How to lower costs, create efficiency, gain control with production printing

Are your sales materials or customer catalogs always changing? Does your business mass invoice, or print tax returns or product orders? Do you have forms that change frequently?
If so, it might be time to examine in-house production printing, which offers companies more control, consistency, cost savings and efficiency than can be realized by utilizing an outsourced partner.
“People get nervous about in-house printing and wonder if they’re capable of taking it on. But if you’re already designing the files, the learning curve is not that steep,” says Lauren Hanna, production print specialist at Blue Technologies. “Most people pick it up quickly.
“With the right technology partner, it’s very worry-free. Your technology partner should work with you to determine what the right solution is for your organization.
“They want to help you make the best decisions for your company and provide a product that will be good for your circumstances,” she says. “They’ll offer service programs and training to ease the transition of bringing that type of work in house.”
Smart Business spoke with Hanna about production printing and how to determine when it makes sense to bring it in house.
What is production printing?
Production printing can mean a lot of different things to different people.
In the digital world, monochrome production printing means high quality, high quantity runs. Color production printing refers to high quality, consistent short runs.
A benefit of production printing is the ability to produce on-demand materials.
What are some examples of the types of businesses that typically need production printing?
All businesses have a potential need for production printing — it depends on which aspect.
For monochrome production, anyone with a data center can benefit. Some examples include anyone printing forms, tests, manuals, sheet music or invoices.
This type of production printing is best for companies concerned with being able to efficiently print at high speeds and high volume, such as up to 250 pages per minute.
The other typical application of production printing is for creating high quality, color-critical materials. Examples of such materials include sales and marketing collateral, photos, posters, catalogs and signage.
With color production, you have the ability to digitally match the colors by pantone or spot color. Ultimately, you can create consistency and branding in your printed materials without having to commit to a large run.
What’s the first step to determining whether to continue outsourcing this type of printing or bring it in house?
The right technology partner can help you assess your current print operations, and then show you where you can create business savings or efficiencies by producing your materials in house.
This partner will also help you determine what is best to outsource, instead of handling in house.
What are the main benefits to in-house production printing?
One of the biggest benefits is ensuring quality consistency among your collateral.
It also puts flexible, on-demand printing in your control, enabling quick turnaround time and eliminating wasted materials.
In addition, reduced waste and inefficiencies can potentially lower your print costs.

With the help of technology experts, you can explore what’s new in the world of production printing and how it may be able to lower costs, create efficiency and increase control for your company.

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