Online or local printing

Over the last decade, an increasing number of retail and service oriented industries have relied less on brick and mortar business models and have turned to e-commerce to sell their goods and services. Consumers have made it clear that they want the convenience of being able to shop online. The commercial printing industry has moved with these trends and it is now easier than ever to order your printed materials online.

Some consumers may lean towards dealing with smaller local printers under the belief that it will save them money and/or time. In fact, using an online printing service provides more benefits when compared to smaller local printing companies.

As we often hear, time is money, using an online printing service gives a business the option to work on a project from the office or even from home, eliminating travel time and expenses. Ordering online eliminates many of the hassles associated with ordering print, and since online printing is more efficient, the cost savings is passed onto the customer.

Reducing costs with automation and optimization

Online printers employ a great deal of automation in their processes, which contributes to the overall reduction in costs associated with using their services. Automation streamlines printing processes, saves massive amounts of time, and helps them cut down on waste. This creates a huge cost savings that online printers can pass onto their customers.

Using an online commercial printer is extraordinarily easy. Customers can receive quotes for products with the click of the button, and order just as easily. Customers can upload their artwork and it will be processed and checked for compatibility automatically. If there are no issues with the file, the system will send the customer a final proof for them to inspect and check for any errors in their artwork one last time before it goes to production.

For most projects, this automation goes smoothly, but if a customer has a question or concern, a quality printer will have a customer service team standing by to answer any questions and resolve any issues a customer may have.

Using a web-to-print portal to quickly design common marketing materials

Complementing the automation of an online service is the use of online design for some of the more common job types. A template will make a relatively easy job dead simple by having a general layout completed in which a customer can plug in information and images, or select options from a drop-down menu.

Web-to-print portal services can be created through an online printer, allowing a business the opportunity to easily manage all their marketing materials in one place. This service makes it extremely simple for employees to make their own collateral that is uniform throughout the organization. Larger companies with multiple locations or franchises can utilize web-to-print portals to save a great deal of time coordinating the distribution of new marketing materials.

Working at scale for your business

Since online printers handle large orders regularly, it is easy for them to take on tasks that may take your business or a smaller local printer an excess amount of time to complete. In most cases an online printer will have a much broader range of equipment and a larger inventory of paper that will greatly increase their ability to accommodate any printing needs a customer may have. Providing in-house paper options that are ordered in bulk and kept on hand lowers the wait time and costs of using high quality paper.

The implementation of an H-UV press is the latest in printing technology, which drastically reduces turnaround time for the consumer. Use of UV light to instantly and completely cure ink allows the print job to have finishing work, such as cutting or folding, done right away rather than having to sit for as long as a day to dry. Also the H-UV press can run as many as 16,000 sheets per hour, on both sides of the paper, saving an incredible amount of time.

Dynamic shipping and mailing options

Quick and efficient services are key to the many advantages of using online printing services but the addition of flexible shipping options really make the choice an obvious one. Online printers offer direct mail, which sends printed collateral straight to recipients based on mailing lists provided by the customer or purchased through the printer. Variable data mailers go even further by being customized to a homeowner or business specifically, making them feel the mailer is designed for them individually.

Giving the customer the option of choosing their ship time based on when the project is needed in hand can provide additional savings in the case of projects being ordered well ahead of schedule. A quality online printer will ensure that a job is completed and shipped on time so it arrives in the customer's hands exactly when they need it.

We live in a digital age and the advance of online printing provides limitless on-demand options for printing needs and can benefit anyone across the spectrum of commerce. From the smallest home-based business to the largest manufacturing firm, the amount of time and money saved by utilizing an online printing service versus a local printer makes the choice clear, giving a business more time to focus on what is most important. Using an online printer is the simple and cost effective choice when choosing a print and marketing partner.