header pattern
Home > Blog > Beyond cutting print costs: the many other roles of print management companies

Beyond cutting print costs: the many other roles of print management companies

The growth of print management has far outpaced that of the print industry as a whole. The world of print management is changing rapidly. Only a few years ago, the role of print management companies was simply to act as a middleman between the client and print suppliers in order to secure savings on print. However, today’s print management companies are very different – and are able to provide far more value to their clients. Take a look at some of the areas of expertise that good print management companies are able to provide.

 

Design

To make the biggest savings on print, the design of the printed products must be evaluated. Companies with no print specialists on board may be unaware of the huge savings that a small tweak to paper size could make. Print management companies should be able to offer input at the design level, recommending small tweaks and larger design changes that can reduce the money spent on printing these designs. Some print management companies will have their own design studios, and may even be able to lead a company rebrand.

 

Storage and stock control

It’s important for businesses to have a stock of key printed materials that are available for them to use at short notice. It’s economical for printers to carry out longer print runs, while a series of short print runs can be wasteful and costly. This means that storage of printed materials is important. Small businesses may not have space on-site to physically store these materials, or they may require another level of security that the business doesn’t have the capacity to meet. Print management companies are able to work with storage providers (or provide their own storage) to give this service to clients.

 

Fast delivery

Today’s print management companies don’t just secure savings on print – they are also able to speak to their network of contacts and secure speedy deliveries of one-off, urgent print runs.

 

Consultants

Perhaps the biggest change to print management companies over the past five years is that they have significantly increased their roles as consultants to their clients. Many print management companies will offer clients additional advice on how to reduce print costs at every stage of the process. If a company has a query about design, print or print management, a smart print management company will answer it. In a sense, this means that these companies are training their clients in print management – a counter-intuitive move, perhaps. However, much of the value of print management is in reducing the management burden that the company faces – in terms of time and effort, not just money.


If you’d like to work with a print management company that can provide you with all these services and more, contact PMG Print Management and find out how you could benefit from print management.

pattern up green pattern down