Increase Your Value Proposition

Printing service providers can derive more value for their operations in turning to a sector of the printing industry poised to help: trade brokers, trade printers and ad specialists.

Trade printers allow printing service providers to expand their company’s offerings without the need to add new products and processes in-house, pointed out Mike Johnson, director of business development for Navitor, a trade printer that offers wholesale customized printing in a range of products from announcements to trading cards.

“This is especially important for attracting new customers because print partners can allow smaller shops to offer trendy options like extra thick business cards, larger-scale processes like sublimation, and a wider variety of stocks and products,” Johnson added.

Working with trade printers also allows print shops to expand easily into new markets, Johnson pointed out.

“Because of the specific needs of some customers, specific product offerings are a must. In higher education, for example, promotional products can be as important as informational packets and folders for prospective students,” he added. “Working with a trade printer allows print shops to carry a much larger number of products without having to substantially upgrade their own facilities.”

Trade printers enable businesses such as print shops and graphic designers to outsource and take advantage of the assets of a quality trade printer while focusing on their own core competency, said Preston Herrin, vice president of sales and marketing for 4Over. The company is a trade printer that provides print order fulfillment for resellers and industry professionals.

“This enables them to focus on growth initiatives while saving on time and capital investment,” Herrin adds. “Because of the savings potential centered on time and resources and the scale of new products to offer, a sound outsourcing strategy can lead to exponential growth.”

4Over’s wide range of products and services include marketing pieces, promotional products, boxes, labels, stickers, booklets, catalogs, large format products, and majestic products, among others.

Mark Larson, vice president sales for the online trade printer Zoo Printing, pointed out that “in today’s competitive print market where print prices continue to drop, small print shops that work with trade printers are staying in business.

Zoo Printing’s services include online design, direct mail and a branded website program.

“Working with a trade printer is a smart option if not vital to staying competitive and in business,” he added. “The trade printer business model is not a complex one because it is based on volume. Wholesale printers normally run presses 24 hours a day, seven days a week whereas a small print shop could never afford to do so.”

What that volume level, trade printers can easily offer discounted printing with enough room to turn a profit for any small print shop, leaving print shops to focus on more personal print items such as letterhead or large format one-color banners for businesses, Larson said.

Print shop owners should be working more closely with trade printers, noted Johnson.

“Having a trade print partner they can rely on is important, and the right print partner will not only provide print shop owners with new products and processes but also guide them through those products to find the product that will be just right for their customer,” he said. “If customers aren’t working closely with their print partner, they are missing out on what is really an invaluable service.”

Herrin of 4Over concurred.

“Yes, particularly in today’s competitive environment,” he said. “Working with trade printers can greatly accelerate the opportunity for growth for print shop owners. Offering more products to clients earns the print shop owner a greater share of total spending.”

Other benefits to the printing services provider include offering fast turn-arounds from regional facilities, which in turn increases customer confidence in on-time delivery, Herrin pointed out.

4Over refers to the business practice as ‘Perfecting Your Profits’, which encompasses delivery services, loyalty programs, and regular promotions.

The variety of that which trade printers, brokers, and ad specialists offer expands options for printing service providers.

With all of the new opportunities trade printers offer printers, they can appeal to a much wider variety of customers, said Johnson. “That means more sales opportunities, more sales, and more profits,” he added.

Working closely with a trade printer “is really a win-win situation simply because it lifts the burden of small print shops having to raise the capital needed to invest in new equipment that can cost thousands – if not hundreds of thousands of dollars,” noted Larson.

“The small print shop can instead focus on investing into their advertising budget to its local business market, therefore generating more profits quickly, and allowing for growth and not debt,” he added. “Conversely, the trade printer can continue to grow as it attains more business from the small print shop owners.”

Beyond the obvious ‘trade print ante’, membership with a trade printer is free and wholesale pricing tends to be highly competitive, pointed out Herrin.

“By outsourcing to a reliable trade printer, printers can take advantage of cost-avoidance by bypassing the need to purchase and maintain expensive equipment, hire a large staff, and maintain large facilities,” said Herrin.

“As a result, they have the opportunity to drive positive results to both the top and bottom line,” he added. “Outsourcing also enables printers to expand their offerings, compete with bigger printers on a national scale and, in the end, save time to focus on driving new customers to their business. By outsourcing, they free up their time so that they can focus more on marketing their businesses.”

Additionally, outsourcing can provide a printing service provider with “full access to free online marketing resources that include unbranded marketing templates, copy, content and more,” noted Herrin.