Our Recommended Booklet Printing Companies:

Before you commit to work with a specific printing company, find out a few important thing, like:

Turnaround time: How long will it take for the work to be completed? What company will they ship through and how long will it take? Find these things out ahead of time so that you can compare them to other quotes you receive. Turnaround times vary widely between printing companies. They even vary between products. Some companies take 24 hours to turnaround a product that another company takes a week or more to complete.

Compare Quotes - It is recommended that you receive at least 5 printing quotes before you decide which company to work with. Compare all the factors and even ask for quotes on better printing features than you need. You might be able to get a deal on more than what you expected. Look for companies that specialize or have special offers on the product you need. Printing companies specialize in different things. Some companies can charge much less on a product than others do.

Ask For a Physical Proof - With something as complex as a booklet, it’s important that you ask the printing company to send you a physical proof in the mail so that you can double check the colors, artwork, printing, finish and weight. This is something that could keep you from having to pay for a second printing of the whole order.

Our Recommended Decal Printing Companies:

Here are some things to keep in mind before your next decal printing job:

1. Ask for a sample package: Most printing companies offer a sample kit or sample package so that you can handle sample die cut stickers or decals. You will want to feel the texture, finish and weight of the stickers and compare them to several other printing companies before you decide.

2. Shop Around For Low Costs: Printing companies vary widely with costs. Some specialize in certain products and because of equipment or other reasons are able to offer deep discounts on certain products like decals or die-cut stickers that other printing companies are unable to offer. It’s important to compare at least 4-5 companies quotes on decal stickers before you decide.

3. Ask About Turnaround Time: Most printing companies vary when it comes to turnaround times. Find out what shipping companies they use, how long they expect delivery to take and how much it will cost you. These factors can help you make a decision and weigh the entire quote. The shipping factor can make or break a deal when cost and time are issues. Some companies offer 24 hour turnaround times on decals and others can take over a week or more.

4. Choose Durable and Moisture Resistant: Make sure you choose a decal or sticker paper that is durable and moisture resistant. Compare those between companies to make sure you are getting the most for your money. If you go cheaper on quality, it could make a negative impression on your customers.

Recommended Brochure Printing Companies:

Before you commit to working with a company, make sure you compare a few factors:

Turnaround time
Color and Print Quality
Cost
and
Check Customer Feedback With the BBB

Also, many brochure printers right now are running discounts and special offers on their websites for brochures. Make sure you compare multiple companies and try to take advantage of some of the deep discounts you can receive printing brochures right now.

Recommended Postcard Printers:

Most commercial printers are able to print full color postcards. Here are a few things to look for in a postcard printer:

Low Cost: Postcards are one of the most cost efficient ways to contact your customers through direct mail. Make sure you have compared at least 5 printing companies quotes before you commit to work with a commercial printing company.

Quality: Ask your prospective printing company to send you a physical sample of their work. You will want to make sure their printing quality is professional and attractive.

Ask About Turnaround Times: Turnaround times vary widely between printing companies. Turnaround times also vary per product. One type of product may have a 24 hour turnaround time while another might take weeks to complete. Find this information out ahead of time.

Recommended Pamphlet Printing Companies:

Here are some tips on getting the most quality for your money when printing pamphlets:

Shop Around - Compare prices with different printing companies.  Pricing can vary widely between printing companies as most printing companies have different specialties.  Its best to get quotes from multiple printing companies before you make a commitment.

Compare Quality of Work - Ask the salesperson if they will mail you samples of their print work.  Seeing the work in person will give you an idea of what you can expect from that company.

Consider the Turnaround Time - Are you in a time crunch?  If time is money when it comes to getting your pamphlets printed, find out ahead of time.  Printing companies turnaround time vary widely.  Some companies have 24 hour turnaround for the same service that other companies take over a week to complete and ship.

Our Recommended Commercial Printing Companies:

Here are some important things to compare when looking for in a commercial printing company.

1. Check For Quality Work - Quality with digital commercial printing can vary widely also.  Talk to a salesperson at the company you are considering and ask to see some physical samples in the mail.  Look at the companies artwork and see what their equipment is capable of printing.  Find out what DPI the company typically prints at for the particular product you are considering.  Compare these numbers with different companies.

2. Find Out the Turnaround Time - Turnaround times vary widely with commercial printing companies.  Make sure you find out exactly what those times are before you commit to working with a specific company.  Also, the turnaround times can vary within a company depending on what product you are printing. 

For instance, perhaps the company you are considering has a 24 hour turnaround time on business cards, but takes 2 weeks to print catalogs.  Find out those specifics.  If waiting for a long turnaround costs you extra money, it might not be worth the savings to wait for your printing job to be completed.

3. Shop Around For Low Costs - Companies vary widely in pricing also.  Shop around for promotions.  Many companies will offer specials on certain products. 

As an example, if you are looking to print brochures, a commercial printing company may be running a special on brochures of 20% off or the first 100 brochures for free.  It’s crucial to shop around and compare quotes between companies, especially if you are starting with a short run.  Short runs have some of the widest ranges in pricing between companies.

Commercial Printing Companies Have Different Specialties - Commercial printing companies vary widely depending on their specialty.  Some companies specialize more in large runs, others in short runs, some in postcards and brochures and others CD or DVD covers and inserts and so on.  Take the time to shop around for the best quality for your money.

Here are our recommended CD & DVD cover and insert printing companies online:

There are quite a few little details that are important to cover before you print a cd or dvd cover or insert. There are a lot of little things that can go wrong and cause you to have to re-run your printing job. This adds a lot of unnecessary costs and can cause you to double the expense of your project.

Check spelling and grammar carefully. Make sure you carefully check the spelling and grammar on the text of your cover or insert. This is one oft overlooked thing. Even when you think you have checked the cover or insert carefully, missing one thing can cause you to have to rerun the project.

Shop around. Compare at least 5 quotes on your printing costs. Make sure the companies printing quality is excellent before you commit.

Order a physical sample proof. There are a lot of little details that you can miss when checking your text, design and artwork online. Order a physical proof in the mail so that you can see what the finished product will look like.

Consider the turnaround time. Consider the turnaround time that printing company offers. Turnaround times vary widely from company to company. You will want to take that into consideration before you commit.

Spend the extra time and money on design. Make sure the design, layout and artwork are professionally done, even if you use a template. The cover art on a cd or dvd make a big impression on the customer. If you aren’t sure which direction to go with the design, its better to go more simple than to choose a design that might be unappealing and less professional to your customer.

Here are our top recommended catalog printing companies online:

Make sure your catalog design is attractive and professional. Catalogs make a big impression on customers. If your catalog is poorly designed, it can actually deter customers.

It is worth spending the extra money and time to have an attractive catalog design. There are many professional looking catalog templates available online for free. Check the website of the printing company you want to work with. Many of these companies have free catalog templates available to create your design with.

Also, make sure you compare at least 4 quotes from different printing companies before you commit.

Consider the turnaround time that specific company offers. Turnaround times vary widely from company to company. You will want to take that into consideration before you commit.

Don’t lose money reprinting your next printing job. There are many factors to a printing job that are often overlooked. There are many variables that can go wrong that end up costing a lot of money after re-printing a job.

Whether you are planning on printing, flyers, banners, booklets, catalogs, brochures, postcards, calandars, letterhead or CD & DVD covers, make sure you have done all of the following:

1. Carefully Check The Spelling on Your Artwork - This is one of the most frequent causes of having to re-run a printing job. Take time to carefully go over the text in your brochure, business card, cd or dvd cover art, insert or sleeve and any other printed material with text on it.

2. Consider the Turnaround Time - Companies vary widely on turnaround time. Sometimes printing companies can take weeks to accomplish a project that other can companies can do in just a few days. Some printing companies specialize in overnight turnarounds. Consider what your timing needs are and shop around for a company that meets those needs.

3. Pricing - Consider pricing on the larger orders even when you are starting with a small run. People will often continue to order with a more expensive company since it’s the company that already has their artwork on file, they’ve already worked with them, etc. - Its just easier. So, take those factors into account ahead of time and consider the pricing on the larger orders before you even start to work with a printing company.

4. Spend The Extra Time (or money) on Design - A professional, sharp looking design is crucial for every business. It is difficult to overcome the negative impression made on a customer by poorly & cheaply designed brochures, letterhead, postcards, banners, posters, DVD & CD cover art, inserts and more. Shop around for the most talented graphic designer you can find. The high quality presentation to your customers will pay you back and more.

5. Order a Physical Sample Proof of Your Print Before You Start The Job - It may seem that you only need to view your samples online, but many times the product looks different when you are looking at a physical copy of it. If you are printing business cards or a basic postcard, it may not be necessary, but if you are doing something more complex like a calandar, brochures, posters, catalogs, CD or DVD labels, covers or inserts, then you should order a physical copy.

6. See if You Can Save Money By Using a Template - Although getting a custom design from a talented coder is best, if your business uses a common theme, then you might be able to get away with using a template. If the template looks professional, you can save yourself potentially hundreds of dollars in designer fees.

7. Use Standard Sizes - When printing, make sure you use standard sizes in order to get the lowest pricing.

8. For Small Runs, Use Digital Printing - Digital printing is the way to go for most small businesses and small printing runs. With digital printing there is very little setup expense.

9. Use Lighter Paper - If you can, use lighter weight paper to save money. For brochures 130 gsm should be enough and 300 gsm for business cards.

10. Look for Promotions - Many printers are offering major discounts for first time customers. Printing companies will often offer a package discount on a certain amount of business cards or brochures. Do a search online for promotions on the printing products you need. Some companies even offer a certain amount of printed products for free with the purchase of another printed product. Just make sure the quality of the prints are good. Don’t forget to ask for that sample proof in the mail!

Top Recommended Printing Companies Online

It’s crucial to create a menu that looks professional and sharp, whether or not you decide to include images of food on your menu.  A cheap looking menu can affect the overall success of a restaurant as a business.

There are many free restaurant menu templates available online, but many of the “free” templates are not professional looking.  The better looking templates are often downloadable but for a fee.  However, sometimes paying for a template is still much cheaper than the cost of hiring a professional graphic designer to design your menu.

Make sure before ordering prints of your menu, that you order a physical sample of your menu.  Even when you have checked the look of the menu online, seeing it in reality can make you see it very differently.  Save yourself money by ordering a physical sample of the menu’s first.

You often need to use some kind of photo editing software to edit your menu template.  Make sure you have that software if you need it. 

Many printing companies offer templates right on their website for you to create a design with.  However, be aware that once you create the design, you might only have the option to print through that one company.  Before you start the design process, make sure you are using the software of the company you also want to print through.

Our Recommended Sources for Restaurant Menu Templates: