Should I buy my stationery through my designer?

Sometimes, it can be in your interest to have a designer create your new image and then supply the required stationery. However, it must be remembered that not all designers have access to 'trade prices' and you may well end up paying much more than necessary in the long run. For arguments sake, let's say your designs are finished and you now need 500 x 2 colour business cards, 1,000 2 x colour letterheads and 1,000 x 2 colour compliment slips. It's very easy to get on the net and check what you should roughly be paying for the above items. For instance, we work very closely with a number of designers. We offer them a trade discount and also 'suggest' what they should actually charge their client. This final price would then be no more than what the client would pay if they approached us directly.

However, some designers decide to go above the suggested markup price and in these cases, the client is paying over and above the normal rate. The client may decide that the designer is taking the risk, and if something should go wrong with the print it would be the designer's role to sort this out. However, this is the same scenario should they have approached a printer directly, and something goes wrong. A reputable printer will, if the problem is caused by themselves, put this immediately right, so in this case there really is no added benefit for outsourcing through your designer.

Providing the designer's print prices look reasonable, then there's nothing wrong with ordering your stationery through them. Be careful when offered an 'all-in' price. Sometimes a designer will price artwork and print together, so the client has no idea exactly what they are paying for.

It must be remembered that usually, a designer only has one bite of the cherry. i.e. Once the design has been completed, their services may not be required again so it's only natural that a designer looks for ways to boost their income, and selling print is a good way to achieve this. I know a number of designers who have built up a healthy portfolio of clients and make more money selling print, over design. Providing they have a fair and reasonable pricing structure this works well for all concerned - the designer, the printer and also the client.

One 'trick' I'm not keen on, and have seen this many, many times is when a designer instructs the client that in order to get a design done at a certain price, then the client must buy their stationery through the designer. Many people unknowingly walk into this one, believing it is normal industry practise. Not so. If you get the same message from your chosen designer, then I would suggest you look elsewhere as these tactics are questionable.

Anything else I need to consider?
With the proliferation of graphics programs readily available to the masses, there is now an abundance of inexperienced designers just starting out. Many have absolutely no experience of design for print, which is totally different than web design for instance. Designing for print is not something that can easily be taught in a short time. It takes years of experience to spot and allow for graphics-related problems that often crop up when dealing with the medium of print. Many have not grasped the concept between spot colours and 4 colour process (CMYK) printing and the implications on cost for the client. I've lost count of the times artwork has been presented to us as 2 colours, when the client's designer has supplied this as Photoshop .tiff's, which can only be produced using a 4 colour process. It wouldn't be the first time we've had to redraw artwork on the client's behalf, into a state that can be produced using 2 colours.

OK, we all have to start somewhere, but it can be a very expensive lesson when you're dealing with colour brochures / flyers or continuous computer stationery for instance.

As long as you've selected a designer who knows the ropes, and you can trust, then all should be ok.

Do a bit of homework on the prices and then take it from there. There are plenty of reputable print companies that will (should) give you free advice, (this site for instance), so don't be afraid to ask, as you could end up saving a lot of money.

more reading . . . Understanding spot and process colours 

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