable graphic artist
who, while not on-premise, was willing to design flyers and other forms
of advertising for promotional events. Finding a printer in the area
was the next step.
“We use the same one every time,” Keener says. “Once we are established with one, we know their pricing and turnaround time.”
In today’s market, printed flyers are better than radio and newspapers
for most establishments of average to small size. The overall price tag
is far lower than a color ad in the weekly paper, and while a radio
spot is dependent upon a possible patron listening at the moment of the
ad, print material can be put directly into the hands of an event’s
target demographic.
Virtually all printers are willing to work with a club for free to
ensure the proof is perfect before it goes to print, too. “They give
you a proof,” Keener says, “and then it goes back and forth. The person
on the other end has their own vision … the final product may take a
while to get established.”
This is where turnaround time comes into play. It is imperative to
choose a printer who has a solid turnaround time and whose end result
on the first proof is often close to your mental expectations. When
planning for an event, Keener says she likes to give printers one week
to finish her average order of 500 to 1,000 color flyers. Having seven
days means the flyer can be changed if the first proof comes back
looking less than satisfactory.
Style and Personal Touch
Most reputable printers will have a catalog of previous work for
potential clients to peruse. Asking other businesses in your area which
printer they use is not a bad idea, either. If someone else has had a
catastrophe, it is much better to hear about it as a story than to
experience it first hand.
Mike Corbett, marketing director for The Great Plate Bar and Grill in
Tracy, Calif., admits that his staff used to do all their own printing
on Excel and Photoshop before the jobs became too taxing. Staff there
now have an average 75,000 items printed each year. Corbett, along with
owners Shawn and Brandon Perry, eventually found Tracy Instant Printing.
“The best part is that we have a great personal relationship with
them,” Corbett says. “Going to the right person is like going to the
doctor. You aren’t going to go to a mechanic and say, ‘Fix my broken
arm.’” NCB
Meet the Advertisers
888-7-FLYERS 8887flyers.com
Ad Art Company adartco.com
Advanced Graphics Inc. advancedgraphic.com
Art Printing Co. artprinting.com
Associates Design associatesdesign.com
Axis Flyers Printing axisflyers.com
Clear Guard Products Inc. clrgrd.com
JPEG Graphics jpeggraphics.com
Morgan & Myers morganmyers.com
Next Day Flyers nextdayflyers.com
PK Graphics pkgraphics.com
Post Card Press postcardpress.com
Roll-A-Sign reefindustries.com
Ultra Plastic Printing ultraplastic.com
Putting your company name and logo on something and handing
it to a total stranger on the street is your first –– and sometimes
only –– impression. It is a direct statement about the quality and
experience that can be found in your bar or club. Finding the right
printer can mean the difference between your flyer finding its way into
a person’s pocket or into the nearest trashcan.
