Choose wisely

Apr 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Margie Dana

Nothing could be easier than finding a commercial printer when you need one. Try this: Google “commercial printers in Chicago, IL.” Voila! In less than 30 seconds, you have well over a million hits to dig through. (Chicago happens to be the largest metropolitan print market in the United States, so when it comes to finding printers, the grass doesn't get any greener than this.)

Use this same search method for your city, and chances are good you'll find a smorgasbord of printers.

Good luck with that selection method.

Finding the right printer for your particular needs is a horse of a different PMS color. Print buyers say one of their most challenging responsibilities is matching their needs with an appropriate print provider. The key reasons:

Too many

Printers are everywhere. With over 40,000 companies in this country, plus online e-print offerings, not to mention off-shore printers, you begin to see how global printing has become.

Too different

Printers are not created equal. Different equipment means different capabilities. Most commercial printers have niches.

Too fluid

The landscape changes constantly. There's lots of consolidation. Other firms are changing their names or their focus. And, printers from coast to coast keep adding equipment to meet customer demand. Today's sheetfed printer might be tomorrow's digital printer, as well.

Too personal

Different print buyers have different requirements. For some, price may rule. For others, it could be service, or quick turnaround time. Every buyer's needs are unique.

Too complex

The proof is in the business relationship; you don't know if you've made the right choice until after you've already worked with a printer.

Fortunately, there are several practical steps buyers can follow in their search for the right commercial printer. Together, they form a solid, common-sense approach for buyers in every industry, at every stage in their careers.

Several professional buyers were interviewed for this article. They range from people brand new to print buying (less than one year) to those with 20 or more years' experience under their belts. From their comments it is clear that the right selection of a print partner is a difficult one. By following a strategic approach and tapping available resources, the end result can signal the beginning of a long, mutually beneficial business relationship.

Step 1: Define your selection criteria
The measure of a successful print project involves many different variables — and these change with every buyer and every project. What matters to you the most? Key criteria tend to include obvious ones: quality, price, customer service, meeting deadlines, and good communication with the sales and service reps.

Before you start your search for a printer, be very clear about your own criteria. For example, does a printer need to be within driving range so that you can do press checks? Does the printer need to be a woman- or minority-owned business, or perhaps a union shop? Does the printer need to do inline aqueous coating?

Although there is never just one thing that matters most to a print buyer in his or her printer selection, outlining your priorities will streamline the process.

Today's modern buyers have a much more evolved selection process than most printers would imagine. Some buyers judge printers by the traditional trio: price, quality, and service (not necessarily in that order). But most buyers dig deeper.

Arlene Ouellette is director of marketing operations for Brookstone (Merrimack, NH). When asked what specific criteria she uses when choosing printers, Ouellette is very clear about her strategy. She says, “Brookstone's print needs vary widely by business segment. We utilize web, sheetfed litho, silkscreen and digital printing of all types. The key criteria that define success change for each type of project. There is, however, a common thread, which is one particular point that matters most: The team at any of these printers that touch the Brookstone account must be highly trained, intuitive, smart, full of great ideas and very low-maintenance.

“Brookstone invests a great deal of time ‘training’ its vendors and spending time with their staff, giving them the tools to meet our expectations,” Ouellette adds. “We invest to this level and expect the printer to invest its best people with us. We also require they be educated in the Brookstone account. When it all works, we do a lot of business together.”
Not just price
Some firms start with price — but it's just the first step in their vendor selection. Mark Hoffman, print production coordinator in the design department at WGBH (Boston) shared his personal opinions for this article. He's been with WGBH for 15 years and has a long history in the printing industry. Hoffman has worked as an offset press operator, offset stripper, production planner, print estimator and high school printing teacher.

“Price usually is the number one factor, but if two printers are close in price, a variety of other factors can come into play, depending on the project,” says Hoffman. “For instance, if it's a project with a tight deadline, the printer that's been better able to handle quick turnarounds in the past for me might get the job. So many printers can produce high-quality printing, that often what distinguishes one printer from another is some other facet of their services, such as the quality of their finishing work or even how carefully they pack the finished product.

“Noticeable cracking on the folds of a piece that's printed on coated cover stock with heavy ink coverage can seriously affect my using a printer again, particularly if my client and the designer are upset about it,” Hoffman adds. “Or, if folded pieces are poorly shrink-wrapped (without oversized chipboard) and the corners are bent, that affects my impression of a printer, too. I think it's a measure of how competitive the market is that such things can actually affect my choice of printers.”

Greg Mroczek, manufacturing manager for Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP) in Watertown, MA, agrees that one should look closely at a printer's credentials in this evaluation stage.

The criteria he uses depends on the particular project, and they include: location; equipment; an ability to produce work on-site; having local sales representation (or a very available rep); competitive pricing; great turnaround schedules; well-trained CSRs; knowledgeable sales reps; and a company that's “trained in service recovery and with an ISO 9000-type mentality for responding to errors/problems.” Mroczek says, “There's no ‘one thing’ that matters most.”

“I want the most knowledgeable CSR/sales rep rolled into one that has clout internally, as well,” says Rebecca Anderson, vice president, Print Management & Distribution, JP Morgan Asset Management, Inc. (New York). “Do not make layers for me to weed through to get my information. The CSR needs to help with everything from preflighting through invoicing. Also, I have no patience for the old selling style where the salesman knows golf and all the restaurants in town better than the operations in the shop.”
Step 2: Narrowing it down
Once you've decided which criteria will guide your selection of print providers, what's next? With 40,000 U.S. printers to choose from, where and how do you begin to winnow out the right printers for your needs?

Fortunately, there are several resources for buyers, today. Here are my top five:
- Peer referrals, especially those who are in your industry and who buy similar products. Seek out your peers and find out who they've worked with successfully.
- Your current print providers, particularly when you're looking for specialty work. Printers are terrific resources and tend to know everyone else in the business in their geographic location. It's a very close community.
- Buyer events and associations (local or national). Take advantage of every opportunity to network with other professional buyers. Start to form your own peer group, even if you only communicate by e-mail.
- Trade shows where printers exhibit. Visit every booth, ask questions and pick up samples.
- Trade associations, which often publish names of printers. The biggest association, PIA/GATF, has 29 affiliates across the United States. To find one close to you, visit www.gain.net and click on “Affiliates” up at the top, then the “Find an Affiliate” link. (Keep in mind: Not every printer is a member. According to Ron Davis, the association's chief economist, approximately 20 percent of the country's printers are affiliates. He notes that they represent about 50 percent of total industry sales, however.)
Armed with the names of a few printers you are interested in, this is your chance to dig deeper. These last two steps will help you determine which printer is the best fit: Interview the sales rep in person and take a tour of the printing facility.

The more experience you have, the more important these steps will become to you. Maximize the value of every interview and every site tour. One day, the equipment list won't seem foreign; rather, you'll quickly identify what printing presses can produce what types of materials.
Step 3: The sales rep interview
Getting to know your prospective sales rep is critical. Mrozcek conducts an interview by phone or in person. He says, “I give them a profile of my company with special focus on the product line they might be a fit for, including showing them samples (if it's a face-to-face interview). I ask them for a similar company description and for samples of similar work to the HBSP work they are interested in. If there's a possible fit, I forward specs and ask them to estimate something I already have an estimate for, so that I can compare pricing. If I am really interested, I ask for references of customers they are working with now, especially other publishers. If they're local, I might take a plant tour.”

Ouellette also has a prospective printer bid on a “dead” job to see where his or her prices are. “I provide the printer with specifications and actual printed materials, and I give them as much time as they need to quote,” she explains. “I'll answer any questions they have — but they know I expect their quote to be ironclad. During this phase I evaluate the intelligence of the questions, the intuitiveness of the feedback, the thoroughness of the materials I get back and, of course, the pricing. If they pass this phase, we move on.”

Joseph Pires is the production coordinator for Kronos, Inc. (Chelmsford, MA). With less than a year's experience as a professional print buyer, he places a lot of emphasis on this first meeting with a prospective printer. “If we click, then I feel like it's less of a sales pitch and more of a collaborative meeting,” he says. “My personal process is all based on a first impression. I recently had a sales guy and a business development manager come in, and during the presentation, the BDM seemed bored. Well, they have yet to receive any business.”

Experienced buyers want to work with reps who know the industry and know their company's capabilities. Anderson knows it's a bad sign when, during an interview, she can sense from the salesman a definite uncertainty in his print knowledge. “If he's not taking notes, I worry,” she says, “and if he's not asking questions, I worry.”

“It turns me off if a salesperson has been working for a printer for many months and can't easily rattle off what equipment they have,” Hoffman notes. “I think printers should invest the time in having new salespeople spend at least a week or two inside the plant, getting really familiar with it, before they go out and sell. I think it's well worth the time spent in the long run.”
Step 4: The plant tour
Visiting a printing plant before you work with that printer can be invaluable to your decision-making process. For Ouellette, it's mandatory. Her company has a rule that no printing will be placed in a facility she has not toured personally. During the tour, she meets a lot of people, observes the workflow and watches the equipment in operation. She asks tons of questions, and listens to the answers intently, to understand the likelihood of them “stepping outside the box” (a requirement and a regular need for Brookstone). If a tour is successful, she will give the printer a job to bid on.

Plant cleanliness is key to many buyers. “Front offices might be messy, but plant areas should be clean, well lit and clutter free,” says Diane Dragoff, purchasing manager for United Way of Massachusetts Bay (Boston). “Employee areas should be clean and well-lit, too. And, I always check the ladies' room.”

Peter Courtemanche, creative services manager for Eastern Mountain Sports (Peterborough, NH), also thinks the tour is vital. “Be on the lookout for plants that are messy,” he says. “This usually reflects the quality of work.”

Is the staff friendly? Do the production employees seem knowledgeable about their work and the equipment? Take the time not only to observe but also to ask questions. Be an active “tour taker” to make the most of it; don't simply tag along mutely.

Spend time in the prepress department and speak with these specialists. What kind of equipment do they use here, and is it compatible with yours? Talk about the software applications you use to create your job files. Make sure they can handle them.
Step 5: Look at the equipment
Only the most experienced buyers know what presses are needed to produce different products. Hoffman says this is the key factor for him when considering a new vendor: “This gives me my first snapshot of what kinds of products I think would be most cost-efficient to have them do.

“I'm impressed by a shop with a range of press sizes, because that means they might be cost-effective on a wider range of projects,” Hoffman continues. “It also means I can feel pretty confident they'll be able to quote competitively on a wider range of options, in terms of quantity range, a variety of trim size options and various numbers of ink colors on the piece.”

Few print buyers can make sense out of a printer's equipment list. Most printers publish these lists both in hard copy (sent to you in a sample kit or other promotional mailing) and on their Web sites. Typically, these laundry lists cite the manufacturer and model number of what's “on the floor” in a printing plant.

The list usually is organized by such categories as prepress, digital imaging/proofing, digital printing, offset printing, web printing, bindery/finishing and mailing.

If the list makes little sense to you, ask the rep to translate in lay terms. Ask about prepress, press, postpress and beyond (mailing and fulfillment). Are they strictly offset printers or do they do digital and variable data? What about Web-to-print and cross-media marketing?

“Anyone can show me great-looking printed samples,” says Hoffman, who relies on studying a printer's equipment. His suggestion: “Know a printer's equipment and whether it matches your needs. I think every print buyer…needs to understand the correlation between what equipment a printer has and their pricing. Printers make sales decisions every day about how they'll price a given project, but, by and large, it's the most efficient use of my time to quote a particular project with printers that have the most cost-efficient equipment for that project. I won't quote a short-run invitation with a shop that only has 40-inch presses, nor would I quote 200,000 48-page booklets with a shop that doesn't have a web press.”

Always trust your instincts

During this whole search process, pay attention to your instincts. Much of the time, you will be working with the sales rep. Is there a natural rapport there? Do you trust his or her ability to handle your work and troubleshoot, if needed? Can you picture yourself developing a long-term business relationship with this individual?

Get references from this rep's customers, and follow up. Ask what it's like to work with this rep and this firm in good times and in bad. How did they handle any problems? Are they accessible by phone and e-mail?

When you enter into a relationship with a printer, you will need to trust not only their capacity to deliver a high-quality product, but also their ability to meet deadlines, suggest ways that will increase efficiencies, help control costs and provide you with new solutions and creative ideas.

Is finding the right printer difficult? Mroczek says it best: “Finding a printer is not hard. Finding a good one — one that's a good fit, that walks the walk after talking the talk, that provides the quality and service they promised on the honeymoon — is the hard part. And that's something you don't find out until you actually work with them.”

Contact: mdana@bostonprintbuyers.com.

Look before you leap

Arlene Ouellette of Brookstone makes a case for taking a plant tour before you use a printer, based on a real nightmare of a tour she took:

“I ran across a potential new printer at a trade show — fancy booth, all the samples, huge staff in matching uniforms manning the booth, very impressive sales tactics. So, we began the qualification process. When I got to the “tour the plant” phase, I was met with nervous responses. This was my first clue, but I didn't listen to my gut instinct — I set up a tour.

“I got on a plane, and rather than my rep picking me up, I was met by a limo driver holding my name on a board (second bad sign: no rep to meet me). Worst yet, the limo took me to a broken-down building surrounded by barbed wire fencing in a very bad section of the city, let me out and drove off!

“There actually was a printer in this building with the smashed windows, but it was the worst situation you can imagine, and then some. Puddles of ink on the floors, stock on shelves covered with filth, and substandard printing coming off presses with some very big retail names.

“When I got back to the airport, I had never been so happy to sit at a gate in my life. Immediately, I sent a message to all areas of Brookstone to never consider this vendor, now or in the future, for any reason.

“From that point forward, I've taken security and safety seriously, and I insist anyone working for me does the same.”