5 Tips for Balancing Print Cost vs. Quality

As we start to think about upcoming trade shows and events, one big question we get from prospects and customers is “How can we accomplish a quality project within our budget?” Fineline prides itself on our consultative approach to helping you answer these questions by providing continual resources and best practices, sourced from our 34 years in the print industry. To carry over the concept from our January/February connect magazine, here are some tangible tips in balancing print cost versus quality.

Fineline’s Angie Dennis, Client Services Representative, provides 5 Tips for balancing print cost vs. quality:

1. Start by evaluating priorities and goals

• What is the purpose for your piece?
• What is the available budget?
• Who is your target audience?
• What results do you want to achieve?

2. Leverage your resources

Get feedback on what print materials and topics are most discussed, and where certain print pieces are most effective. Connect with your account management team to understand the types of print material best suited to use on the trade show floor or gather feedback from your prospects & customers on what they find most valuable or memorable.

3. Consult with a print expert

Often times we see our competitors unwilling to work with clients that don’t know exactly what they want. Fineline has a customer-focused approach and experienced team, who appreciates the opportunity to consult with both clients and prospective marketers evaluating multiple options. In fact, our motto is: “We won’t ask for your business until we can improve it.”

When you don’t have years of experience in print production, print design and fulfillment it can be challenging to have to “call all the shots.” The most cost effective programs begin with a consultation to evaluate goals and communication strategy, and how those can be achieved within budget.

4. Partner on cost savings approach

Partner with your printer to uncover the most effective areas to cut costs during the print & design process. A dedicated account manager comes in handy to help in evaluating size, quality, and number of colors, banner stands and logistics. Reducing a layout by a quarter-of-an-inch can mean the difference of thousands of dollars.

5. Leverage technology for additional savings

Technology and equipment have come a long way in recent years, and using your print partner’s expertise is a great way to streamline projects and cost. Using a digital technology platform like Finelink 2.0 can help you expedite projects, with features that give you online editing and proofing, collaborative design tools and print on demand features, all of which cut costs and time in half.