Though many online manufacturing services offer lower prices, generally the overall costs of these options make local shopping a much better option. This is especially the case in the realm of Wide Format Printing, where quality and business interaction is imperative.

The additional costs of a non-local printing service can be largely tied to a number of pitfalls which are inherently associated with remote service interaction, such as:

  • Minimal Customer Service
  • High Logistical Costs, and
  • Indirect Quality Control

Customer Service

The byline of most online printing services identifies customer service as the main priority.

This is especially the case for services which offer embedded illustration visualizers or print studios, designed to help you digitally create your image before you print it. However, this is a paltry replacement for composition printing, which is universally accepted as the best way to ensure the quality of your print. In other words, no amount of digital reproductions will compare to a physical, printed sample of your work. In this regard, a local agency will always surpass a remote business.

The cost of printing without effective customer service can result in a dramatic decrease in production quality, which can affect your bottom line and overall satisfaction.

Logistical Costs of Online Wide Format Printing

When you chose to print your products online, the absorbed costs are always taken in the form of shipping and handling. This is associated with the time and money it takes to produce your product, and ultimately transport it to your location. In the case of exceedingly large format products, this shipping cost can be exorbitant.

Choosing a local company will not only remove shipping costs, offering local pickup, but it will also decrease the overall production time. At the same time, a local business will often prioritize local customers over distant ones, in an effort to bolster these relationships. Shopping local is eventually beneficial to both the printer and customer.

Quality Control

When choosing a company to print your products, it is essential that the company has the utmost commitment to the quality of your product. On the one hand, this amounts to having the best quality facilities which can provide the services you need.

Shopping local gives the consumer the opportunity to meet with the technicians, examine the production facilities, and review work that the company has done. At the same time, working with a local business gives you more, direct control over the printing process.

Which is Better?

When deciding between online wide format printing, or going with a local firm, the choice will likely always place local businesses ahead.

Printing is a highly volatile procedure that will almost always require samples of the finished product. At the same time, the costs of shipping printed material often decreases your overall margins.

Ultimately, making a decision to support local businesses will cut down on your bottom line, and result in a better quality product.