Free Design Guides

This is the first in a series of Q & A’s from several of the online print compaines I have listed on this site. My goal is simple…ask relevant questions and let them answer so you can understand their services and capabilities. Not all print shops are created equal and I think you will find that each one has a targeted niche. Each one will have it’s own post so you can differentiate and hopefully find one that suits your needs.

1. What sets you apart from other online printers?
   Quality – We use top of the line Heidelberg printing presses and high quality paper inks to make sure that every job looks it’s absolute best before leaving or shop.
   Service – PrintingForLess.com isn’t just a website. Real people are waiting to help every customer with any part of the print process necessary. Our unique team system gives one point of contact for every project, allowing us to better meet the needs of our customers. We go above and beyond for our customers.
   Green – PFL’s sustainable paper sourcing practices have earned us the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) Chain-of-Custody Certification. Our paper vendor, Unisource Worldwide, is the first distributor to attain chain-of-custody certification by the three national programs that recognize sustainable forestry. These certifications are a guarantee to our customers that products printed on nearly all of our house stocks come from well-managed forests adhering to strict environmental and socio-economic standards.
   Our Facilities are also 100% Wind Powered
   
2. What market are you targeting with your services? Professional designers, small businesses who design their own material or quick-copy customers?
   We serve all of these markets. Professional designers love us for our service and consistent high quality product. Small Business love us because we make it easy for them to get quality marketing materials with them having to know all the ins and outs of commercial printing.
3. Would you classify your services as traditional offset printing or quick-copy digital?
   All of our products are offset printed. We don’t offer digital printing (except for addressing) or copying.
   
4. How do you prefer to receive files, PDF or packaged native files?
   We accept either option and will warn our customers if their project could be better if they send us the native files.
   
5. Do you offer online PDF conversion tools for your customers?
   No. Just send us the native files and we’ll do the conversion for you.
   
6. What types of design software do you recommend and are there any that should be avoided?
   We accept all file types. We recommend whatever the user is most comfortable using. If they need assistance getting their piece to look just right we’re always happy to help.
   
7. What are your press capabilities?
   Minimum runs start at 50 pieces and we can print up to 17×24 with full bleed. In addition to four color process we can also do Pantone or spot color work.
   
8. What are your bindery capabilities?
   We can do almost anything including: Die Cutting, Embossing, Foil Stamping, Perforating, Round corners, Spot Varnish.
   
9. Do you offer mailing services?
   Yes
10. If you have digital and offset, how do you choose which jobs run on each type of press?Yes.
11. Everything is printed on offset presses.
    
12. What is your typical turnaround strategy?
    Most products ship within 4 days of proof approval but faster options are available and most products can be turn around in as little as one day for an additional fee.
    
13. Do you print in spot colors or do you convert to CMYK? If you convert, do you inform the customer beforehand?
    We do spot color work in addition to CMYK. We work with our customers to help get them the best possible piece at a great value.
    
14. Do you gang run customer jobs on a larger sheet? If so, how do you maintain accurate color on each?
    Depends on the product but many jobs are gang run. To ensure accurate color accuracies our highly trained press men run to very strict calibration standards. We also run small quarter sheet presses so each job gets attention.
    
15. Do you put increased quality control on projects where the customer requests a hard-copy color proof versus only soft-proofing?
    We do offer hard proofing and do pay extra attention to color sensitive jobs.
    
16. What types of quality control do you have in place to ensure consistency throughout a press run?
    Every individual job is reviewed several times by different pre-press technicians before going to production. Once in production we are constantly making sure our presses our calibrated on every press run. Our bindery also looks over every piece several times before it ships.
    
17. If a customer receives a project that you’ve printed and is not happy, what is your policy on resolving the situation?
    We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If for any reason a customer isn’t fully satisfied with their printed piece, we will either reprint it or provide a full refund. You can see our full guarantee terms on our website.

18. It seems to me one of the biggest hurdles for customers who are thinking about using an online print company is the lack of control and human interaction, creating a feeling that the customer is rolling the dice and may or may not get a pleasing product that meets their requirements. I think there’s much higher comfort factor when using a local shop, so what can you tell prospective customers that will ease their concerns and make them feel a little more comfortable about using your company?
    Every customer is assigned to a dedicated customer service team so they have a live person who s familiar with their project to talk to anytime between 7am and 7pm MST. We have built our business by earning our customers trust and earning their repeat business and 40% of our new customers are from referrals.
    
    We have the highest Better Business Bureau rating possible of A+

    We have received thousands of unsolicited customer testimonials and we have also been featured in several publications including the New York Times, and Wall Street Journal for our customer service and business practices.

Tags: Brochure Printing, Color Printing, Commercial Printing, Graphic Design Printing, Layout Graphic Design