You want the best for your business so you finally hired a graphic designer to take care of your print work. No matter what kind of job it is – letterheads, business cards, brochures, flyers – there are things you can do to save money and still get the job done right.
1. Spell check.
Before you email the information as you want it to appear on your business cards, double check the spelling and spelling. Make sure punctuation is exactly as it should be (particularly in things like double-barreled surnames and qualifications).
2. Phone printers for pricing.
There are hundreds of printers in almost any given city, and you may have worked with some yourself and got some great results. You might want to build up a rapport with your local printer too.
3. Pick up the job yourself.
Unless you live miles from civilization, you will save money by picking up the print job from the printers. Designers usually don’t do this anyhow, but would charge a premium if they are asked to pick a job up for you.
4. Die-cut jobs
If the card is thin enough (don’t do this with business cards – they are too small) invest in a steel ruler and sharp knife, recruit a couple of colleagues and save, This may be tricky with curves, but there is no reason why you can’t do a prefectly acceptable job with the straight lines.
5. Fold it.
Once again, a little DIY and common sense will save you cash. Using a blunt dinner knife and a straight edge, it is easy to make hard edged folds. If possible, score on the non-printed side.
6. Use Stock Photography.
If it’s not in your budget to use custom photography or illustration, take advantage of the large choice offered by stock libraries. And offer to scour the sites yourself, saving your designer precious time. The more time your designer spends on type and layout, the better your job is going to be.
7. Proof Read!
Yes, read everything and read it twice. Pass the proof to others in the office, or friends, so they can spot things you may over look. it sounds like advice from your grade 9 English teacher, but it’s good advice. Very few printers will return business cards with errors after the artwork has been approved.
8. Pass Along Referrals
You might want to do this after job completed. But if you’re pleased with the service, tell someone else and pass their name on to the designer. Helping others is just the right thing to do – and your designer might have a referral plan to give you kick backs, so everyone wins.
Next time you order artwork for a print job, ask if there is anything you can do to help the job run a little smoother. Business cards, letterheads, brochures and other print work always benefits from an extra pair of hands – or eyes.