You need your client’s printing project done in a week,
Another client’s project needs to be done in 4 days.
And of course, the designs for both just found their way to your desk this morning.
When you need fast turnaround, you might think the best option is an online printing portal, that touts it’s ability for speedy delivery.
But what are you giving up when you opt for an online printing portal?
Here are just a few of the pros and cons of using an online printing portal.
Pros & Cons of Online Print Portals
Pros
Convent
With an online printing portal, you can place orders from anywhere at any time. If you happen to be working after hours, this is definitely a tempting solution.
It’s a simple enough process. You upload your design, click through some options, such as material, size, finish, and click send.
Because it is online you don’t have to talk to anyone or email your file to anyone and if your file is perfect than you’ll have your print delivered fast.
Cheap
Online printing services do usually offer competitive pricing compared to traditional print shops. Online services are hands-off and mostly automated, so low labor costs equal cheaper prices.
There is also the potential for cost savings through bulk or volume discounts when you use an online prining printing portal.
Options
Online printer offer a range of printing options, such as banners, posters, and more.
Many will also offer an array of pre-designed templates that will cover a wide range of styles, themes, and industries, making it easy to find one that aligns with what you need.
Fast Turnaround Time
The main selling point of online portals is their fast turnaround times.
In seconds you will see the example of your design squished into a virtual banner, and in 2 to 3 days it’ll be on the way to you.
Cons
Zero Human-to-Human Interaction
Customer support channels for online printing portals are almost always automated and confined to chat bot like many customer service experience today.
So if you have an issue, be ready to talk to a robot who doesn’t understand that you’re asking about large-scale acrylic sheets for your large format graphic, not printer paper.
When you’re trying to meet a deadline, this can slow you down. Calling a real person, to help you clean up an issue with materials is just faster.
Lack of Consistency
While the print preview will show a quick example of what you’re design will look like, there’s always a chance that half of your digital color prints are being printed on one machine, and the other half on another making the blues slightly off.
And because theres no way of knowing about these issues until you receive the prints, you’ll be stuck with bulk order of 200 prints that don’t look good.
Limited Hands-On Control
One of the main issues with using an online portal is that you have less control over the printing process compared to traditional, in-person print shops.
You can’t see materials, and finishes before hitting the print button, or inspect the details of your design and ask for little tweaks to achieve perfection.
No Eye for Design
While the computer is doing a great job loading up your graphic and sending it to whereever it needs to be, it can’t do much more.
Relying on an online printing portal means missing out on that keen eye many professional printers have.
These professionals give recommendations on materials to help you avoid sagging baselines, and will pay close attention to avoid crooked alignments.
Personalized Printing Solution That Go Beyond Online Portals
When you’re faced with tight deadlines and a need for speedy delivery, online printing portals often come to mind. They offer general convenience, and cheaper pricing.
However, choosing online printing portals creates larger dilemmas.
You have little to no hands-on control and no human at the other end to help you.
When you call on Precision Color Graphics, Lauren, Phil, or Simon will listen to your vision and ask the right questions to ensure we deliver up to your expectations the way a printing portal can’t.