5 Tips to Help Speed Up Your Next Printing Project


Planning an event or gearing up for a big sale takes time, and your list of to-dos can become lengthy.  Having a professional printing company at the Lake of the Ozarks to help you with your print advertising can take some of the stress off your shoulders.
  
Having commercial grade printed products is not only more professional looking for your business, but using a commercial printer can offer organization printing capabilities you can’t perform at the office by yourself.  On top of that, using commercial printers are the most economical way to produce a large number of copies.
If you're on a time crunch, however, getting your print material back in time may be causing you a little anxiety. Many business owners and marketing departments that are new to the process wonder how they can speed up future printing projects when working on a tight deadline.  Thankfully, there are some things you can do to help expedite your printing jobs, and Lake Printing has provided some tips to help you save time on your next printing project.

1. Do Thorough Research & Communicate Early with Your Printer

Planning your printing job ahead of time can really save you when it comes down to the wire!  Think about the types and sizes of paper you want to use, have an idea of the colors you want, and have an overall design idea in mind.  It is also important to know exactly when your deadline is.  After you have done as much planning by yourself as possible, communicate with your printer as early in the process as you can.  The earlier you're able to communicate your print design needs and deadlines, the easier it will be for the print company to complete the job.  A little planning ahead of time can go a long way in preventing issues that need to be addressed during your printing job, and a head’s up for your printing company can do wonders when it comes to saving time and working efficiently.  Get your printer’s input as soon as you can – knowing the realities of what you need to accomplish ahead of time will help to ensure your project is completed within your time frame.  If you can, get a working schedule, and share it with any colleague who is assisting you on your print project.  Stick to your schedule and make sure you keep your printer in the loop throughout the process.

2. Proof Your Work Carefully & Review Proofs Quickly

It may seem like common sense but the number of individuals who don’t proof their work is quite high.  Just like you, your professional printing partner is also human and makes mistakes, so they may not catch your mistake before printing the project.  It is essential to proof your work carefully if you want to save time on your project.  Proof every job carefully before you send a file to your printer.  In fact, do it multiple times – even having a second or third set of eyes look at the design before sending it is not a bad idea! This way, there should be fewer corrections or edits when you get the proof. 
Speaking of proofs, always expect a proof approval from your printer and ensure you respond in a timely manner to keep your printing project moving forward quickly.  The longer you hold onto a proof and the more people you involve in the approval process, the longer it will take to print and deliver the job. Streamline this step internally and turn proofs around fast.

3. Send Print Ready Documents

Ensuring that you send print-ready documents to your commercial printer starts your project off on the right foot.  Ordinarily, commercial printers spend a large amount of time fixing incorrectly formatted documents, and this will inevitably slow down your print job completion time.  Ask your professional printing partner about print specifications anytime you are unsure if what you are sending is correct. When you send your print-ready documents, make sure to send them digitally instead of via media through the mail.  This will save you turnaround time, and you will also get feedback from your printing company quicker than if you send your documents via the mail.  

4. Expect Delays for Unique Projects

To ensure that you continue to speed up your project, choose standard sizes, stocks, and colors of paper. Taking advantage of common sheet sizes, will save you money and reduce waste.  Ask your printing partner what the standard is for the paper you are considering.  Designing in standard sizes will decrease your wait time.  Another way to speed up your print project is to use in-house paper.  Unique types of paper are often not kept in stock and therefore must be specially manufactured and shipped, which will add time to your project.  Commercial printers’ stock certain paper (text weight and cover), so it’s there when customers need it. Ask your commercial printing company about the common types and sizes of paper they typically have on hand and what would need to be special ordered.  Using in-house paper as opposed to ordering specialty paper can save you quite a bit of time on your printing project.

5. Choose a Professional Printing Company 

Keeping your print jobs local can help to save you time and money because you can quickly swing by our office to pick up your print projects once they're completed. If your print job requires mailing and fulfillment, Lake Printing can help you save time and money by doing this for you. Plus, you’ll have one graphic designer in charge of your job, not several. Keeping all the work in-house can sometimes save you the most time on your print projects.  By allowing your local printing company to handle all facets of the printing job from start to finish the number of potential errors or wasted time drops dramatically.

So if you are planning an event or preparing for an upcoming sale, make sure to get your marketing products designed and printed at Lake Printing.  We'll be happy to help you create a design to fit your specific needs.  We boast top of the line presses to handle projects of all sizes from wide format pieces to large runs. We also offer many additional small press capabilities, as well as a variety of multiple special finishes in bindery to accommodate all of your event printing needs!  Call us or visit our website to get a FREE quote today.  

You Can Trust Lake Printing for Your Large & Small Print Needs


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