Why professional print buyers are a needed commodity

So I started to read a blog article about how printing is priced, and without even looking at the authors profile I instantly knew within the first paragraph that this was written by a designer. How did I know? The first paragraph immediately pointed out that it should never be about the cost to produce the job but about the quality of the final piece. And budget should be a secondary concern. Statements like these are exactly why a professional print buyer should be quoting and selecting the printers.

The need for balance
Designers are very talented and creative people and can put things in designs that can wow the senses. But they are also very close to the piece and they take great pride and ownership in their designs. So it is important for them to know what will make a piece POP to the end user. However, the cost of the final product is always of great concern and while designers will almost always tell you cost is secondary. The bottom line comes down to; can the piece be produced within the designer's specifications AND on budget? If the answer is No, then alternatives must be sought to still produce the piece and keep it in budget. A professional print buyer can provide an objective eye on the project and help keep the project grounded. I have worked with designers who upon hearing that the piece they want produced is out of budget instantly react with; "increase the budget then because it cannot be done any other way." A print buyer can look at the various aspects of a job and recognize alternatives to the job that will produce a quality piece at the right price. Print buyers provide a needed balance to the order of printed pieces, without them, designer's will pretty much have carte blanc. Printers love the idea of no controls to the price. They can produce the PERFECT print piece, but perfection comes with a cost, and most companies in today's market do not have unlimited print budgets.

Designers should continue to design the most creative pieces they can for their customer. But print buyers should recognize production issues and be able to adjust the specification's of a piece to produce a high quality piece at the best possible price.