By Leslie Pike, Director of Business Operations
- Plan Ahead – The most beneficial action you can take to save your campaign valuable dollars is to plan ahead. Create a schedule outlining when you will need items. Consider design time, production time, and transit time when determining your deadline for placing the order. The less time printers have to produce your goods, the more likely you are to incur additional costs, such as rush production fees and expedited shipping. Rushing orders can also result in lower quality products and errors during production.
- Utilize Standard Sizes and Colors – Allow printers to use their standard sizes and colors for your collateral items to avoid custom sizing fees and custom color matching fees. It is difficult for all printers to match your colors exactly, given different printing methods and different printing mediums, so avoid these added fees and accept that your campaign materials may not match exactly. Also, consider limiting the number of colors on your print materials. Many printers will charge additional fees for each additional color.
- Order in Bulk – The more you order at once, the more you save. Most printers offer lower per piece pricing for larger quantity orders. Rather than placing several small orders, make one large order at once. This will reduce your per piece price and eliminate multiple shipping charges. Also consider shipping your large order to a commercial location with a loading dock. Enlist a supporter who will allow you to ship your campaign signs to their commercial business. Freight shipments to a commercial location with a loading dock will save you from having to pay for a liftgate delivery to a residential location.