Free Design Guides

Another response from our questionnaire to online printing companies. I’ll be totally honest when I say that I’m really enjoying reading and learning about the services these folks offer. I know it can be daunting and sometimes confusing when looking for a printer online who will meet your needs, especially with the fierce competition in this industry. The questions I sent were written purely with the intent of giving you useful answers that may not be clear when visiting different print websites. I sincerely hope these answers help you find the right company for your next project.

1. What sets you apart from other online printers? Our customers say we have the best customer service and best prices.
   We are the only online printer with a certified G7 Expert on staff (color expert). We offer more flexibility in our options than most printers. With our new Same Day turn, I believe we offer more products on a same day turn (including booklets) than any other online printer, especially OFFSET - not digital. We are 100% offset (no digital printing) yet we offer lower minimum quantities and faster turnarounds than many printers. PDF proofs are free and UNLIMITED. Customers can upload, reject and re-submit as many times as they want for no additional charge. We generate high resolution PDF proofs faster than any other printer - 3 minutes or less.
2. What market are you targeting with your services? Professional designers, small businesses who design their own material or quick-copy customers?
   We really have no specific market - we have a wide variety of customer types from bookmarks for a PTA fundraiser to 88-page catalogs for a Fortune 500 company with direct mail or drop shipping to multiple locations. Some customers order once a year and many customers order every week. Generally, we do appeal to customers who design their own artwork since we do not offer design services. We do offer file repair services though, if they just need help making their art files “printable.”
3. Would you classify your services as traditional offset printing or quick-copy digital?
   We are 100% offset which produces the highest quality. Due to our manufacturing and ordering efficiencies, we provide offset quality at digital pricing and turnaround.
4. How do you prefer to receive files, PDF or packaged native files?
   Our automated upload accepts PDF, TIFF, EPS or JPEG. Native files can be sent via FTP to our file repair department who will export and upload to the customer’s job for a nominal fee.
5. Do you offer online PDF conversion tools for your customers?
   Our art department can convert a customer’s file to PDF for a nominal fee. If a customer uploads a print-ready TIFF or JPEG file, our automated proofing system will convert to PDF for proof review.

6. What types of design software do you recommend and are there any that should be avoided?
   We recommend PDF/X1-a format for best results, since this format combines the best color and font management and produces the least possibility for error. We also recommend EPS files with embedded fonts, which produces excellent results for files that combine images and text. Many of our customers use Adobe InDesign or Illustrator and export to PDF with excellent results. Publisher is fine as long as the included images are saved at 300 DPI resolution. There are articles on our website that detail how to export from many popular design programs.
7. What are your press capabilities?
   Our presses are all Komori sheetfed, 40″ capacity, with inline aqueous coating. We also offer UV Coating as an option. For more info than you probably want: Computer controlled ink dispensing system reduces ink waste. Our newest Komori presses reduce paper waste with de-inking and pre-inking technology for faster and more accurate make-readies (more jobs per shift & its green to save sheets). They eliminate mechanical ghosting, a common cause of color variation within a job due to the layout of a gang-run press form. This technology is exclusive to Komori. They eliminate streaking for more uniform process builds (tints). They have improved (over previous models) real time feedback closed loop ink control system to help operators stay with G7 tolerances. The 5th printing unit is for redundancy to ensure more uptime to prevent missed deliveries. They integrates with MIS which further streamlines our operations, which are some of the most advanced and automated in the nation.
8. What are your bindery capabilities?
   All of our bindery is in-house. We cut/trim, fold, glue, die-cut, score, perf, saddle stitch bind, hole drill, shrink wrap, tab, and process direct mail.

9. Do you offer mailing services?
   Yes. We can even provide mailing lists. Customers can save time and money by printing and mailing in a single ordering process.
10. If you have digital and offset, how do you choose which jobs run on each type of press?
    We print 100% offset.
11. What is your typical turnaround strategy?
    Turnaround is 100% determined by the customer at the time of order. We have options from Same Day turn to 7 Day turn, depending on the customer’s need and budget. Our turnaround times are NOT just estimates - they are guaranteed!
12. Do you print in spot colors or do you convert to CMYK? If you convert, do you inform the customer beforehand?
    Everything is printed CMYK. If you submit an RGB document, it will be automatically converted to CMYK during preflight. Print Place’s state-of-the-art color managed workflow automatically detects the ICC profile attached to your RGB file (if you have included one) and manages the color through the conversion process. If you upload an RGB file, please be sure to download the converted print-ready PDF from our system to view the color after the conversion. Changing from RGB to CMYK will always produce some color shifting and a reduction in the color gamut because it is impossible to reproduce the entire RGB color palette with an offset press. We recommend creating and submitting your document in CMYK to assure the color looks as close to your original file as possible.
13. Do you gang run customer jobs on a larger sheet? If so, how do you maintain accurate color on each?
    Yes. jobs are printed the same way. Assumptions are made about how client pages should appear in print and we print to those assumptions (eg Gracol, Fogra29).
14. Do you put increased quality control on projects where the customer requests a hard-copy color proof versus only soft-proofing?
    No, this is not necessary. All jobs are printed the same way and we target specific color expectations. The hard proof is not mimicking the press nor the press mimicking the proof, rather they share the same numeric targets.
15. What types of quality control do you have in place to ensure consistency throughout a press run?
    Press Operators are held accountable to get the form to color before putting sheets on the counter. We collect data from every press run and inspect the data to correct unwanted trends. We use the G7 methodology to ensure consistency.
16. If a customer receives a project that you’ve printed and is not happy, what is your policy on resolving the situation?
    Satisfaction Guarantee covers rerunning or refunding the job. If you are not satisfied with your purchase, contact us within 10 days of receipt of order, and if the order is found to contain an error that is not within our allowable tolerances, we will reprint all or part of it on an expedited turn.
17. 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?
    Well, I think we could all give our own answers or perspective on this one. But overall, I would say we offer the best of both worlds: the personal attention of a local printer, albeit not “face to face,” but at a much better value and without sacrificing quality. Consumers now equate books with Amazon.com just as much, or more so, than their local Barnes & Noble store. Similarly, consumers are quickly realizing the value of printing with a company that is able to offer all of the advantages of their traditional local printer through increased efficiencies and advanced technology.

    The recent recession has caused people to take a closer look at all of their expenditures, as they no longer have the luxury of buying solely on relationship or “comfort.” Local printers usually employ commissioned salespeople, which results in a significant increase to their cost of doing business. Additionally, their manual method of producing jobs just doesn’t afford them the opportunity to compete with the automation and “lean manufacturing” of online printers. This is evident by the fact that despite the faltering economy, Print Place is growing and expanding, rather than shrinking. We just opened a 2nd facility to service our West Coast customers in 4th quarter 2008, and our East Coast facility is soon to follow in New York. We believe this illustrates the confidence of customers to consider online printing as not only a viable, but a preferred, option for their printing needs.

    The best part is - online printing is easier, too! The customer is in complete control of the entire ordering process. They no longer have to wait for a salesperson to pick up a disk or wait for days to receive a proof after uploading to FTP. They approve the proof and send to press at the click of a button. From there, they can check the status of their job in real time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Email notifications are generated automatically at each important stage of the order, keeping the customer constantly informed and in touch with their project. As soon as the job ships, they receive tracking information via email.

    Print Place is somewhat unique in that we started as a traditional commercial printer. Our co-founder in fact is a 2nd generation printer. Print Place has invested heavily in advanced technology and the most up-to-date equipment to completely revolutionize the industry’s business model, which is the reason we are the fastest growing online printer in the industry today.

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