In today's world where everything takes place on �real time� and �immediate� it's hard to imagine an industry, such as printing, that orders take time to be processed and shipped. You will be glad to hear that the printing industry is evolving too, and technology has helped a lot. Turnaround times have really changed and it only takes about a week to print and ship in contrast with a few years ago, when printing was a month long process.
BargainPrinting.com has also evolved in the industry and today, our state of the art facility in New York showcases the latest technology that promises top quality and fast turnaround times.
Knowing how the printing industry works and how we process orders in-house will help you understand what defines turnaround times and plan your printing projects accordingly.
So what does your order go through once we receive it?
All orders once they are received, are being checked to assure that all necessary information was provided, and it is then passed on to the art department for file checking.
Whether you have asked for a proof or not, a very experienced designer will check the files for accuracy compared to the order details, quality, and format.
If a proof was requested, it will be uploaded to your account shortly after and the turnaround time for your job will only start counting from the day the proof was accepted. In the event that a proof was not required, the files will be checked and the turnaround time will start counting from the moment your files pass the inspection of the art department and they are confirmed as �good for printing�.
The order and file checking usually takes place within a few hours after an order was placed, although you should always allow yourself up to 2 business days for a proof or the files to be checked.
Depending on the product, a different process takes place to get it printed and for this reason turnaround times vary from product to product. We have two to three shifts a day of printing and pre-determined runs and that specifies more or less the turnaround times of the individual products.
Here are a few examples of how printing takes place and how turnaround times are being affected.
Brochures turnaround time: 2-5 Business days. It only takes 1 or 2 brochures to form a run. Runs fill out fast and they are queue to be printed faster than any other item we print.
Postcards turnaround time: 5 days. It takes about 9 lots of postcards (4� x 6�) to form a run. Due to high volume of postcards we print, runs fill up fast, and we are able to offer fast printing turnaround. You might not think of it, but drying after printing is a big part of the process. It might take more time for an item to dry than it actually took to have it printed. Heavy ink coverage, the type of paper chosen, and especially weather conditions, affect the drying time. Humid weather, heavy ink coverage, and thinner paper might require prolonged drying time. The turnaround times you are quoted factor in drying time.
Rushing through the process and cutting down on the turnaround time is a costly process, but necessary sometimes. Stopping the regular rhythm of printing to accommodate a rush order, putting an extra shift to accommodate a job that is needed to get out faster, or applying special coating to the job to dry immediately and save a day or two of drying time, all result in unexpected costs.
Knowing how the process works, understanding when turnaround times start and the reasoning behind them, will help you plan your printing project better, allow plenty of time for printing and drying and will save your self from unnecessary stress and expenses.
The following article provides a quick summary and a check list every print buyer should use.
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