My new partner, and long-time friend cautioned me. "Printing always takes longer than you expect." And boy was she right!
Where does an artist go to get their prints? How do you find a place that produces high quality prints, while still balancing the need to keep costs down?
Taking stock
Like picking a vacation destination, I realized I needed to ask myself a few key questions:
How much am I willing to pay?
- How much inventory of paper do I really need since I am just getting started?
- What will my profit margins look like if I pay $(enter value)?
What kind of vacation do I really want or need?
- What kind of paper will be best for the type of prints I'm working on?
Then it was time to start doing some research...
To the Internet!
You know how they always warn you - don't trust what you find online? Or how your friends always tell you not to search the web anytime you have a headache?
Eh-hem. Now I get it! The rabbit hole of paper weights, qualities, finishes, printers threatened to swallow me hole. My mild headache was quickly evolving into a rare and incurable disease! Do I get a cover stock? What paper quality will look best for type? Make sure you set up those illustrator settings correctly.
Enough already!
I went back to my key questions and turned to someone who is sort of an expert in this field... My new partner! She helped me narrow down my options and focus my search. I also consulted a few of my competitors - meaning I checked out what they were using.
Drawing a map
So I narrowed down a few key features of my next steps. I knew my mode of transportation and my budget. I found a few paper options online. They are not super pricey, but have proven to hold up very well to the printing and are giving me exactly the high quality, sharp contrast print I was looking for.
Now it was time to figure out where I would stop along the way. I knew I wanted to go to a couple places and get some sample prints done to test the paper, the printing quality, price, and customer service. I also wanted to check out some small, high end printers (typically local, small business places), but their prices were just so high. I decided that I would keep that option in my back pocket when the time was right.
In the meantime, I visited three national chain, professional printers. Feeling a little like Goldilocks, I packed up my jump drive, a bi fold folder of the various papers I had purchased, a list of the jobs I wanted to test and ventured off to this new world I'm still exploring. Sidling up to the first counter, I used the jargon I picked up from my research (probably sounding a little like someone who is practicing a new, foreign language) and asked for my first test run. The results were okay, but I was firmly told that they do not print on the 7x10 paper I had with me.
Um - okay. On to the next place. There, I was reassured that they could do all the orders I wanted and needed, but because I was looking to use my own card stock, they needed their manager to run the job because they don't want to "ruin a customer's paper." I was given a print job number and told to come back in two days... but they were able to get one job done for me.
Sigh.
On to the last pit stop. It took a while for the temp guy to figure out how to set up the print job... and he never actually did. But the print manager came back from his break and got it all set up. Not only did their sample print on standard copy paper come out better than the print I got from the last place, but they could also print on my 7x10 paper, actually did a sample print for me for free, and everything turned out beautifully! I was so pleased! Like Goldilocks again, I found the perfect porridge!
So - moral of the story: Don't ever assume that printing is going to be the easiest part of your day. Sure, it takes time to come up with your idea, sketch out your vision, and execute your final design. But all the steps in my journey above took me nearly as long as one of my lengthiest design projects. But don't take short cuts. Spend your time plotting out your trip, doing the research, consulting with people you trust, and always plan to for more time than even your most liberal estimates!
But the final project? Amazing!
Next - how to package my items to safely cross the country on its very own journey!!
