Most businesses print on a cycle without ever calling it that. Seasonal point of sale. Updated price lists. Brochures. Event materials. Onboarding packs. Promotional campaigns. When you look across a full year, print is rarely a series of completely separate jobs. It tends to repeat in predictable patterns. The problem is that many businesses still manage each requirement individually, often using different suppliers, paying repeated setup costs and ordering under time pressure.
That is where a print management company can help.
What is print management?
Print management companies coordinate an organisation’s overall print requirements rather than treating every job separately.
This can include:
- print specification and artwork
- sourcing and managing print suppliers
- production and quality control
- storage of finished print
- stock management
- call-off ordering
- kitting and distribution
Businesses often start by searching for a commercial printer in Ireland, but when print is recurring, multi-site or more complex, the bigger opportunity is usually to manage the requirement as a whole.
You can read more about the difference in our guide to print brokerage and print management.
Why recurring print should be planned
Every print run comes with setup, production and administration costs.
If the same brochure, leaflet or POS material is reordered several times during the year, repeated small runs can become more expensive than producing a larger quantity at once.
But bulk printing is not always the answer either.
Prices change. Products are discontinued. Branding is updated. Promotional offers expire. If content changes regularly, holding too much stock can leave a business with outdated print it cannot use.
The goal is to identify which materials are predictable enough to produce in volume and which should continue to be ordered in smaller quantities.
How to map your print requirements
A useful starting point is to review your print orders from the previous 12 months. Group them into categories such as:
- point of sale
- brochures and sales collateral
- event materials
- internal documents
- onboarding packs
- packaging inserts
Then look at three things.
How often was each item reordered?
Items ordered several times a year in similar quantities may be paying setup costs more often than necessary. These can be good candidates for a larger production run.
Why was it reordered?
If stock simply ran out, producing more at once may reduce costs. If the content changed, smaller and more frequent runs may still make sense.
Which jobs were urgent?
Recurring rush orders rarely show up as a line anyone notices, but expedited production and delivery can add up across a year. They may point to a requirement that could have been planned earlier. Once print activity is viewed across 12 months rather than job by job, opportunities to consolidate production are usually much easier to see. If you would rather not do this alone, talk to us about your recurring print requirements and we can help identify where production could be consolidated.
Print storage and call-off ordering
For stable, recurring print, businesses do not necessarily have to choose between frequent small orders and storing a full year’s supply themselves. A print-and-hold model allows a larger quantity to be produced in one run, stored centrally and released in smaller batches when required.
This can provide the economies of a larger print run while reducing the amount of stock held on site. It is particularly useful for businesses with multiple locations, regular campaigns or recurring requirements throughout the year. Stock is held centrally, picked in the quantities each location needs and delivered direct, so materials arrive without sites holding their own boxes. Spectrum combines print management with storage, stock control, kitting and distribution, allowing print to be produced, held and delivered as required.
Planning seasonal and peak print
Some print requirements are predictable because they happen at the same time every year.
Retail POS campaigns, Christmas activity, trade shows, product launches and seasonal promotions can all create periods of increased demand.
The earlier these projects are planned, the easier it is to secure production capacity and avoid unnecessary rush costs.
You do not necessarily need final artwork to begin planning. Quantities, formats, stock, finishes and delivery requirements can often be agreed in advance.
Working backwards from the date materials need to be in place is usually more effective than waiting until artwork is finalised before booking production.
How to plan retail POS print
Retail point of sale is one of the clearest examples of recurring print. Posters, shelf strips, wobblers, floor graphics, display units and promotional inserts may all need to reach multiple locations before a fixed campaign launch.
Planning the requirement centrally makes it easier to separate reusable materials from campaign-specific items, produce suitable quantities and distribute the correct materials to each site. For businesses running several POS campaigns during the year, this can turn a series of urgent print jobs into a much more predictable process.
When does print management make sense?
Print management is particularly useful for businesses that:
- order print regularly throughout the year
- use several print suppliers
- distribute materials to multiple sites
- store significant quantities of printed stock
- regularly reorder the same items
- need print, kitting and distribution managed together
The value is not simply finding the cheapest unit price. It is reducing the time, cost and administration involved in managing print across the business.
Talk to Spectrum about your print requirements
If your business orders print regularly, there may be opportunities to consolidate production, reduce repeated setup costs and simplify storage and distribution.
Talk to Spectrum about your upcoming print requirements, or learn more about our print management services.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is print management?
Print management is the coordination of a business’s print requirements, including sourcing, production, storage and distribution, rather than managing each print job separately.
How is print management different from using a printer?
A commercial printer typically produces the print itself. A print management company manages the wider process, including specification, supplier sourcing, production, quality, storage and distribution.
Is print management the same as managed print services?
No. Managed print services covers office printing equipment such as printers, photocopiers and toner supply. Print management covers the sourcing, production, storage and distribution of commercial print, including brochures, point of sale and marketing materials.
What is print and hold?
Print and hold means producing a larger quantity in one run, storing the finished stock and releasing it in smaller batches when needed.
Can printed materials be stored and released as needed?
Yes. Print storage and call-off ordering allow a larger quantity to be produced in one run, held centrally and released in smaller batches, with distribution direct to each location.
When should businesses plan seasonal print?
The earlier the better, particularly for fixed launch dates or peak periods. Production capacity, quantities and specifications can often be agreed before final artwork is complete.
What types of businesses use print management services?
Print management is commonly used by organisations with recurring, multi-site or high-volume print requirements, including retailers, professional services firms, manufacturers and larger organisations.