Nowadays, a lot of business work, correspondence, and information is being carried out online. This is positive, in that operating online saves paper and minimize the impact businesses have on the environment. However, there are situations where you will still need to engage with printing for the sake of your business and its progression. Here are just the basics of both in-house printing and outsourced printing!
In-House Printing
Generally speaking, the main bulk of printing that needs to be done for your small business will be carried out in-house. It is estimated that the average office worker will print out at least four different documents every single day, so even if you work alone from a home office, you’re likely to print around 1460 pages a year. This is why you need to ensure that you have all of the printing essentials in place to get this printing completed quickly and easily. First, you will need a high-quality printer. When purchasing a printer, don’t just look at the price on the label. Instead, consider the TOC, or “total cost of ownership”. Some printers will appear cheap at the outset, but require expensive ink or paper to operate to their full potential. Others will appear expensive to start with, but their overall operating cost is extremely low. Once you have chosen a printer, you will have to stock up on cheap toner cartridges and decent quality of paper. Then you’ll be all set to go!
Outsourced Printing
While your in-house printing should deal with your day to day tasks, there are situations when you will need higher quality documents or higher volumes of documents printed out. In cases such as this, you are generally better outsourcing your printer to a specialist agency. This will take a lot of work off your own shoulders and will ensure that whatever it may be that you are printing is finished to an extremely high quality. Consider outsourced printing for posters, leaflets, business cards, and other important documents. Make sure to communicate and correspond clearly with outsourced printing agencies. Something as simple as accidentally adding an extra “0” to the end of the number of copies you request could end up costing you a whole lot of money. So double check and proofread everything. Having a good rapport with your professional printer will also ensure that they can recommend particular products or inks for you and they can let you know if they don’t think something you’re trying will work very well.
Sure, printing might not be top of your professional priorities when it comes to running your small business. But it can have a profound influence on your business’ overall success. So, make the time to spare the subject a little thought and take control when it comes to your in-house printing and your outsourced printing.
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