Midwest Custom Print doesn’t just help you build a business brand, but also helps you build a business acumen by saving money and shopping locally for print products.
Secrets From The Promotional Products Industry
Developing business acumen refers to expanding your understanding of how your business or project operates based on marketing strategies, finance budgets, and use based on experience. Simply put, it’s the smartest way a business can execute its latest project while ensuring continued cash flow. When it comes to custom print products, which are often used as marketing materials for branding, there are some cost effective ways to go about it that builds business acumen that every local entrepreneur and small business in Chicago should know.
Whether you’re looking for a personal marketing tool like custom business cards or something more public as a retractable banner for your trade show appearances, you can easily find custom print products with a couple of clicks. But as you’re about to read, shopping locally with print shops like Midwest Custom Print in Chicago is more than about saving money on an order of promotional items. It’s about using the experience, knowledge, and connections to grow as a local business.
Local Custom Print Jobs Are More Than a Transaction
The largest print shops are no longer in-person locations with designer-run teams. The most popular ones are run online and take hundreds of orders every day. Many of these purchases are short term products for convenience since the whole printing process has been automated. This is not the best solution for businesses, especially smaller ones looking for a long term investment to save on. Here’s why it’s a better, and more affordable, to pay a visit to your local print shop like Midwest Custom Print:
- Better pricing – Local print shops’ often offer lower rates when it comes to their products since they more closely operate by supply chain management, meaning products are only produced per order. Midwest Custom Print operates this way.
- Can establish a relationship – These big, online print shops are mainly run by robots with automated order and customer support because they receive so much. Using a local print shop for all your marketing materials can lead to a valuable connection as a repeat customer with the print shop understanding you and your brand more. Midwest Custom Print thrives on repeat business and they remain one of our goals today.
- Not at the mercy of limited time events – Discounts on the big print sites and businesses are often given on a limited time or holiday basis, and not everyone is ready to make a purchase during these periods. Regular customers also receive very little benefits for their loyalty. Local print shops you have formed a connection with may be happy to provide store credit or generous pay plans on some orders. Midwest Custom Print understands that there are weeks when business is slower.
Plan Your Custom Print Jobs in Advance
As with any business strategy, an order of custom print products should be calculated and planned early on. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be months in advance. In the world of custom printing, a week should be enough between the time your custom order is placed to the time when the products will be needed by your business or event. Rush order options are available for last-minute placements, but they’re likely to cost anywhere from 20-100% more. Midwest Custom Print offers a rush option for such orders with regular turnarounds of three to five business days.
Now comes the issues that could arise from last-minute custom print orders. Unforeseen delays in shipping and order fulfillment can happen to anyone at any time. Even the big custom print websites suffer setbacks from time to time. Local print shops can also experience the same things. However, shops like Midwest Custom Print are more transparent and responsive in customer service regarding delays. It’s not uncommon to run into dishonest print shops with excuses for missed deadlines.
Leveraging Art With Print Shops
It’s not an uncommon practice for designers looking to print their art on products to work with a print shop’s own graphic design services. This is a service that is more hands-on and tailored at local print shops. Since you’re using both the print shops’ designing and printing services, it’s not outlandish to ask for a 10% discount on your order. We proudly employ this service offer at Midwest Custom Print. It always guarantees customer returns for a continued professional connection as was discussed in the previous sections –it all comes back to treating print jobs more than transactions.
Save Money And Grow as an Entrepreneur With a Chicago Print Shop For All You Custom Print Needs
Financial literacy and savings are a two-way street when you go with a local print shop in Chicago like Midwest Custom Print. As you’re more inclined to save with each order, we learn and see what products and their costs would most benefit you and your business by treating you more than the number a big printing website sees your purchase as. Visit our website or call our in-house design team in Chicago for a free quote for our high-quality digital printing and see how we can be a valuable connection for long-term goals of success.
Frequently Asked Questions About Saving on Custom Print Products
What is Printing on Demand?
Printing on demand is often how local print shops operate. Rather than spend money on a large inventory, products are only printed when an order is placed.
Are In-Person Print Shops Faster Than Online Print Shops?
Since in-person print shops tend to focus on an order-by-order basis, turnaround time tends to be around two days faster than a larger online print shop would offer. Not only is shopping locally or in person more affordable, it’s faster.
Are There Times When a Local Print Shop May Cost More Than an Online Print Shop?
For the first couple of purchases, cost per acquisition may be higher than it would be on a larger, online shop. However, it’s guaranteed to come down for customers that return since they drive the business of local print shops like ourselves.
