Commercial Printers

Asia Securities Printing Co., Ltd. BCT INTERNATIONAL, INC. Bowne & Co., Inc. Cadmus Communications Corporation Caxton Publishers And Printers Limited Champion Industries, Inc. Color Print A/s Consolidated Graphics Inc Deluxe Corporation Elanders AB

Elite Publishers Limited Infomedia India Limited John H. Harland Company Kyodo Printing CO Ltd Litho Formas Portuguesa SA Mail-Well Inc. Mitsumura Printing Co., Ltd. Next Media Limited Nissha Printing CO Oakhill Group Plc

Quebecor World Inc. Roto Smeets DE Boer NV Schawk, Inc. Schlott Gruppe AG STUERTZ AG Sun Messe Co., Ltd. Takara Printing Co., Ltd. Teck Wah Industrial Corporation Limited

Guide to Commercial Printers

Choosing the right commercial printing services requires a bit of homework
By Jenni Simcoe

	Commercial Printing 101 On demand commercial printers use digital technology to print your uploaded documents with quick turnaround. Offset commercial printers use multi-color presses, but this traditional way requires more time. Custom commercial printing services such as spot varnishes, die-cuts and lenticular printing make your materials unique.

For printing projects your desktop printer can't handle, use commercial printing services. Commercial printers specialize in offset printing, also called four-color process printing, which is best for large projects, such as catalogs and brochures that require special paper, ink or bindery options. Before you hire commercial printers for your next commercial printing project, you'll need to consider a few questions.

1. What is your timeline for your commercial printing project?
2. What special features does your commercial printing project require? For example, do you need binding, special print processes or die cuts?
3. What is your budget? Small commercial printing jobs are often best printed digitally where plate charges and set-up fees don't come in to play.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Some commercial printing services specialize in short run projects Just because you've decided to go big with a commercial printing project like a catalog or magazine that showcases your products, you don't have to print a million copies. Shop around for short run commercial printers who can make your big project on a smaller scale.

I recommend:  United Litho specializes in relatively short-run commercial printing projects (7,500-100,000) such as magazines and catalogs for small business, association and special interest publishers. PsPrint allows you to have catalogs, brochures and other projects printed in quantities as low as 125.

Use commercial printers for projects with a quick turnaround Whether you need your business cards printed for a new employee or postcards for a mailing that needs to be in your customer's mailbox by the end of the week, quick commercial printing services are the solution to your dilemma. By offering online ordering, some quick turnaround commercial printers offer guarantees of having your job done and delivered as in 24 hours.

I recommend:  48HourPrint.com commercial printing services do just as advertised. Within 48 hours of receiving your design, they will have your business cards, postcards, brochures, sell sheets or pocket folders ready to ship to you. Prints Made Easy prints business cards, postcards, letterhead or envelopes with a 24-hour guarantee.

On-demand commercial printers come through in a pinch When you need a project printed and don't require offset or lithographic processes, but your laser printer can't handle the quantity, on-demand commercial printers are your lifeline to getting the project done on time. They usually require you to upload documents through their website and pay in advance. Some on-demand commercial printers let you pick up your project on-site, while others offer overnight delivery.

I recommend:  Look for commercial printing services like Mimeo, which offers 100 percent digital printing services, binding and collating done overnight and delivered the next day as long as the order is placed by 10 p.m. EST.

Get customized commercial printing services that make your project stand out When you are designing a brochure, catalog, flyer or direct mail marketing piece, sometimes going the quick route with basic four-color commercial printing just isn't enough. Die-cut pieces, letterpress, spot varnishes and blind embossing transform a so-so marketing piece into a spectacular attention-getting piece.

I recommend:  Dunstan Press does letterpress commercial printing services for small business including letterpress business cards, stationery and letterhead. RR Donnelly produces spot UV, hexachrome and lenticular printed materials. KoolPrint.com has die-cut options available on presentation folders and other marketing materials.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Ask the vendor what commercial printing methods they use. Some use desktop printing that is digital while others use offset multi-color presses.
• Some commercial printers offer mailing services on their deliverables. Taking advantage of their mailing services allows you to outsource the work while focusing on other projects.
• Offset printing uses a multicolor press. Specialized offset commercial printing services include hexachrome and lenticular printing. Hexachrome is Pantone's six-color printing process that allows true Pantone color matching. Lenticular printing is when an image is altered by viewing it at different angles.
• When getting commercial printing quotes, ask for set-up charges, plate fees, proofing charges and other fees that may not be included in the bid.
• Some commercial printers charge for overages and most have a 5-10 percent overage or underage clause that allows them to short the project or print more than you need and charge you for the amount of pieces they deliver. Make sure you understand their overage policies before you place a printing order.