Archive for the ‘Book Printing for the Trade’ Category

Book Printing for the Trade: How to Pick a Partner that Fits Your Needs

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

When Seeking a Trade Printer for Book Printing, Pick the Partner that Best Fits your Unique Needs

One of your customers has just approached you with a request for printed books, but you don’t have the capabilities to produce the order.

What do you do?

If you decline the order, or refer your customer to someplace else, you’ll miss the opportunity to enhance the customer relationship and you risk handing over the project to a potential competitor. Plus, you’ll completely lose out on profit for your business.

But, if you outsource the book order to a trade printer, you will strengthen the relationship with your customer, retain the sale and make a nice profit.

Needless to say, outsourcing is by far the wiser choice. But just how do you choose an outsource partner to print your book order? Well, there are three important things that help determine if a particular book trade printer is a good fit for your needs…

1) How Many Books Do You Need?

The size of your order will help you select a book trade printer. As a general rule, if the order is less than 1,000 books, you will likely need a book printer with a digital press. That’s because digital printing will be your most economical choice for short-run book printing.

But if you need a medium-length production run, say 1,000 to 10,000 books, then your best price will come from choosing a trade printer with offset presses. And long-run printing of over 10,000 books would normally require a trade printer with web-style offset presses to attain the best value.

2) What Binding Style Do You Need?

Not all trade printers offer every binding style. Many have saddle-stitch or perfect binding capabilities, but spiral or coil bound books or printed binder sets can sometimes be harder to find. Finding a book trade printer that offers multiple binding styles allows you to capture a wider range of book projects.

Similarly, your customers may request specialty features such as a UV or laminated cover, landscape or unique sizes, distribution services and so on. So when choosing a trade printer, consider their range of capabilities. The more capabilities they can offer you, the wider range of book projects you can then offer to your customers.

3) How Much Assistance Do You Need?

Some book trade printers will provide personalized consultation and guidance on your projects. Others only offer automated ordering through a website and will simply print the layout file you upload, often with limited intervention. Which type of trade printer you prefer will depend on how comfortable you are with the specifications and ordering processes of printed books.

If you like talking with a real person who can offer suggestions, answer questions and help watch your back, then you might want to avoid trade printers who only communicate via emails and uploads. On the other hand, if you know exactly what you want, are more tech savvy and only need minimal assistance, then an automated system may work out just fine for you.

Does Formax fit your needs? Well, if you have a need for short to medium run book printing…in any softcover binding style…and prefer personalized service and one-on-one attention, then Formax will definitely fit your needs. So give Formax a call when your next book project arises. We would welcome the opportunity to become your outsource partner for printed books!

Take care! Keith

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Book Printing for the Trade: Why Print Shops Outsource Book Printing

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

Outsourcing your Book Printing is Easy and Profitable!

Many quick printers, copy shops and other commercial printers do not have the resources to produce books in-house. And frankly, even if capital is not an issue, book production is an involved process that not all print shops want to tackle.

However, by outsourcing book projects to a trusted trade printer, these print shops are able to profit from projects they would otherwise have to decline. That’s because a book trade printer has all the resources and conveniences necessary to produce books in an efficient and cost-effective manner…

1) Bindery Equipment

Each book binding method – perfect bound, spiral coil bound, saddle-stitch – requires its own unique binding equipment. So to produce books, especially multiple styles of books, there is a heavy investment in bindery equipment…as well as all the costs associated with its operation, maintenance and repair.

That is why the cost of bindery equipment can be a substantial barrier to offering in-house book printing, particularly if a print shop’s book sales volume cannot support it. Fortunately, print shops can leverage a trade printer’s equipment. So rather than turn away business, books orders can be simply outsourced to a trusted print partner.

2) Specialized Expertise

Because book production often has more variables than many other types of printing, it requires specialized knowledge and expertise. From operating the machinery to manipulating the pagination software, a different level of training and skill is needed to prevent costly errors.

To a print shop, the time and expense of developing its own personnel for book production is often a bad investment. However, by outsourcing, a print shop is able to harness all the experience and talents of the trade printer’s staff…without investing a dime.

3) Floor Space

In addition to the floor space needed for the bindery equipment and supplies, it takes a lot of space to assemble and finish books. And books are not only bulky, they’re also quite heavy to handle and pack.

Fortunately, a print shop can conserve space and manpower by outsourcing its book orders to a trade printer. The trade printer handles the entire production process – printing, assembling, binding, packing and distributing – at its facility.

The Bottom Line

Print Shops that outsource books have an edge over other printers that say “no” to book projects or refer the customer to someone else. If you are saying “no” to book orders because you lack the equipment, expertise or floor space, you really should explore the many benefits of outsourcing!

Do you have additional questions about the advantages of Book Outsourcing? Just give Formax a call at (314) 997-2616. We’ll be happy to show you just how profitable – and incredibly simple – book outsourcing can be.

Take care! Keith

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Book Printing for the Trade: Outsourcing…More Money in your Pocket

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Outsourcing orders for Printed Books is a Simple Way to put More Money in your Pocket

Since I started blogging about the benefits of outsourcing printed books, I’ve had quite a few inquiries from Print Shops and Graphic Designers about how the outsourcing process works.

So, I thought I’d give a quick overview of some of the questions I’ve received. Bear in mind that my answers reflect the way Formax operates, other book printers may do things differently.

“How do I find book printing opportunities?”

1) It’s easy…and there’s no need to make cold calls! Just get the message out by letting your existing clients know you offer book printing.

2) Ask your clients to contact you when a book need arises. Chances are good your business clients use some sort of printed books throughout the year.

3) Follow-up on any book inquiries that come your way (you can always call Formax if you need help or advice).

“What types of books can Formax produce?”

1) Just about any type you might encounter – catalogs, manuals, directories, handbooks, programs, booklets and so on.

2) Our binding styles include perfect bound, spiral/coil bound, saddle-stitched, ringed binder assemblies, etc.

3) We can print books in full-color or black ink, in quantities of 100 to 50,000.

“I received a quote request for printed books from one of my clients…now what?”

1) Contact Formax with the details and specifications of your client’s book.

2) We’ll ask you some questions and then provide you with a wholesale quote.

3) You add your profit to the quote and pass it along to your client.

“My client approved the quote and wants to order the books. What’s next?”

1) Contact us to discuss the order, including whether the books will be sent to you or blind-shipped directly to your client.

2) After all questions are answered and specs are confirmed, forward us the book’s artwork files.

3) We’ll create a quality proof of the book and send it to you for your client’s approval. This ensures everyone is in complete agreement on the desired outcome.

4) Once your client approves the proof, we print and ship the books to the location you designate.

If the above seems incredibly simple, that’s because it is! We handle all the production details. All you have to do is pass along the order. You can easily make hundreds or thousands of dollars by outsourcing books. And it requires absolutely no investment on your part – no binding equipment, no extra personnel, no scheduling or floor space issues – just pure profit!

Also, all our books are printed and bound in the Midwest, nothing is produced overseas. So you’ll be pleased with the quality and turn-around time. Plus, Formax offers the personalized support and guidance you need to properly serve your clients and capture more book sales.

Formax is a preferred outsource partner for many print-related businesses that don’t have the means or desire to create printed books. Does this describe your situation? If so, don’t keep turning profits away! Give Formax a call at (314) 997-2616 or (866) 367-6221 to learn more about the tremendous benefits of Book Outsourcing.

Take care!  Keith

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Book Printing for the Trade: Don’t Miss Out on the Profits!

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Make More Profit with Less Hassles by Outsourcing your Printed Book Orders

If you’re in a print-related industry but don’t offer Books, this article is for you…

> Are you a Quick Printer or larger Commercial Printer with customers who need books printed but your capabilities don’t allow you to go after this profitable business?

> Are you a Graphic Artist or Ad Agency unable to provide books for clients because you lack a reliable/competitive source?

> Are you a Print Broker looking for an easy way to make thousands of dollars in extra profit from your existing client base?

Whatever your situation, if you’re in the printing industry you have likely been hit hard by the economic conditions in recent years. Fortunately, Book Outsourcing is a quick and easy way for you to add a new stream of income.

The Benefits of Outsourcing your Customers’ Book orders include…

1) It’s Easy! With outsourcing, your print partner handles the whole production process and prints the books as you specify.

2) It’s Profitable! Your wholesale discount allows you to make thousands per year…just for passing along orders!

3) It allows you to expand your client relationships by offering more services.

4) It requires absolutely no investment in equipment, manpower or floor space.

5) Your customer relationship is protected at all times – orders can be shipped directly to you or blind-shipped to your customers.

Let’s face it, most of the clients you are currently serving have a need for some form of multi-page documents. Whether it’s perfect bound catalogs, saddle-stitched manuals, spiral bound directories or assembled binder sets – in short or long runs – it can be easily outsourced!

Bottom Line: Outsourcing your book printing is an extremely easy way to make pure profit for your business…without having to make any investments. Your customers need to purchase books and other multi-page documents from someone…so why not from you?

Have additional questions about outsourcing printed books?  Just give Formax a call at (314) 997-2616 or (866) 367-6221. We look forward to introducing you to the tremendous benefits of outsourcing.

Take Care!  Keith

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Book Printing for the Trade: Outsourcing is Easy and Profitable!

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

Are you a printer but don't produce books? Instead of saying no to book orders, why not outsource them to a trusted print partner?

Within the wide world of printing, many print shops have carved out specific niches for themselves. For example, some shops focus on printed stationery…some focus on adhesive labels…others focus on business checks or forms. Specialty niches are very common in the printing industry and can become quite lucrative.

There are definitely some nice benefits associated with niche printing. For instance, a well-defined area of expertise allows a printing company to continually refine its production processes. Also, by concentrating on one category of printing, it reduces a printer’s need for an extensive array of equipment. Furthermore, it allows the printing company to focus its marketing efforts more effectively.

One Obstacle to Overcome

A potential dilemma of being a niche printer occurs when a customer requests something outside the printer’s capabilities. If the niche printer declines the project, which many do, three negative outcomes occur. First, the printer misses an opportunity to expand the client relationship. Second, the printer foregoes the chance to earn additional profit for the business. Third, the printer inadvertently opens the door to a competitor.

Print Outsourcing Offers an Easy Solution

Print outsourcing involves partnering with another printer who specializes in the type of printing your customer is requesting. For example, one of Formax Printing’s specialties is book printing – particularly softcover printing such as perfect bound, spiral coil bound and saddle-stitched books.  Many printers do not have the equipment or expertise to print multiple styles of books, so they partner with us to produce books for them to resell.

It is a relatively simple process – the printer takes the customer’s order, forwards the specs and artwork to us, then we print and bind the books at a wholesale rate. Depending on the arrangement, we either send the completed order to the printer for distribution, or we blind ship the books directly to the printer’s customer. Either way, the printer’s relationship with its customer is protected at all times.

Book Printing is Well-Suited for Outsourcing

Print Outsourcing – sometimes referred to as outsource printing, trade printing or selling printing to the trade – isn’t just for books. But in our experience, book printing and binding seems to be perfectly suited for outsourcing because it is a more involved printing process and thus demands more production equipment than most printers are willing to acquire.

If you’re a printer who declines requests for short to medium run book printing (100 to 50,000) because it’s outside your normal capabilities, you really should consider outsourcing these projects to a trusted printing partner. Outsourcing book printing is an extremely easy way to make pure profit for your business without having to make any investments. Your customers need books…why not from you?

Have additional questions about the benefits of outsourcing printed books?  Just give Formax a call at (314) 997-2616 or (866) 367-6221. We offer the experience and guidance you need.

Take care!  Keith

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