Distributors of forms and labels can profit by taking on a colorful challenge.
Just what is commercial printing, and how hard is it for distributors of printed business products interested in increasing profits to offer this service to their customers?
At Apex Color, Jacksonville, Fla., any printed product that is not a traditional business form is considered commercial printing. "This includes all of our four-color process and spot-color work that runs on our sheet-fed presses," explained Richard Ghelerter, president. "The projects consist of booklets, brochures, postcards, presentation folders, posters, rack cards, manuals, flyers, door hangers, table tents, menus, direct mail pieces, newsletters and pamphlets. While most of our commercial printing is four-color process work, any job that fits our half-size presses is what we do in commercial print."
Debbie Buck, sales manager for Ft. Scott, Kansas-based Ward/Kraft's CTC (Creative Technologies Center) division acknowledged that the term "commercial printing" is very broad. "We actually are merging our traditional forms and labels into what we consider commercial by creating more of a revenue-generating document," she said. "For instance, when a two-part unit set that is used for a phone message book by a travel agency has color added to the first page, it would then be considered a promotional advertisement piece."
Other commercial printing pieces produced by CTC include products similar to those manufactured by Apex Color—annual reports, menus, postcards, invitations, point-of-purchase materials, table tents, brochures, return mailers, posters, presentation folders, calendars, book covers, price guides, magazines, plastic cards, door hangers and magnets.
Make the Leap Into Color
According to Buck, what's involved in selling these products depends on the complexity of the product or project. "Simple reports or brochures are great products for someone new or with limited knowledge," she said. "For more intense projects, we can suggest the questions a distributor will need to ask to clarify the application, and to better quote and produce the order."
Buck went on to say that advancing technology has made it a bit easier to offer commercial printing, especially when it comes to meeting crucial deliveries. "I don't think it is as intimidating as it once was, but there is still pressure on manufacturing facilities to work with distributors on choices of paper, designs and offline finishing that can change the outcome of a printed project," she said. "Obviously, the more knowledge a distributor has, the better it is for the customer—and the manufacturer," she added.
Ghelerter also agreed that to be successful, it is necessary for distributors to orient themselves with commercial print products. "In addition to understanding a customer's need and providing a product that fits, there is also the issue of understanding how the product will be manufactured," he said. "There are many variables and options to consider. Besides paper, coatings, finishes, basis weight, design and post-press finishing, run length is also important and may determine where the product should be produced, and whether or not the product is, in fact, a cost-effective solution for the client."
Sometimes the distributor is lucky and receives art files from the customer along with complete specs, but sometimes they don't. "Without the design work finished and/or production specs complete and available, the distributor has a lot of work to do and needs the assistance of a manufacturer that can provide creative and technical advice," said Ghelerter. "He or she will probably also need to bring samples when working with this type of customer and may be asked to make suggestions."
Distributors new to commercial printing sales should be prepared for longer selling and proofing cycles. "There is also the issue of greater efficiency when dealing with dated materials," noted Buck. "Perhaps it's a campaign launch—a missed ship date on a mail piece could be disastrous to openings, events and retail sales."
Ghelerter stressed that there is a higher-quality expectation level when selling these products. "Commercial printing is more than just information being provided," he said. "It is an image that reflects a product, service or business being promoted, and that image is very specific in the customer's mind, but very subjective in the minds of many printers. Proofs help to tighten the gap between a client's expectations and the actual printed piece, which is why working with a plant that is "color managed' is so important. Not all printers can deliver contract-color quality."
Buck said that one of the most common mistakes is shopping for price, rather than the best service provider. "I know of a situation where a presentation folder, the internal promotional pieces and the business cards for a scheduled event were all ordered from three different suppliers. The coated stock and the ink colors varied from piece to piece, and it was printed on different types of equipment, causing differences in the resolution," recalled Buck. Some money was saved but the upshot was a less than professional presentation that cost the end-user more by missing an opportunity to create a favorable impression and maximize returns on investment.
Apex Color and Ward/Kraft both offer materials and assistance to ensure that commercial printing projects are successful.
Ward/Kraft also offers a virtual online classroom for companies or one-on-one classes. "We start with the basics, and each session becomes more involved with different types of substrates, proofing methods and finishes, as well as various applications and markets," explained Buck. "Our newest training tool is the WK Onsite that we conduct twice a week, traveling to different cities to provide a two hour session." Participants receive product information and tips on enhancing relationships with their customers. "The focus is workflow solutions merging into revenue generation, and covers the aspect of return on investment with regard to utilizing color, tracking, scheduling, testing and project management of the printed piece," she said.
Finally, both Ghelerter and Buck emphasized that it is important to request guidelines from suppliers for submitting graphic and text files.
Once the distributor is ready to offer commercial printing, Ghelerter noted that marketing and communications departments are typically where these types of projects originate. "If there is no marketing department, distributors should turn to the owner or principals to present marketing and printing ideas," he suggested.
"With some training and preparation, distributors will feel more confident on sales calls, and will be able to handle problems and offer solutions," said Buck. "This not only helps to close the deal, but encourages continued sales with that customer."
By Maggie DeWitt