The 5P's to Successful Print Management

Now before you think back to those Marketing 1 lectures, these 4P's* relate to the graphic communication industry. The four keys to successful print management from idea to fulfilment are Project Knowledge, Partner Selection, Process Expertise and Price. I'd like to add Partnership to create the 5th and probably most important P.

Project Knowledge

When administering a project, the client's needs and the product's end use should always be kept top of mind. While this information is very often neglected, it should in fact guide the decision making process. Does your customer really want something quick and cheap? Or is quality and finish vital. What is the intended use of the material: to be handed out by sales representatives, displayed on a wall, or folded and mailed to potential investors? In-depth project knowledge will ensure that the correct emphasis is placed on important decisions even in a rushed situation and when this information is shared with your graphic communication partners; you may find that they are able to offer more effective, more efficient, or more cost-effective solutions to better meet your needs.

Partner Selection

One of the first questions that you need to ask yourself, is whether you want to deal with 4 different companies, such as a repro house, printer, finishing company, and fulfilment company, or would you prefer to deal with one company that will manage all of those components, i.e. a graphic communication specialist? Your choice will depend on your project and your long term objectives.

It is vital to match a project with a printer's capability. Often a printer will insist that they can complete a job when in fact they don't have all the necessary equipment or expertise to do so efficiently. Out-dated techniques tend to slow a job down considerably, leave more room for error and can exaggerate costs. Selecting the correct graphic communication partner is worth the time spent on investigation; in the long run it will not only save you time and money, but it could avoid the delivery of poorly produced work and the frustration involved in solving a project gone wrong. (Learn exactly what to look out for when selecting a graphic communication partner later in the series.)

Process Expertise

Knowledge of the entire process from idea to end user will help you to better understand your role and enable you to be more in control of the outcome of your project. You need not become an expert in the processes; you just need enough available knowledge to be able to communicate more effectively. As a print buyer or decision maker, you will then be able to negotiate and discuss various components that can be altered to achieve specific outcomes, i.e. a spot varnish finish will result in a better quality look and feel.
Ask your graphic communication partner for a tour one day and follow your project through from design to fulfilment. Stan Hannath of graphic communications company - Creda, commented on their approach to equipping customers with process expertise:"Our Creda Graphic Communications Academy workshops, which were developed to assist our clients, is mindful of the rapidly changing digital world of graphic communications. Understanding these processes has allowed our clients to fully exploit the opportunities and benefits it brings."

Price

Managing and keeping costs down is almost always a company prerogative. When assessing a graphic communications partner based on price, it is important to always be clear about what a given quote includes. Consider that the price quoted for the actual printing of a project is approximately only one seventh of the total price once creative, prepress, bindery, shipping, distribution and quality costs have been included. All of these stages are as important as the other. Process expertise and project knowledge may help you to evaluate some of these costs and find areas that can be tweaked to better meet your objectives. Of course, price should not be the only deciding factor and as Pete Basilere of the NAPL said "the bitterness of poor quality lasts longer than the sweetness of low price"

Partnership

Forming a solid and trusting relationship over time with your graphic communication partner will ultimately ensure that all print projects are a success. A printer who is able to learn about and respect your company and client objectives will be sure to recommend techniques and procedures that will help you to achieve them. Stan Hannath of Creda agrees: "The most successful partnerships develop between businesses who have a mutual understanding of each other's goals and recognise and capitalise on each other's competencies"

*Acknowledgements: Successful Print Buying, Pete Basilere, NAPL