Tools

The Basics

Packaging and marketing material are two of the most common items a new brand will need when launching and finding a trustworthy printer can build a relationship that can carry your brand as you focus on growing. Here’s what to look for in a good printer:

Capabilities

You’ll want someone who has the right equipment, preferably in-house, to handle your specific needs. If you’re needing pressure sensitive labels or shrink-sleeve labels, make sure that your printer has the specific capability you need and isn’t outsourcing special processes to someone else. Some printers work with factories over-seas like in South Korea, which can be beneficial for larger quantity orders and lessens the need for you to manage a global supply chain.

Leadtime

Leadtime can be crucial for emergency orders or tight deadlines, look for a printer that gives you a reasonable lead time on orders up front and don’t be afraid to push to see if they can do better. When placing large quantities double check the lead time as production of plates and cylinders can add substantially to the total time of an order.

Price

Finally the best way to check price is by quoting your order in multiple quantities to see any potential optimal price breaks between small and large quantities. For example if 1,000 labels costs $1,000 dollars and 10,000 labels only costs $1,500 dollars there may be a definite advantage to spending slightly more to get way more in return. It’s also important when ordering your first labels to stay on the minimum order side as the chance of labels changing early on are very likely.