How to choose a commercial printer: questions to ask before you order

Price is the last question

Every printer can give you a number. What separates them is what happens when something goes sideways: a file with a missing font, a color that does not match last year's run, a form with the wrong numbering sequence. Ask the questions below before your first order and you learn more about a shop than any sample pack will tell you.

What kind of proof will I get

Every job should get a proof you approve before it prints. Ask what kind. A PDF proof is fine for checking text, layout and numbering. For color-critical work, ask whether a hard proof on paper is available and what it shows.

Ask, too, what happens if you find a mistake after approval. Under normal trade practice, once you sign off on a proof, errors you did not catch are yours. That is a reason to read proofs slowly, not a reason to avoid printers who say so.

Is there a quality system

ISO 9001 is an international standard for quality management systems. A certified shop has documented procedures for things like job tickets, inspection, handling complaints and correcting problems, and is audited against them. It does not guarantee a perfect job, but it means there is a system for catching and fixing mistakes. Commercial Printing Services is ISO 9001:2015 certified.

If a printer is not certified, ask how they check jobs before they ship and how they handle a job that comes out wrong.

Will someone check my files

A preflight check catches low-resolution images, missing bleed, RGB color, missing fonts and wrong page sizes before anything goes on press. Ask whether files are checked by a person or software, whether you are told about problems or they are fixed silently, and whether fixes cost extra. You want to hear about problems before the run, not after.

What is your overs and unders policy

Print is manufactured in runs, and some sheets are spoiled in setup and finishing. Commonly cited printing trade customs allow a printer to deliver slightly more or fewer than ordered, often up to 10 percent, with the invoice adjusted for the actual count. Many shops run tighter than that, and many will guarantee a minimum count on request.

If you need an exact number, such as 5,000 numbered forms or exactly 250 programs for 250 seats, say so in the request. Ask for the policy in writing on the quote.

How do reorders work

• Do you keep my files and job specs on file, and for how long?
• Can I reorder by job number or by sending a sample?
• Will a reorder match the earlier paper, color and finishing?
• For forms, will numbering continue from where the last order ended?
• Can a team member reorder, or does it have to be the original buyer?

Who owns plates, dies and files

Ask before you commit. Under long-standing trade customs, items the printer makes to produce your job, like plates, film and work files, are often treated as the printer's property unless the order says otherwise. Your own supplied artwork stays yours. Custom dies made for a job are sometimes billed to the customer and sometimes kept by the shop.

If you may want to move a job or reprint elsewhere, agree in writing what you will get back: native design files, print PDFs, die lines. For design work done by the printer, settle who owns the design and the files when you order it.

A few more worth asking

• What processes do you run in-house, and what do you send out?
• Who is my contact if something goes wrong?
• Can you handle mailing, bindery or fulfillment, or do I need a second vendor?
• What do you need from me to quote accurately?