Selecting Printers - Distance is not Dead

I read an article today by Jim Van Natter saying that "You can find exactly the right printer with the right combination of equipment and services at the right price anywhere in the world. And because the Internet allows instant communication, you can transfer files, view and approve PDF proofs, and place orders without having to actually go to “your printer’s shop.”"*

Now no doubt, the age of the Internet and portable document files and vendor management tools has made it easier to quote and purchase from a wider variety of print suppliers, and making it faster and easier to quote and purchase. However, the cost of freight and the cost of moving that product is still a great concern. If nothing else it makes it easier to have your print buyers located in one office or part of the country and allow them to make print purchasing decisions for another office halfway around the world. So making the statement "Distance is Dead" is not true. With the price of fuel and shipping on the rise print buyers should be focusing on the freight charges from the print supplier to their destinations. Instead of splitting shipping as buyers have done in the past consider splitting production. Can you get smaller amounts of print done by two suppliers for the same amount you could get the whole job done at one supplier. This is where digital print can play a key role. I suggest making freight a primary consideration when looking at how you can cut costs. Do you ask your printer for freight costs? and do you ask them to break out based on split shipments? If you do wonderful! If not start! Looking for an area to cut costs? This is it!

One of my customers came to me several years ago asking that they be able to move the freight charge to the top of their comparison sheet. I was a little confused until they explained that the first thing they consider in purchasing print is the freight charge. Often times they would go with a higher production cost, as long as their freight charges were cheaper. They would then compare that with a contract rate and go with the cheaper shipper. They could then specify to their supplier whether the supplier would pay for shipping or, they would issue a shipping number to them and pay for the shipping themselves. Putting extra attention on the shipping charges actually saved them money in the long run. Much more than it cost to do the extra work. So I conclude that Distance is NOT dead it has shifted from one end of the process to the other.

*Excerpt from Graphic Arts Monthly Blogs - How do prospects choose printers (part-2) By Jim Van Natter