Understanding the Contrast Between Print Brokerage & Print Management

As a business owner, you’ve likely heard of printers, print brokerages, and print management companies. But do you really know what each of these services do, and how they can benefit your business? This blog post will give you a comprehensive understanding of these three types of services, their differences, and the potential benefits they can bring to your business. Understanding these differences can help you determine which solution is best suited for your business, and helps you decide between managed print services, print brokerage, or a completely different print solution for your business. Let’s delve in.

Print Vendors

If you want to get a job printed, you might think about going directly to a printer or print vendor. This is an organisation that owns its own printing machinery and carries out the entire printing process within its own facility. 

In addition to printing, they usually offer graphic design and finishing services. This means that they can take care of everything from designing your print materials, to printing them, to adding the finishing touches that make them ready for distribution. However, a printer will often specialise in one specific print format, such as business merchandise, point of sale, car wrapping, large format printing, small format printing, etc. This is a calculated move to save operational expenses, and provide consumers with high-quality output, as the printer must own and operate all equipment. For most printers, therefore, operating on a specialty printing service is usually the wisest course of action. 

Print Brokers

Next on our list is print brokerage. This involves acting as an intermediary between a customer and a print vendor. Unlike a printer, a print broker does not own its own printing equipment nor does it manage the entire printing process.They don’t print anything themselves. Instead, they source the best print vendors for specific tasks and manage negotiations. Essentially, print brokers tap into a wider range of potential suppliers, ensuring that the end product aligns with the client’s budget and quality requirements.

Key Characteristics:

• Intermediary Role: Print brokers connect customers with the right print vendors for their specific needs.
• Vendor Network: Brokers typically have a network of trusted print vendors they work with.
• Negotiation: Focuses on getting the best prices and terms for print jobs.
• Project-Based: Often works on a project-by-project basis rather than managing ongoing print needs.

Benefits to Customers:

1. Cost Savings: Brokers can often secure better pricing through their relationships with vendors and bulk buying power.
2. Flexibility: Customers can choose the best vendor for each specific print job, rather than being tied to a single provider.
3. Expertise: Brokers bring industry knowledge and expertise to find the best solutions for customers’ printing needs.
4. Reduced Hassle: Customers do not have to deal with multiple vendors themselves; the broker handles all communication and logistics.
5. Scalability: Ideal for companies with varying print needs that do not require constant print management.

Print Management Companies

Print management or a Managed Print Solutions Provider is essentially the next level up from print brokerage. Rather than simply finding and negotiating with print vendors, print management companies oversee the entire printing process for an organisation. Print management services encompass everything from design and ordering to printing and delivery. They’re like your one-stop shop for everything print-related. They oversee the entire printing process. But like print brokers, they don’t do the actual printing themselves. They outsource to suppliers, choosing the lowest bidder for each job.

Key Characteristics:

• End-to-End Service: Print management covers the full lifecycle of printing, from initial concept to final delivery.
• Vendor Management: Often involves working with multiple print vendors to ensure the best quality and pricing.
• Optimisation: Focuses on streamlining processes, reducing waste, and optimising costs.
• Technology Integration: Utilises software and technology to manage print jobs, track orders, and maintain inventory.
• Print Strategy Consulting: Helps you make sense of your print needs and strategies for future projects.

• Warehousing & Inventory Management: Storage and tracking of all printed SKUs with live-date reports.

• Supply Chain Management: Handles the fulfilment and distribution of supplies from Point A to Point B.

Benefits to Customers:

1. Cost Efficiency: By optimising the printing process and reducing waste, print management can lower overall printing costs.
2. Time Savings: Customers save time as the print management company handles all aspects of the printing process.
3. Quality Control: Ensures high-quality output by managing vendor performance and maintaining standards.
4. Inventory Management: Reduces the need for customers to store large quantities of print materials by managing inventory levels and reordering as needed.
5. Strategic Insights: Provides data and insights to improve print strategies and make informed decisions.

“Essentially, a print management company is like having your own personal print department, without the cost and hassle of maintaining the infrastructure yourself.” – Jackie Byrne – Spectrum’s Sr. Print Manager.

Choosing the Right Printing Solution for Your Business

But how do you choose the best print service for your business? It boils down to a few key factors:

1. What is the volume of your print needs? If you require high-volume printing, a print management company with their ability to provide volume discounts and handle warehousing may be the better fit.
2. Do you require a wide variety of print products? A print broker or print management company, with their broad network of print vendors, may be better suited to meet diverse print needs.
3. How much control do you want over the print process? Print vendors provide more direct oversight, while print brokers and print management companies offer more flexibility.

Conclusion

As you can see, each of these three types of printing services has its own unique benefits. Depending on the specific needs of your business, you might find that one type of service is better suited to you than the others. The good news is that as a print management company, Spectrum is able to act both as a print broker and as a print management company, offering the best cost-benefit for your business and tailoring an end-to-end print strategy to help your business to thrive.