Online Digital Printing: What You Need to Know

Online printing has become a huge part of businesses and companies with a budget-conscious marketing and advertising plan. Reflecting the reputation of your business with high-quality printing of flyers, posters, catalogs, postcards, business cards, and even stationary (letterhead and envelopes) has become easier than ever. Because of the competition of online services, it is also easy to find printing services that offer excellent quality options at rates that will keep your company’s budget happy.

Looking to utilize online digital printing services in your work? Here’s what you need to know before you commit your money anywhere.

Pre-Printing Considerations

Before you put your money into a print advertising campaign, there are some things that you can do to reduce the risk of disappointment. Often, this is more important when working with an online digital printer than a traditional one – because you can’t drop by and make sure that things are turning out the way you want them to, you want to make sure you have everything perfect before you ever give it to the printer.

In all honesty, these are things you should consider even with a traditional printer because it can save you tons of money … but that’s not what we’re looking at here.

When you decide to embark on a print advertising campaign, spend some time with a designer on creating a full series of themed materials. You will spend a little bit more money initially to have everything designed at once, but in the long run you’ll be much happier and the quality of your materials will benefit the reputation of your business. A win-win situation. Ask your designer about types of marketing materials and come up with a plan that suits your business needs. After all, everything from postcards to letterhead can become successful marketing if it’s all tied together nicely.

After you have decided what materials you will need printed, work with your designer on creating something that is fully themed. In other words, one piece – your brochure, for example – should be in the same color scheme, offer similar images, and use the same font styles as, for example, your catalogue. The best designers will create at least two different “concepts” for you to choose from, and then create your materials from there. Also, make sure that you get source files for everything that is created. You should never be given just a .pdf catalogue and expected to be happy with what you’ve paid for – you need source files in case anything needs to be changed down the road (without having to go back and have a new designer create all new materials), and in order to give the printer exactly the type of file they need to print your work in the highest quality possible.

Now that you’ve got all of your marketing materials together, it’s time to start searching for a printer. What’s your biggest concern?

The quality of your printed outputs.

Your company is being judged by your potential customers through these advertising materials. Your catalogue, brochure, business card, etc. all represent your company and tells your customer what you are all about.

When you start your search for the perfect online digital printer for your needs, you will want to make sure that the ones you consider offer “proofs” of the printed work. Proofs are examples of exactly what your printed advertising materials will look like. If a printer doesn’t offer proofs, you need to seriously consider doing business elsewhere – it’s your money, your business reputation, you need to work with someone who is confident they can provide you exactly what you want.

Common Notes About Online Digital Printers

Before you get going, it might be a bit more comfortable to know what to expect. There are actually several things that the best online printing services offer in common:

> Upload: You will only need to upload your order, and the printers take care of everything else.

> Digital Proofs: If you would rather work directly with the printer on designs, many offer “templates” for you to type into. When you choose this option, digital proofs of what your finished product will look like are a standard.

> Printed Proofs: Most of the more reputable online printers will mail printed proofs of your work to you, so that you can judge the quality of their work before you sink a bunch of money into the project.

Using online printing services makes a lot of sense, if you look for these three keys of quality. A good online digital printer will save you a lot of time, money, and effort. During the printing process, you’re free to focus your attention on more important business concerns because all of the printing is being handled for you. You’ll only achieve these benefits if you’ve taken some time choosing your printing company, though, so I stress again – look for the three keys of quality bulleted above.

Recommended Online Digital Printing Services

Ready to begin your search? Here are my top 5 recommendations for digital printers, based on experience working with them on a variety of projects. They are listed in no particular order here.

4over4 – www.4over4.com – This printer is fantastic in both quality and service. Their prices include full-color printing on both sides of your materials (hence their name, which stands for a 4 color over 4 color printing press). What’s so special about that? Most printers will print 4 colors on one side of your work, but only 1 or 2 colors on the other side – 4over1 or 4over2 presses. Seriously, this might seem like some foreign language, but it’s a big deal when it comes down to the quality of your finished advertising materials. 4over4.com doesn’t require credit card or payment information with your order. Instead, you fill out a short order form and upload your files. They will review your order free of charge and contact you to approve the job and make payment arrangements. Free online color proofs are offered, but you do have to specifically request printed proofs. However, turnaround time is unreal – you’ll have your printed materials shipped out or ready for pick-up within 48 hours.

Vista Print – www.vistaprint.com – This company is huge, so popular that it took me a long time before I relented and decided to give them a shot when they offered a really amazing promotional offer (check out their site – they do promotional offers often). If you’re looking for creative marketing materials, this is definitely the printer you want to work with. They have the standard stuff like brochures and business cards, but they really stand out because of the other print services they offer – things like calendar magnets, announcements, and holiday products. Another way this company stands out is that they offer full graphic design services, so you can get everything done from start to finish in one spot, and a full satisfaction guarantee that will let you breathe a bit easier.

Printing Shoppers – www.printingshoppers.com – This site doesn’t do the actual printing … they act more as a storefront behind which dozens of other printers do the work. What I love about this service is you can always find fantastic deals, due to the competition of the printers “behind the scenes”, and I’ve always received quality work. They will review your files at no cost, which assures you that everything is done right and ready for high-quality printing – even if you don’t decide to order from them. The categories of items they will print are impressive too – everything from postcards to posters, brochures and catalogues to presentation folders. All quotes are provided free, and you’ll be able to work one-on-one with someone assigned to oversee the printing of your project.

GFX Printing – www.gfxinc.com – If your project centers mainly around cards (business cards, postcards, even bookmarks), this is a site that you’ll definitely want to check out. They offer 4over4 color printing in a huge variety of sizes, using traditional offset printing processes that will get your work done in a matter of days. Keep in mind, though, that this printer deals exclusively in color cards, so you’re not going to be able to do brochures and catalogues here. If that’s not something you’re interested in at the moment anyway, don’t miss GFX Printing’s “Design-It-Yourself” Center that helps you create your advertising materials quick and easy.

DeHart’s – www.deharts.com – When your printing needs include things like books or manuals, CD mailers, and software or product boxes, this site needs to be your first (and probably last) stop. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, this company specializes in the printing of high-quality manuals, books, and marketing materials. They also offer software packaging and replication services at prices you can’t beat even if you did it yourself. All of your work can be uploaded to them over the Internet, and they will deliver breathtakingly high-quality packaged, bound books and materials in a variety of sizes – always finished to meet your deadline. I can vouch for that – I recently used this company to deliver a series of manuals to a client that gave me exactly two weeks to design, print, and deliver the finished product … and it was there early and in beautiful condition, which meant a happy client and an even happier me.