SIMPLIFYING THE PRINTING PROCESS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS
Seven Things to Consider Before You Go to Press Getting mission critical publications printed is a constant challenge for public sector organizations. Unwelcome last minute changes, scheduling dilemmas, budget issues and high pressure decisions that often arise during the publication process can stretch your resources to the breaking point. But printing doesn't have to be so stressful. Here are seven ideas from the printing experts at McLaren that will make it easier to get your publications printed on time, within budget and error free.
Technology Matters There's printing and then there's printing! While many different presses can print your job, only a handful can do it properly. The right technology produces consistently sharp, brilliant colour, vibrant photo reproduction, controlled dot gain and excellent ink coverage. To get the best value choose a printer, like McLaren Press, that provides all prepress, printing, binding and shipping services under one roof. One-stop printing will bring you consistent quality, faster turn-around and more predictable costs. Drew McLaren President drew@mclarenpress.com
Pre-Press is as Critical as Printing In printing, quality in equals quality out. That's why printers like McLaren invest so much time and money in the pre-press department. Pre-press is the vital process of preparing and staging your publication for printing. A pre-press department with experienced, customer-focused staff will work with you one-on-one to make sure that the electronic files you provide are error-free and properly prepared for the plate making and printing stages of production. At McLaren, our pre-press department is available around the clock to handle customer inquiries and make last-minute changes. We want everything to be perfect before the presses roll. Ron Raynard prepress@mclarenpress.com
Successful Printing Takes Partnership When you are sourcing your print job, look for a printer willing to invest time and effort in understanding your organization's needs and goals. In other words, look for a printing partner who is committed to help you meet your business objectives, a partner willing to become part of your team. We believe that the deeper we understand your organization and its culture, the better we can satisfy your printing needs. Armed with such knowledge, our people are able to make the right decisions during the production process to deliver outstanding results. Sarah McLaren sarah@mclarenpress.com
Printing is Not a 9-to-5 Business When your deadlines are tight, work hours often include nights and weekends. To be sure that help is available when you need it, look for a printer, like McLaren, that offers 24/7 accessibility. As a McLaren customer, you can reach a member of our printing team anytime you need advice or assistance, night or day. When you call outside of regular business hours, a printing expert in our production department picks up the phone. Tell us what you need, and we'll make sure you have it. Brad Marple brad@mclarenpress.com 705 641-1511
There's No Substitute for Experience There is no secret that we live in a knowledge age. Printers need to know a lot more than just how to run a printing press; they need the kind of knowledge that is acquired through broad experience. Before McLaren became a printing company, we were a publisher of specialty and community publications. This experience, along with a quarter-century-long track record servicing organizations like yours, has given us a unique understanding of both the challenges and opportunities you face. From our sales team through to our production staff and management, we have unsurpassed experience in all aspects of print production. There is simply no substitute for this experience.
Price Does Not Always Reflect Your Cost When you establish the tender process for printing, make sure that you give adequate weight to critical elements beyond just the lowest price. For example, a printer with an experienced sales and production team that fully understands your business can help you plan, simplify and streamline the process. This prevents mistakes, saves you time and stress, and avoids costly last minute changes. McLaren's customers consistently find that because we take responsibility for the printing process from beginning to end, their costs are more predictable, schedules are met and the job is done right. Rick Ribble rick@mclarenpress.com 705 645-0804
Be Open to New Ideas If you are open to new ideas, you may find a better and less costly way to produce results. For example, you can change the size or format of your publication to maximize press and pre-press efficiency. You can adjust your spreads to localize colour reproduction, reduce the number of plates, and save make-ready time. The type, weight and quality of paper selected also affects costs. We often combine a glossy cover printed on our sheet-fed press with contents printed on our web press to create a publication with extra eye appeal and a prestige feel while not breaking the bank. When we know what you want to achieve, we can show you the options that best fit your objectives. Julie Anne McLaren julie@mclarenpress.com 705 644-1729
McLa Mc Lare ren n is McLar cLaren en Pre ress ss Gra Graph phics ics is a tech echn nologi ologicall cally-advanced, y-advanced, full-serv full-servic ice e prin inte terr of speci special alty ty publi publiccat ation ionss an and d comm community unity newspaper newspaperss working fr fro om a 25,000 squa square re foot, com compa pan ny-own y-owned ed plant in Ont Ontar ario’ io’ss Musko Muskok ka heartland. A fa fami mily ly owne wned d and operated company wit with h graphi graphiccs in ind dustry roots that go back fou ourr gen ener erat ations, ions, McLar McLaren en is one of Canada Canada's 's fas faste test st growing gr owing comm commer ercia ciall prin rintter ers, s, and is now ranked among the top 40 printe printers rs in Ca Canada nada.. Kno nown wn for our innovative spir pirit, it, pas passion sion for quality and commi commitm tment ent to cus custom tomer er se service, rvice, McLar McLaren en is Ontario's choi choice ce fo forr consistency, re reli liabi abilit lityy an and d va valu lue e. Cont Co ntaact our sales te teaam at: 1-800-465-1662 or vi visi sitt our web ebssit itee at: www. ww.mcl mclarenpr arenpress. ess.com com
www.m www. mclar arenpre enpress. ss.com com