Bringing Production Printing Back Home

Many organizations require high-volume printing of brochures, newsletters, catalogs, signs, and other specialty materials to promote and support their businesses. In the past, outsourcing that printing was the only way to get the consistent high-quality output needed for those jobs. Today, the affordability of mid- and high-speed digital color printers, wide format printers, and digital duplicators, along with advances in output quality control and media support, make it possible to bring some or all of that outsourced production printing back in-house.

Here are five key advantages of bringing outsourced printing back home:

1. Accessibility and Convenience

Having production printing capability within the organization means having access to the convenience of on-demand printing. There is no longer any need to send a job to an outsourced print provider and then sit around waiting and wondering where in the customer queue the job might be, which means project prioritization is under the full control of the firm, not the print provider. Proofs can be printed and reviewed faster, reducing overall production time, and changes can be done on the fly to ensure the final product is exactly what was intended.

2. Quality Control

It is critical for organizations to own and control their own brand images throughout the print production cycle. From color matching corporate logos to ensuring the correct corporate style is used throughout the printed pieces, a consistent brand image is one of the most important assets of any organization or institution. An in-house production print operation allows for better quality control over this asset, as well as control over the overall quality, from approved proof to final print.

3. Higher Customization

With support for a wide variety of media, consistent color output, and sometimes even fifth color stations for white or fluorescent toner, today’s digital color production printers can create customized materials that stand out and get the attention of the reader more easily than ever. Using variable data printing (VDP), firms can personalize each piece within a production run to create totally unique customized brochures, mailers, or other marketing collateral to unquestionably differentiate themselves from the competition.

4. Security and Compliance

Managing sensitive data using the organization’s security policies within the confines of the in-house production print facility can prevent damaging data leaks. This is especially important for firms and institutions in regulated industries — having in-house production print means not having to share customer lists and other data outside the organization or rely on an outsourced print provider’s practices to manage compliance risk. This can reduce or eliminate risks that could result in fines or penalties.

5. Waste Reduction and Cost Savings

Getting the lowest printing price on a job when using an outsourced print provider means committing to high volumes. For example, to get the best price for printing a catalog, an order of 10,000 pieces may be needed. However, if a product is discontinued or a part number is changed  after the catalog is printed, any remaining catalogs are out of date and need to be thrown away. With in-house production print capabilities and the convenience of print-on-demand, a firm need only print what is needed at any given time, make changes as needed for the next print run, and eliminate the waste of throwing out unused catalogs. That waste reduction, along with removing the need to warehouse and manage large inventories of printed materials, delivers real cost savings.

An organization may not be able to bring back in-house all the outsourced production printing they are currently doing. However, with today’s affordable digital print technologies and output options that fold and staple to help create gatefolded brochures, magazine-style catalogs, and customized signs, more often than not it is possible to bring home a large percentage of those print jobs.

A Centric Business Systems production print specialist can help you examine your current outsourced production printing needs, help determine whether an in-house production print strategy works for you and can suggest which production products, technologies, and services we provide that may be good to consider. If you already have an in-house production print facility, our specialist can help you examine your current facility and help you determine if new technologies can improve efficiencies. Call Centric today to learn more about the production printing strategies and solutions we can provide for you.