Design Student tips!

I was recently contacted by a student at the National College of Design & Technology, querying the following topics for a print project - quality, time, cost and function. Here at Patch we aim to support those starting out. I went to Natcoll myself - it was fantastic! I did feel then that there was a distinct lack of support from the Industry and not many printers would give you the knowledge you need if you are a student rather than a paying customer, and so I emailed back a novel of information to this student who is just starting out in the design industry and looking at organising print for their clients. Pretty much an overview of what I would have liked to know about when I was a student myself!

Needless to say, if anyone out there would like more information, and has any specific questions about product choice, price markup, file handling, spot colours, special orders such as foiled, embossed or diecut business cards, how to order online to get the best price, budget print options, accounts and payment queries, opportunities for commission design work, or any other queries that may be of relevance in this quickly changing industry, then feel free to contact us here at Patch, we'd love to help you get your orders through, sound like a professional about the products you can offer, and build your business!

Here's some basic info to advise on the topics I was asked about ;

Greetings Students! We here at Patch are ahead of the market in online ordering, so to get the best deal you would be advised to go to our wholesale website and apply for trade access. You need to be in a position to on-sell the products to get these prices and as a designer you should qualify. There's a good tip to start with - don't pay retail! Ordering online also saves you a $20 processing fee - which covers the time for basic file handling and admin order setup. This is a standard charge from all print companies if you were to email or post the job in.

Apply for Trade Access to our wholesale website here ; http://www.theproductionhouse.co.nz

Click this link to visit our retail website http://www.patchprint.co.nz - where can see the standard retails pricing charged. Generally we like to leave the markup that you want to charge your own clients up to you - just make sure you cover all your costs in what your charge, and ensure you have included all possible costs such as freight (local, around NZ, or rural delivery all differ), and any charge for faster turnaround where required.

To answer the queries on specific topics ;

QUALITY ; We have a range of stocks available, and a great tool is our Sample Pack which we can offer you when you are a potential reseller, to show you a good variety of the quality you would expect from us. This pack includes Offset business card samples, Digital business card samples, Matt Foiled business cards, Gloss Foiled business cards, Matt Spot Silver business cards, Gloss Spot Silver business cards and a variety of DLE Swatches on a book-ring that show a range of different options such as UV Accent, Diecutting, and Smooth-as-Satin Matt laminate or Hi-Gloss laminate. We also include letterhead and compliments slip samples, and some extras like bookmarks in various finishes, postcards, pens, notepads, magnets, all examples you can show your clients and labeled only with generic branding.

With quality you need to find out exactly what your client expects, and if they have anything they have done previously that they want to achieve again - this may be a previous stock they've used or a matt or gloss finish, or even a specific company colour that must be the same across various printed products and stationary. More about colour further on...

TIME ; each product has a standard turnaround time. These are listed on our websites next to each product. For faster turnaround, or products required by a specific date - let us know so they can work to this deadline. Sometimes there is an extra charge for "Strict Schedule" jobs, and you would need to add this cost into what you charge your client.

Also, be aware that you will be adding time on for each extra 'event' in printing. What I mean here is if your client wants a rushed brochure job, and then wants it with a UV Gloss coating and a diecut - then these two additional events are going to add more time onto the job than what the turnaround time of the original product states. Contact us to check how fast this can be done and tell your client, they may have to settle for something simpler for a rushed job, or print the job digitally instead of offset, which is generally faster, but pricier for larger quantities. On some occasions we print "Temporary cards" when a client wants a really good quality business card from our Offset Printed Value range, but needs some cards immediately for, say, a business trip. We can then give them some cards same day if required, and send the fancy cards to them as soon as they are ready. There are always ways to satisfy your clients needs! Ask us how!

COST ; as a reseller you need to know what you will be paying, and what markup you wish to charge your client. You need to be fair, and allow a decent margin in your jobs so if things go bad you're not liable for the whole cost yourself. On this topic - get a signed copy of the proof from your client before proceeding! And a signed copy of the "proof sheet" too, showing exactly what your client will be charged for when the job is complete.

FUNCTION ; You need to know product options available, to ensure you have the right product to fit your clients needs. If, for example, they've ordered x 5000 Digital Brochures, it would actually work out cheaper for this quantity, and of better quality, to print them on an Offset press. Often it's just a case of checking with your friendly print company for the print solution that best fits the requirements, and getting quotes.

When you receive your username and password for trade access to our wholesale website, we have a new option that allows you to request a quote online. This is great for you as it allows you to check in on your quote/s, and have multiple quotes in progress. You get an email when the quote is ready, to which you follow the link to view your quote online, with the option to order it right there - avoiding any processing fees. It's great for us, as there are all the options to fill in and space for notes, so we don't have to worry about forgetting to ask you something!

FREIGHT ; This is one of a few extra things off the top of my head that will be important to note when you start getting orders. Is your client local or not, if they're rural this will be an additional charge, or do they expect you to deliver the job to them? Which will cost you time and petrol. Could they collect it from you? Talk through the options with your client before proceeding to print so everyone knows where they stand. There's nothing that makes you look unprofessional like phoning a client after approval and adding on extra costs, or the client coming back to you unhappy with surprise charges on their invoice.

Freight costs can be added onto your online order as you go, and if you select 'email me a proof' then you will clearly see all charges on your proof sheet. We recommend you do this for your clients also, so there are no unexpected costs, and you appear professional and organised, having covered all bases.

COLOURS ; very important. Is your client particular about the colours they want? Have they seen a printed proof or need too? What colours have they had previously they may expect to match again? Spot Colours / Pantone colours can be tricky also. Our Value and Vmax Offset print runs use cmyk, so if a spot colour is required we can run several cmyk breakdown swatches through the run first, and give you back a visual of some colour options to choose from, or offer your client. Ask us about our Colour Matching Service if you would like more info.

If you need any further tips about anything mentioned above, or a specific job you are looking to print, please feel free to contact us here at Patch where we're all happy to help.