If you own a printing company, you likely have comprehensive knowledge of (and perhaps a working relationship with) trade printing.
This profitable business model allows resellers, including graphic designers, ad agencies, and copy shops, to purchase printed products from the trade printer at wholesale prices. Its use of advanced production technology makes trade printing cost-effective.
Before you choose a trade printer for your business, here is a guide to this valuable printing service.
What Is Trade Printing?
Trade printing describes the printing services and materials offered by trade printers to resellers at wholesale prices. These resellers, in turn, sell these products at competitive rates to their own customers. There is no direct contact between the trade printer and the end user. The trade printer either hands the printed materials over to the reseller or ships them directly to the end user without revealing their identity.
Who Is It Useful For?
Trade printing is mainly used by:
- i) Print brokers
- ii) Graphic designers
iii) Marketing/ad agencies
- iv) Copy shops
How Can Trade Printing Benefit Your Business?
Besides being a profitable business for printing industry resellers, trade printing has many other benefits.
- i) It Is Cost-effective: Whether your business needs digital or offset printing services, purchasing and maintaining expensive printing equipment requires significant investment. On the other hand, trade printers offer their services at affordable prices without you having to make this investment. This helps reduce your business’s capital expenditure.
- ii) It Uses Advanced Technology: Trade printers use high-end technology to satisfy the printing needs of their customers. Even though they do not deal with them directly, they are aware of the fact that their reputation depends on the quality of their work.
iii) It Saves Time: As you do not have to go through the tedious and time-consuming process of printing, you can save a lot of time to focus on other aspects of your business.
What Qualities Should You Look for in Trade Printers?
A good trade printer has the following qualities:
- i) It Is Efficient and Reliable: A good trade printer understands the needs of its customers and strives to produce results that meet those They also ensure that their work is completed and delivered on time.
- ii) It Offers Quick Turnabouts: A trade printer’s quick turnaround time demonstrates how professional they are. They should be able to work on your orders as soon as they get them.
iii) It Maintains Privacy: Trade printers will take your orders via resellers and deliver them through the same source. Even if they are directly shipping the products to you, they do not reveal their information.
- iv) It Offers Relevant Samples: A good trade printer provides catalogues and samples to understand their customers’ needs. By going through their samples, you will also be able to test the quality of their work and decide whether to hire them.
- v) It Should Guarantee Policies: If the client is not satisfied with the end result or has spotted an error, the trade printer should take responsibility for fixing it as soon as possible.
Trade printing is a profitable service within the printing industry. From graphic designers to marketing firms, many segments of this industry use its services to meet the needs of their clients. Trade printers maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with resellers. While resellers provide orders to trade printers from end users, the trade printers work on them and sell the end products at wholesale prices to the resellers. This satisfies all three parties.
