ADI Meetings and Incentives, Inc. (ADI) is a company that organizes corporate meetings and incentive trips. Clients range from automobile manufacturers to insurance companies to veterinary supply manufacturers. ADI puts together promotional materials and other details about the meeting or incentive trip that the participants will be going to. The printed materials could include themed letterhead, a shell describing the events, or a booklet that lists the details of what will happen each day and what to pack.

Christina Peterson has worked with ADI for 4 years starting as the receptionist. She has worked in every area of the company from the sales program to organizing the trip to actually going on the trip. Christina has assisted with the printing needs including creating the printed material and researching print vendors.

How many different printers does ADI use?

Within ADI we have several people that order print. The items are repetitive as to what we produce - a printed shell, letterhead and so forth but the actual content differs. We use a preferred printer who offers us a good price and goes out of their way to get our job done on time and to our satisfaction. We have found that if you use too many printers, the quality seems to suffer. One printer who knows our needs can understand the quality we require.

What lessons have you learned when buying print services?

I have learned that you must get a proof of your work before the final print is done. Many times the printer may setup the print job only to have missed a line, which causes the whole project to be trashed.

Also, if you decide to use a colored paper, be prepared for your print colors to be different. We used a beige paper only to have our logo come out army green rather than a true green. It was a complete disaster.

What expectations do you have for your vendors?

I feel that if a vendor is willing to give me 100% then I will stay loyal to them. This may include having to finish a job on Saturday or rushing my order so I can get it out on time. When errors do happen, I appreciate a vendor who will rerun the print for free or at a discounted price.

How often do you meet or examine new printers?

I only research new printers when my current vendor is not giving me the quality or service that I need. Other times, I may research a new printer due to a special requirement my client has. I am impressed if the vendor seems willing to try something new and offer suggestions to enhance my print.

What has caused you to switch printers in the past?

I have been included with two different changes. The reason on both of them was because the management who oversaw all our projects changed. The quality of the print went down. This ended up costing us money to do a reprint.

How important is quality to the clients that you send your documents to?

Our print materials are all sent out to participants in a meeting or incentive. These materials have to be exciting and bold to catch their attention. They need to get the person enthused about going to this meeting or incentive. Our clients seem to always like to get the most for their money. They enjoy a thick glossy page with color text. Graphics and pictures also liven up the print.

What software does ADI use to design documents?

ADI currently only uses Microsoft Word to put together print projects. This is very limiting because our printer then has to re-create or modify the print out to put it into their computers.

How many people in your office check a document before you sign off on the final proof?

Proofing is a big project in our offices. If a document goes out with a "typo", it looks bad on our company and our client. We currently have at least 3 people review all documents before they go to the printer.

Christina, we like to ask print buyers - what the perfect print provider would be like? What characteristics would they have?

The vendor would always be available when I call in to place a new order. I would be able to speak to the representative who is going to see my project through from beginning to end. They would notify me once they receive my project and let me know an estimated timeframe for a proof. They would also keep in contact with me of any questions or problems they may run into. Upon delivery of the proof, they would personally come over and discuss the proof. Letting me tell them of any special changes I would like to have done. Then, when the actual project is ready to run on the press, they would invite me to the printing area to watch the first item come off the press. This way I could see that everything looked right. After delivery of the final item, I would be billed quickly and with the correctly quoted prices. I would also be contacted about two weeks after delivery to find out how my client liked the project and if there is anything else they could do for me.

Christina, thank you for your time.