Everyone knows a printer. It could be a friend or relative, or a printer your publication uses for the magazine, the insert cards, or advertising sales materials.When preparing a promotion mailing, however, there are many advantages to using a printer who specializes in direct mail.
You probably use a list broker to help you select and order lists for your direct mail campaigns. Why? Because you don't want to spend the time to contact every list owner and/or manager to order the various lists that you want to use. In addition, the list broker will suggest different lists that you can test, and can advise on what others have learned using the same or similar lists.
You would use a direct mail production agency for the same reasons. And just as using a list broker doesn't cost you a premium, a print broker need not add a penny to your bottom line costs.
I use the term "broker" because a direct mail production agency is, in fact, a print broker with extra services. This is true of almost any agency you work with. Hardly any direct marketing or general agency does its own printing. They all go out and buy it from printers. So they too are brokering the printing.
Direct mail production agencies differ from direct marketing agencies, by the way, in that they deal predominantly with the production and mailing of your direct mail package, while direct marketing agencies get more heavily involved with strategies, creative, lists and mechanicals.
A direct mail specialist knows the right printer for each component of your mailing. There is a "right" printer for your outer envelope, BRE, four-color brochure, two-color letter and computerized form. While one printer can do all these things, no one printer can do all these things best. There are also several different types of personalization available and there are different lettershops that are geared to working with different types of packages, e.g., personalized, jumbo, or Ink Jet.
If you don't get the "right" printer, you might get the lowest price, but will the printer know the legal size of a postcard? Will the printer know if the brochure will work on a Phillipsburg inserter? Will the printer know if the position of the window on the outer envelope lines up properly with the order form when it's addressed? Incomplete knowledge about any of these could cost you a lot of money and time.
Instead of making a printer fit your job into his plant, find the right plant to fit your job. That's better for everyone.
Next, the problem arises of coordinating all these suppliers. That takes time, too. Someone has to make sure that everything gets to where it's going on time, such as film for printing, forms for personalization, and all the materials for inserting. You could save money by doing everything yourself, but is it worth it?
There's one way to find out: Call someone and ask for a quote.
Proper Timing
If you decide to work with a specialist, get them involved early in your planning. It's never too early. A direct marketing production agency, just like any other agency, should be involved as soon as you start planning and working with creative people. Often you can get ideas that will save on production and mailing costs right away.What usually happens, however, is that the agency is asked in at the same time that other printers are asked to quote. That's okay too, it's not too late. At this time you've probably defined the job and have tight comps from which you can write up specifications for suppliers to bid on.
Standardize the Request for Quotation (RFQ) form that you use so that everyone who is quoting has the same specifications. Give them out in writing. If the salesperson can't come to your office, fax the RFQ or, if worse comes to worst, mail it.
The RFQ form shown in Figure 1 is the one that we use to get prices from our vendors. It is very simple and flexible, allowing for almost any set of specs. To show you how we use it, it is filled out for a simple letter. Figure 2 shows the RFQ filled out for a four-color brochure.
Figure 3 is the RFQ for a computerized order form. Note that we always specify the number of "names" that we need forms for. When dealing with forms that have more than one position on a press sheet, there is often confusion between names and forms. It is not uncommon to have forms that are two up, four up, six up or eight up. By always dealing in the number of names, we can make sure to minimize the problem.
After you have given out the RFQs, note who calls with what questions. It is easy to leave something off a spec. It happens all the time. You now have a great opportunity to see who understands what you're trying to do and who is thinking about the specs that you gave them. This should tell you a lot about the people you are thinking about working with.
Once you have the prices back, look at the total package cost. Some components might be more expensive on one quote than on another, but look at the cost of the total package. Remember the advantages of having one supplier do it all.
Production Pointers
After you have selected an agency, make all information and art available as soon as it is ready. You should get a production schedule from the agency. Usually, outer envelopes have the longest lead time, especially if they have a window other than standard.A standard window, by the way, is 1-1/8" X 4-1/2" and is located on the face of the envelope, 7/8" from the left and 1/2" from the bottom. Anything else is not a standard window. If the outer envelope takes the longest time to produce, have your artist finish that mechanical first.
The agency should show you proofs of all jobs. If the job is one-color or simple two-color work, a blueline should be sufficient for a proof. If the work is more complicated two-color, or more colors, but not process, make sure you see a color key proof. A color key, for those of you who've forgotten, is not used to show you a true color representation, only the color break. Color key material only comes in a few colors. The proper PMS number should be specified on the proof.
All four-color process work should be proofed with matchprints or cromalins. The best way to do this is to see loose chromalins or matchprints of the work that has been separated. Make any corrections to the color. Then, when you're happy, have the printer show you an overall matchprint or color key.
If the job has been properly proofed, it should not be necessary for you to go to a press okay. It is the printer's responsibility to match your proofs. If you think a judgment call will have to be made, then by all means go, or live with the call that the printer made if you give him that responsibility.
You should see samples of all printed pieces before any inserting is done in the lettershop. You should also see sign-off samples of any personalization. Don't have the lettershop do any work until all the components are at the lettershop.
I know of one case where a lettershop labeled order cards before the outer envelopes arrived because it seemed apparent where the labels should be placed. The envelopes, however, had been manufactured with the window located incorrectly. The choice was to either reprint the order cards and get a new set of 1MM labels and relabel, or reprint the outer envelopes. Neither option was inexpensive.
Should you visit the lettershop? This also should not be necessary if you have written good instructions and seen sign-off samples of each package. Finally, don't risk a delay at the very last stage: Send your postage check out early.
THE HORAH GROUP
49 West 37th Street
New York, NY 10018
212-921-4521
FAX 212-921-4831
Dick@horah.com
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