How to Choose a Printer for Your Business

Print is manufacturing. It’s doing the same things repeatedly against a specification to arrive at a product. However, the variables are constantly changing and there are endless combinations. The input is often client generated and has to be put right or brought as close to usable as possible. Often the client isn’t a specialist designer so printers have procedures (often automated) to manipulate files and get them “press ready”.

Different processes, temperatures, substrates, humidity, lighting, inks and colour standards can all have an external, mostly uncontrollable impact on the finish.

Within the print industry we often say “things go wrong, it is print”. The more touchpoints and processes that are added, the more opportunity for errors there are. Even if no hands touch the product there are still tolerances and things you’d want caught like missing dates or misspellings.

A great company isn’t defined when things are going right, they are judged by how they handle errors.

2. What actually goes wrong

The biggest factor is the input; in software they say crap in, crap out and that’s true of print. If a file is low resolution and printed without flagging then quality won’t be crisp. If RGB files are sent then the final product might not be as vibrant as expected. If the image has no bleed then you might get a white edge. If text is set right on the edge of the image then any small movement in trimming can start cutting into letters. On thick stapled booklets, creep can cause an issue where the inner sheets are pushed out.

At the time of writing this, on our live site, for a stapled booklet there are over 396,000 combinations of options. That’s not including specialist finishes like foiling, spot UV or versions. Just size, page counts, colour, paper stocks and weights, and lamination. It’s simplified to help but for “non print” clients there’s a lot to get through. We can narrow down the spec quickly but to the average user, understanding the difference between 170gsm silk and 120gsm uncoated is challenging. It’s easy to get a specification you didn’t expect. Brochures tend to lean into silk whereas paperback books would be uncoated.

Companies spend millions on getting as close to perfect colour consistency as possible but it will never be perfect. Running the same job on the same machine, with the same inks, plates and artwork can have different results depending on airflow in the room. We’ve had it where a door was opened during press hours and suddenly 1000 sheets on the litho press washed out and couldn’t be used.

Screens display in RGB, starting with a black screen and adding light. Print uses CMYK, starting with a white sheet and darkening to create colours. RGB has a much larger gamut and can achieve ultra bright colours, whereas CMYK cannot unless special inks are used. For large runs this can be worthwhile but for short runs it’s often priced out. There is a gap between what can be created on screen and what can be achieved with CMYK inks.

Deadlines are fixed but terminology is fluid; the printer may say 5 days to produce but that assumes artwork is print ready and approved. In reality that may add another day or two if something needs to go back to a designer. Clients often mention deadlines late. If questions aren’t asked upfront this can be missed and put production under pressure or not hit the timeline. It’s manufacturing, something will break at some point. Leaving things until the last minute is accepting that risk.

Why it happens

We call a lot of it “The Amazon Effect”. We’ve become conditioned to get things next day. We watch TV on demand and access the internet anywhere. Lead times aren’t second nature anymore, if we haven’t purchased something before we expect it quickly.

Cost pressures delay decisions. People are less likely to spend until they have to, which usually means pushing it back.

In the digital world commitment isn’t as much of an issue. If something doesn’t work it can be taken down. Committing ink to paper is permanent. People used to be taught how to design for print but now a lot of design work comes from templates or AI. Not having experience can reduce confidence in that first purchase.

There’s a knowledge gap. Clients supply files that aren’t print ready but don’t know that. Or they assume the printer will reproduce exactly what they see. When ordering online, you select options and assume you are getting what you wanted. The truth is you are getting what you ordered, whether that matches expectation or not.

4. Types of printers

1. Online / Volume Printers

Online printers are built on automation and minimal touchpoints. They have the latest equipment and produce fast, cheap work. They build product lists around common specifications to simplify decisions and production.

For low risk, simple jobs or repeat orders they will do a great job. Some platforms say they sell to “print professionals”, implying a level of understanding. You are getting exactly what you ordered, not always what you expected.

Jobs are ganged on sheets and finished in batches, sharing setup costs. This keeps prices low but reduces flexibility. If something changes, you are working within a locked system. We’ve seen a book fully printed but needing a cover change. Instead of reprinting the cover, the whole job had to be reordered.

Payment is usually upfront, meaning control sits with the printer. Resolutions are often gestures like a discount or reprint. It’s not a relationship, it’s a system delivering what you ordered.

2. Commercial / Managed Printers

This ranges from local printers to large operations. Jobs are quoted via an estimator, acting as a point of contact. They will challenge and ask questions to make sure you have the right product.

They are less reliant on automation and have more skilled operators spotting problems. Not everything will be caught, but they are more likely to work with you to resolve issues.

These printers build relationships. If you have patterns of ordering, they adjust their approach. We make welcome packs for a customer and know roughly how many they use, so we prompt them when they are likely running low.

These printers are outcome based. They care what the job is for, not just the job itself. This approach comes at a higher cost. If you want basics done cheaply, online is the better choice. If you want a partner, this is the choice.

Trade Printers

Trade printers supply other printers. We do trade work and send everything white label.

They aren’t customer facing and operate with heavy automation and volume to keep costs low.

4. Specialist Printers

This covers wide format, packaging, labels or niche finishes. These are best when you have specific requirements.

5. When cheap is fine

Online printers pulling prices down is a common frustration. A leaflet is seen as a leaflet, but the delivery differs.

The less you pay, the more risk it carries. Cheap print is fine for low value work, simple jobs, non critical timelines or where colour isn’t important.

6. When it isn’t

If you have regular jobs that need consistency, deadlines that run tight, or need help with specifications. If you know what you want to achieve but not how to get there. If you might need flexibility or support.

This comes down to one thing: needing a partner rather than just a supplier.

7. What a good printer actually does

All printers care about their customers, but what that looks like varies. For online printers it may mean hitting delivery metrics, for a commercial printer it may mean pulling a same day job out.

A good printer should do what they say they are going to do. They should guide the client for the client’s benefit, not for the upsell. They should care about the outcome, not just the job. They should take responsibility for the job and the relationship.

In practice this means flagging issues early, making sure delivery matches expectation and being honest.

8. Real examples

We see a lot of low resolution artwork. Software flags it but a human checks it. Brochures shouldn’t be below 300dpi but village magazines can be more forgiving. If we stopped every job below 300dpi then most work wouldn’t get printed and deadlines would be missed.

We flag it. We had a brochure for the visually impaired where a low resolution file had been supplied. It was flagged and the correct version used.

9. Comparison

There are some very good online printers in the UK like Solopress, Route 1 and Vistaprint. They’re built on systems and automation for speed and price, and for many jobs they are the right choice.

If you know what you need, can set the file up correctly, and the job is simple, they will deliver what you ordered quickly and at a good price.

Online printers are designed to process orders, not question them. If there is an issue with the file, spec or timing, it often isn’t picked up until the job is printed.

If it wouldn’t matter if it went wrong, go cheap. If it would be a problem, working with a commercial printer makes a difference. You’re getting a second set of eyes before anything is committed to print.

10. Close

If you’re looking for a printer and not 100% sure, send something over and we’ll tell you if it’s fine or if anything stands out.

If you place an order with us online, it will be checked and a proof will be sent for approval before any ink touches paper.