So do you hire a print broker or do you tackle that print project yourself? Do you know who to call? If you do find someone, is it the best price? Is there a better way to accomplish it? Lets look at the in’s and out’s of a print broker. Then you can decide.
One day I received a phone call from my company’s Creative Director, asking me for some help on a print project his department was working on. It was a type of magazine run we had done hundreds of times. The page count was over 90 pages. The paper stock we normally put it on was a 60# book weight. The difference for this run was there was a special section in the back half he wanted to highlight. He wanted just two of the page out of the 90 to be on an 80# cover weight. One page at the front of the section (that included a tab) and another at the back. Once he download the creative brief to me, I went to work. I gathering prices form different printers and vendors. I communicated with printer for the best layour options. In the end, he decided not do the tab, they adjusted the page count on the document for the best price possible. There were a lot of details that went into that project for the final run.
As a print broker, I was able to be an asset to the Creative Director. I helped him, gather estimates to keep the cost is down, offered suggestions on better ways to accomplish the final outcome, made sure the specific details we meet on the project, and that he hit his deadline.
Printing companies hire a middle man to locate and serve other companies. They are usually called a sales rep. A sales rep is limited on options on saving money and limited recourses. A Print Broker stands in the middle between the costumer and the printer. They are independent from the manufacturer. They are not employed by the them. They have a whole network of printers and vendors. If you have a custom project and are not sure how to accomplish it a print broker would be a great solution to many of your problems. They would help add value to your project. You could rely on their knowledge of the print management process. Any problems that would arise they would help save time and recourses.
So to find the best printer for the project, to have at your figure tips the best recourse for the big bang you want, hire a Print Broker. They will save you time, and recourse.