Every company needs print products— packaging, print advertisements, posters, or stationary— to sustain its business. When you have a hard deadline, finishing your print project at just the right time can be essential!
Although you can't control every element of the print process, there are some key strategies you can keep in mind to help get your materials in your hands sooner.
5 Ways to Speed Up the Print Process and Get Your Order Sooner
1. Submit print-ready files
Submitting files that are ready to be printed can significantly speed up the printing process.
Print-ready files are files that are appropriately formatted, correctly sized, have been cropped adequately, and are in the correct resolution.
When you follow these guidelines, your project can be processed more quickly, and you will avoid a holdup because of edits that need to be made later.
2. Communicate
If you have a tight deadline, communicate it to us up front!
When we have this information from the beginning, we can do our best to accommodate your needs and ensure we meet your deadline.
Keeping in touch in general can be essential to getting your printing job back quickly. So be sure to check your email regularly for updates so you can answer any questions or clarifications needed while we work on your materials.
3. Use standard sizes
Standard sizes for your print project can help speed up printing because they don't require special setups or adjustments.
Additionally, standard sizes are readily available, so we don't have to order custom paper sizes, which can add additional time to the printing process.
4. Use the right paper stock
The type of paper stock you choose can also affect the printing process.
We can start immediately if you choose something we already have in-house. Using specialty paper can add time to the printing process if we need to order it.
Additionally, some paper stocks may take longer to dry, while others may require additional finishing steps such as coating or laminating.
We'll happily explain this to you if you need help selecting!
5. Choose digital printing
Different printing methods have different printing speeds.
For example, digital printing is generally faster than offset printing, which is probably why it is one of the fastest-growing segments of the advertising industry!
If you are in a rush, digital printing is a smart way to speed up your print jobs without sacrificing quality.
In summary, there are several things you can do to help speed up the printing process and ensure that your project is printed quickly and efficiently.
If you're unsure how all of this works, call Metzgers and we'll talk you through it!