Recently, I wrote a column called "If I Were a Printer." It turned out to be very popular among readers – and it was inevitable that this column had to follow.

I think about the many thousands of people who are professional print buyers in corporations, agencies, and other institutions. If I could gather them all in one place, here's just some of the advice I'd like to share.

If I were a print buyer, I would...

1. Swallow my pride. I'd sit down with my printers and ask them to be straight with me about my files. Most files sent to printers need correcting. Even yours.
2. Find a buyer's group that has something to offer me (professional networking, education, fresh ideas come to mind) and join it.
3. Go out for bids on my repeat work once a year, even if I love my current printers. Why? To see if the pricing I'm getting is competitive, and to see what other alternatives are out there. Don't get too complacent. Stretch.
4. Invite my "top tier" printers to come in and outline what they can do for me. What services? What new ideas? What solutions?
5. Try and consolidate the print needs for my company. Then I would make sure everyone involved was on the same page when it comes to sourcing print.
6. Get perspective. You don't need to "go deep," but you should have an idea where the industry is going, nationally and globally. Include the paper industry, too.
7. Keep an open mind about meeting new suppliers. You may believe that you work with the best providers (and it might be true), but if you don't kick a few new tires now and then, you'll never know.
8. Make friends with peers in other firms. Start a dialogue about how they're sourcing their print. New ideas are bound to follow.
9. Get out more often. Visit manufacturing facilities. There is nothing--NOTHING--as eye opening as walking through a printing firm and asking questions about what you're seeing. An education, guaranteed.
10. Be open to speaking with firms in other locations. Current proofing technologies and the wonders of the Internet mean you can work with printers far and wide.
11. Not play dodge ball with printers. I'd tell cold callers up front to stop calling if I'm really not interested. I'd be respectful of their time, treat them professionally, and expect the same treatment in return.
12. Be honest when it comes to bids. If a printer loses a bid, tell him or her why. Don't beat up on your printers.
13. Not put up with unprofessionalism or bad service from a provider. There are 40,000 printers in this country alone, meaning "options a-plenty."
14. Work with printers who could teach me something. Maybe it's just me, but I like to learn how to do things better.
15. Realize that not all printers are alike. They have different capabilities, mostly determined by their equipment.
16. Know that I share the responsibility for the successful outcome of my projects. My job is communicating accurate and complete job specs, as well as sharing key information that directly impacts the job--i.e., mailing requirements, fulfillment, and shipping/delivery details. If I don't communicate well, I can't expect printers to read my mind.
17. Ask tons of questions. If your printer isn't proactive, you should be. Ask for ideas about how to make your job better (more efficient, more cost effective, and more successful). Ask what's new in the industry. Ask your printers to talk about every service they offer.
18. Keep mailing in mind. Your mail house expert needs to see the piece to be sure your layout works and can be mailed efficiently. Consider sending the mail house a dummy or a PDF early on. Talk about the weight of the piece, too, and the quality of your mailing lists: this is a huge concern.
19. Collect printed samples that I admire for different reasons. Nice paper? Layout? Packaging? Snazzy finishing? I'd file them by category, and I'd show them to my designers and printers.
20. Get ready for a new generation of print service providers. The industry is changing. Ink on paper is just one product the new printer will offer you. Printing is a multidimensional industry. Don't assume you "know all about printers."

© 2007 Margie Dana. All rights reserved.