Half of the time my clients have it in the bag, they’re established and organised with a structured plan of action …and a regular printing company. Other times the clients are business start-ups or new-to-marketing with all the enthusiasm in the world but little idea which order to do things in. My tip of the day to help ensure you get the most from your graphic design budget is to make sure you find you printer before you brief your designer.

But why?

There has been a recent rise in budget printing companies who, although great for small businesses who need their graphics printing on shoestring budgets, do not conform to industry standards. Most printing companies work to specific sizes such as A6 or DL. Some budget printing companies however have their own slightly different sizing (probably to maximise the amount of prints that can be made from one sheet of card). A business card or flyer from one of these companies may be a different size to that you might be expecting…or what the designer is expecting when laying out the artwork if not told in advance. If your prints ends up coming back with the email address cropped off because the designer was given the wrong sizes that’s money down the drain!

In addition to this, there are finishes and detailing that some printers do not offer and if a designer knows this in advance they will avoid incorporating into the design. If on the other hand you want your designer to incorporate something special, perhaps some spot-varnish or custom cut-out sections, you will need to ensure you select a printer who can perform these tasks before the designer starts work, otherwise you may end up having to pay the designer to alter the artwork retrospectively.

The key thing to remember is this…

Once you have chosen your printer and the product you want creating ask the printer for ‘spec’ (artwork specification) and tell your designer before they start the work, it could save you money in the long run.