Commercial Printing

Distributors report that the rewards far outweigh the hassles when promoting commercial printing. It's about time for distributors to sell commercial printing—literally. The time and energy spent turning around a commercial printing job are much greater than that involved with traditional products, but then so are the rewards. Of those who ranked among BFL&S' Top 100 Distributors this year, 22 percent sell commercial printing. Here, three of them discuss their transitions into this market and how it differs from working with traditional products. Repeating Business When Janis McNeal left her employer in 1987 to establish her own distributorship, she agreed not to

It's in-with-the-new as manufacturers accommodate increasing requests for non-traditional products. The pleasing aesthetics belie the confounding aggravations behind producing and selling commercial printing. But the customer is always right and industry professionals love a challenge, a symbiosis enabling the dominance of commercial printing among industry trends. Manufacturers are discovering that it's simply not enough to sell on quality, which is pretty much a given at this level of production. And instead of satisfying application requirements—as is the case with traditional products—the ability to accommodate customers' business practices is determining success for commercial printers. Improved target marketing, cost containment issues and demands for quick turnaround

As the industry matures, distributors look for new opportunities With advances in technology and the economic growth of small businesses, the future looks more than optimistic for the commercial print industry. "The forms industry is shrinking," said Chip Grayson, president of Systems Business Forms, Savannah, Ga., "and we need to concentrate on other areas, such as commercial print, to sustain profits." He added that there is high profit in print services and, with the proliferation of digital equipment to produce black-and-white and color printing, the demand for time-sensitive pieces has grown quickly. "Customers who are confident in your company worry less about price

Quality, not cost, gets the job. Finding A prime-time spot in the commercial printing industry isn't so much about money. In fact, the attempt to out-bid competitors with low-cost quoting may even shake the confidence of fast-track clients who seek quality, talent and respectability. "You can't put a price tag on this type of job," said Andrew Duke, co-owner of Metrographics Printing & Computer Services, Fairfield, N.J. "It's all about image and quality as opposed to function and usability of forms. Price is about third on the list of priorities for commercial printing customers." According to Duke, high quality work and top-notch

As forms margins shrink, commercial printing offers new opportunities By Barbara A. Bucci As demand for traditional business forms products declines, it is increasing for colored brochures, catalogs and direct mail pieces. Distributors are "naturals" for this market because they already know some printing techniques. However, making the move from forms to commercial printing can be daunting. "From my experience at trade shows, neophytes don't want anything to do with commercial printing. If you want to keep selling printing, you'll have to sell commercial printing as well," said Joe Kulis, director of sales for Ed Garvey & Company, Niles, Ill. According to Kulis

Knowing the basics of color can help expand solutions By Stacey Wenzel When customers are looking to get a reaction from their printed product, one persuasive technique is the use of color. Whether it's a direct mail piece or a company logo, color can make quite an impact--and knowing the basics can be a big advantage when selling it. Industry professionals advise first understanding the difference between flat, or spot color and four-color process. "Determining what type of color to use really depends on the specific job," said Tracy Dennis, sales manager for Newtown, Pa.-based Newtown/CPC. "Flat and process color each have a

Manufacturers' presses accommodate customers' needs By Stacey Wenzel Commercial printing is emerging as one of the more profitable avenues for forms manufacturers seeking new areas for growth. But to keep up with the changing market, manufacturers have to stay on the cutting edge of new technology. "We think that many forms manufacturers will enter into the regular commercial printing field over the next few years," said Bob Nuttmann, national sales manager for the press division of Muller Martini, Hauppauge, N.Y. According to Dick Prentice, director of sales and services for Graphic Systems Services (GSS), Dayton, Ohio, some printers are trying to produce commercial printing and direct mail with