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6 Tips to finding a Great Online Printer!

In a world now becoming quickly dominated by online printers how can you be sure the one that has the flashy website and big impact, really does get the job done? Many online printers are exactly NOT that. They are brokers who markup the cost of the print and sell it on to you, simply providing a service. This gives them limitations in some respects as they are unable to control breakdowns and other such problems and can only work on the same answers you would receive if you asked the questions yourself, as they are only ever customers. You can try to ensure to get your print from an actual printer providing an online service as well!

These pointers below should set you up nicely in looking for and eventually choosing the right printer for your needs.

Accepts Multiple File Formats

Any reputable printing company with the right equipment will be geared up to receive many different file types. Those that don’t may be trying to make life easier for themselves, or just not have the correct equipment to do that.

I always think that if “Joe Public” has more “advanced” equipment than that of the company they are looking to work with, then that is a warning to the customer to perhaps look elsewhere! Look for a company supporting all the major types like PDF’s, JPEG’s, TIFF’s, BMP’s and other file types like InDesign, Illustrator, Corel, Paintshop Pro and even variants on the Microsoft Office Suite of Word etc.

AdvantageDigitalMedia.co.uk accepts all these file types and more and will provide assistance when a particular piece of artwork isn’t suitable. This is where the experience of the company can be shown as anyone can just forward a file onto a printer and deliver it to you, flagging up potential errors and booby traps is where a company can really shows its prowess!

Proofing

If you’ve sourced a printing company and they don’t provide the option of Proofs, then you should ask yourself why. Proofing is when a copy, be it printed or PDF, of your job gets sent you so you can check it for errors before receiving the whole run. Imagine spotting an incorrect phone number when you’ve

A Phone Number

Sounds obvious, but many don’t! If you’ve got a problem or a special requirement it’s always nicer to talk to a person rather than an ignored complaints e-mail inbox. Make sure you can contact your chosen printer easily before ordering!

Offset Printing (and Digital)

Make sure your chosen printer can offer you more than just a few Business Cards. To make sure your chosen printer is really in the big leagues, they need to be able to cater for almost anything, from Business cards to 5000 Flyers or Brochures or Banners. This is the sign of a professional outfit and not just a cheap copy shop.

Professional Expertise

A good printing company will not just mindlessly print your orders without any due care or attention. If something looks wrong and you can’t see it yourself, that’s why you’re (hopefully) using the services of a professional to tell you this! The last thing you want is a box of useless flyers you can’t read for whatever reason because the professionals haven’t picked up an obvious mistake or error! Perhaps send a knowingly incorrect file and see what their response is!

Reviews and Testimonials

Anyone can promise you the world, but delivering it is a different story. You don’t want jumped up baseless promises, you need them to do what they say they can do! The best method for ensuring this is checking out whether they have any customer testimonials on their site. Theres nothing better than a personal and more importantly unbiased recommendation. Also try researching the company on the internet and in printing forums, you may find out something you don’t like from people who have actually used them before!