Category: Best Practice

Our trade printing process is fast – we can guarantee that. What we can’t guarantee, however, are shipping times. This comes down to a few factors but it boils down to the fact that we don’t control the courier process.

Everything up to the point of dispatch has been designed by us for efficiency. Automation, print modes, human inputs (where necessary), printing equipment placement – it’s all honed and continually reviewed. We’ve previously discussed how printing cut off times underpin our efficiencies – unfortunately couriers don’t operate the same way.

So whilst we can estimate when a pickup run may occur (particularly for couriers who do daily runs) it’s not an exact science.

When ordering with Mediapoint, and any trade printer really, be aware that there may be variance in delivery time. We can guarantee the printing will be done within our allotted timeframe – but not anything past the point of dispatch.

So let’s outline a few things print resellers can do to mitigate delays:

1) Provide all Label Information for Dependable Shipping Times

Shipping information is an often overlooked point of criticality in the production process. How fast an order can be completed and dispatched hinges on having correctly labelled items.

By providing all shipping information and labels when placing an order means no downtime when a print job hits production. Once a job is placed into our printing production line it cannot be changed – neither can dispatch information. For the sake of efficiency and accuracy printers will require this info upfront. It’s up to the customer to confirm all the courier details / requirements – but it’s really not that much of a burden. 

Whilst we cannot guarantee shipping times at Mediapoint, we can promise that your print job will be on the production floor within a short time when ordering by the cutoff. It’ll be ready for dispatch the next business day at the latest.

2) Leverage Your Courier Options for Print Jobs

Mediapoint customers have the choice of multiple couriers for delivery of print jobs. We maintain strong relationships with many couriers to limit the impact that delays or unavailability of one courier can have on delivery times.

We have TNT, StarTrack and CouriersPlease completing daily pick ups to maximise distribution and mitigate delays for delivery across the country.

If customers prefer (or require) a bespoke/ or alternative shipping method that’s fine too. They just need to provide the label at ordering and time the pickup for when the job is complete. We encourage print resellers and print brokers to investigate the various delivery options available to them.

3) Use a Dependable Trade Printer

When you utilise a dependable, efficient trade printer you can be sure that the actual print process delay orders. Plus, a reputable printer will general have several options for delivery to give customers the best chance of receiving print jobs ASAP. Our Lean, efficient  processes and minimal manual handling or service not only enables us to pass savings onto our customers. It also means we can guarantee printing turnaround times to the point of dispatch.

Our customers love that they can on-sell print with better margins, and peace-of-mind that whilst delivery times can’t be guaranteed they are still likely to receive them within an adequate window

Mediapoint has made the print process easier for all parties by being clear about our requirements and guarantees. If you’d like a dependable, reputable trade printer – set up an account and give us a try.

Today we’re delving into what our automated trade printing quotes mean for customers and why we’ve invested in such a system.

Automation underpins the effectiveness (and efficiency) of our printing processes. It enables Mediapoint to deliver on turnaround guarantees for over 150 orders a day. This ability for a trade printer to deliver is critical. Without a slick process in place it would be very hard for teams to achieve targets. That’s not to mention that some trade printing businesses use a manual quoting process as throttle / delay.

Whilst we dictate our own internal processes we always ensure these are centred on delivering value for our trade clients.

At Mediapoint we identified that speed of service and the benefits of automation don’t just start when an order is confirmed. A majority of our customers require a system that allows them to get their print jobs done (including quoting) seamlessly and at speed.

Not only is much of our proofing and production driven by technology – so is our best-in-class self serve print portal.

Everyone Saves Time with Automated Print Quotes

The pricing process can really drag on (and be seriously delayed) without an automated quoting system in place. Think of the emails or phone calls back and forth, the different databases to connect to, and the possibility of human error switching between different systems. These elements are present on both the printer and customer’s side.

With an automated system there is minimal friction, less requirement for human input (meaning we can have our team focus on delivering quality print jobs), and the ability to shift from quoting to printing instantly.

Time is a valuable resource; wasting it costs you and your Trade Printer money. Not to mention lost opportunities to be focusing on more important work.

At Mediapoint any savings made in time and labour are passed on to our customers – through the automated system delivering the quotes!

Automated Trade Printing Quotes Minimise Errors

Through the use of automation we can leverage computing power and integration to ensure that prices are correct in real-time. In combination with our self serve print portal and embedded print pricing model ordering is easy, accurate and fast.

 It eliminates the need for our staff members to check over multiple pricing tables, inventory databases, and equipment availability before providing a quote. Plus, any ‘ghosts in the system’ will be flagged for review. This provides us with peace-of-mind that there is a system in place to highlight any issues that do arise.

As a fail-safe we do routine checks to confirm our system for automated trade printing quotes works as intended. Our priority however is for our staff to be on the production floor delivering on print jobs. That is where the real value of a trade printer is delivered and where having our skilled staff is necessary.

Resellers Love Our Self Serve Print Portal

The ability for clients to access live-pricing and get accurate quotes quickly is a significant factor itself. By expediting the ordering process our print resellers and print brokers can confidently estimate turnaround to their own clients. Plus, it eases the burden on their teams when it comes to pricing and project managing jobs.

Speed of communication is important for resellers and print shop managers wanting to establish (and sustain) good relationships with their clients.

Automated trade printing quotes support this from the very outset. After all – wouldn’t you as a customer of any business prefer to deal with those that have prompt and clear responses?  Any way we can help our clients in this area is something we take very seriously.

Mediapoint has grown to be one of Australia’s biggest and most experienced trade-only printers over 16+ years. If you’re looking for a printing partner who makes it easier to quote, produce and deliver on print jobs for your clients – sign up today.

Learn more about the Mediapoint ordering process and why we require all shipping information / labels for print orders upfront.

Simply put: our print process is too fast to wait around for shipping information.

We need all info and necessary labels at the start of an order because once it’s confirmed every step of production and dispatch is locked in. We’ve invested time and money into creating a streamlined print process underpinned by leading edge technology. Once a job is placed into the production schedule it cannot be changed.

If you’re ordering any of our products with next-day turnaround guarantees (and order by the 12pm cutoff) it’s highly likely that your order will be on the production floor within a few hours and ready for dispatch the next business day.

Shipping information and labelling is an often overlooked point of criticality in the production process. How fast an order can be completed and dispatched hinges on having correctly labelled items.

Lack of Shipping Information Causes Delays

We run a double shift at Mediapoint and teams work until 10pm to ensure all jobs for the next day’s dispatched are finished, packaged and ready for collection by the various couriers. To have this completed on-time, everyday, we require all shipping information to be ready ahead of job completion. 

For other trade printing businesses, who leave this information until last, delays in dispatch are quite common. They need to chase down the required labels, destination and delivery partner while jobs are already in QA or waiting for dispatch. We think this is a particularly wasteful practice and want to ensure the most efficient turnaround for our clients. Any time a job is sitting idle in the facility is wasted time and potentially damaging to the reputation of our resellers.

Courier / Shipping Options from Mediapoint

Mediapoint customers have the option of selecting from a few different options at the point of ordering. There are a couple nuances for each option which we highlight below:

Direct Courier

If a point-to-point courier is requested (and therefore organised by the customer) the shipping information required a diamond label with the address. Simply select this option on our portal when ordering and note the address for shipping.

Road Freight

To ensure that our jobs can be dispatched across the entire country with ease and speed we have multiple carriers doing daily runs from our facility. As of September, 2022 we have TNT, StarTrack and CouriersPlease completing daily pick ups. To be included in these runs you’ll just need to create the label and provide at time of ordering.

Ad-Hoc Carrier / Shipping Method

If you require a bespoke/ or alternative method of shipping you’ll need to provide the label at ordering and time the pickup for when the job is complete. To accurately determine the required shipping information you can ask our team for an estimate of time for a job to be complete, or review our product guides. Most items will be ready for pickup next-day when ordered by the 12pm cutoff.

Clarity for Customers

Our Lean process and minimal manual service on the front end saves time and money. It enables us to price as well as we do and pass savings onto our customers. Being able to on-sell print with better margins, and peace-of-mind around turnaround times, is an appealing tradeoff for having to prepare shipping information at the time of ordering. It just requires a small process change from some customers to access the fastest trade printing turnaround times.

By being clear about our requirements we’ve made the ordering process much simpler for everyone leading to fewer mistakes, faster turnaround, and less time spent on administration.

Read on (and watch) to learn why we have strict, print job cut off times for certain products. We break down how that enables service levels above and beyond the competition.

Mediapoint averages 150+ orders a day. To deliver on these with next-day turnaround, we have established Lean processes that other trade printers can’t compete with.

A strict printing cut-off time of 12pm underpins these procedures. At this time, every day, our system automatically locks out any new next-day orders. From there, automations begin to run; preparing all inventory, equipment, artwork files and staff required for a batched print run.

Print Job Cut Off Times Create Predictability

Keeping strict printing cut off times (and making it clear to customers) means a predictable service level for customers. With no variance in lead times they have peace-of-mind that jobs will be completed and dispatched as expected.

It means that our printing teams have a clear set of tasks to complete. That means we can adequately prepare our lines for maximum efficiency. Set print job cut off times are key to batching jobs, minimising change to stock and print modes during operation.

We’ve previously discussed locking into one print mode only which helps maintain quality and speed.

Printing Once A Day Reduces Costs

We pride ourselves on offering the best prices. To do so we need to find savings wherever possible – all of which are passed onto our clients. Inventory represents a significant portion of any print cost. A batching process helps us keep an optimal amount of inventory on hand. Plus, we end up using less resources per print run. Trade printers need definitive print job cut off times to effectively schedule completion of these job batches.

Another overlooked cost of printing is labour. This rises significantly when print runs are not batched. The time it takes to set up equipment for each differing print run, to cut print jobs, to complete finishing work and to package items are all areas where great savings can be made. In combination with our automated PrintIQ system – which reduces the need for manual servicing of quotes and design – we significantly reduce costs.

These savings then provide margin for our print reseller customers to play with when on-selling work.

Mediapoint’s Print Process Benefits Our People

The batching process and printing cut off times mentioned above mean our staff just need to complete each task once before moving onto the next stage of the print run. They become more efficient and we can do more, with less people. Unlike other trade printers, our teams are not burdened by wastes of rework or overproduction. In fact, our staff gain valuable time back and are involved in every stage of the work, allowing them to build and maintain their skillset.

Our Process Keeps Us Honest

Our established, automated system for overnight printing means there is minimal variance in our output and a predictable low-touch level of service. This reduces friction in the ordering process, and allows us to be transparent about how jobs are handled.

This visibility is useful for resellers looking for the right trade print partner for high volume output. It removes the guesswork involved in the print process for them and ensures they can deliver on service levels to their own customers. 

We’ve established our print job cut off times based on experience and optimisation over the last 16 years of servicing high volume resellers. In that time we’ve identified that the 12pm cutoff provided an ideal lead-time for a majority of our clients and our internal processes. Furthermore when rush print jobs are required (which we don’t cater to) our customers’ in-house capabilities can handle them.

As we say, “the proof is in the print” so if you’re looking for a trade print partner that can deliver on high volume jobs day-in, day-out, give our 24-hour turnaround process a try on your next high volume print run. Simply sign up to PrintIQ here and order by 12pm for dispatch by next business day.

Jamie shares several tips to minimise delays and achieve optimal output from your large format printing.

1) Always Use Vectors Where Possible

When creating / supplying artwork, utilise vectors – these are your best friend! Vectors are images created from shapes based on mathematical formulas. This keeps them sharp no matter how large the artwork needs to be. Don’t worry – you don’t need to know the tech or mathematics behind it all. Your graphic design software should look after that. The reason we (and other printers) recommend vectors is that they are sharper than Rasters. With rasters, there is always a point where the images will pixelate. Rasters are essentially a photo – hence the inability to scale infinitely. In large format printing this is invaluable as it eliminates the possibility of any issues.

Even better, vector images contain the CMYK values of a graphic which leads to more accurate colour output in the finished print.

2) Ensure Fonts Are Converted to Outlines

Fonts are perhaps the most fickle element when it comes to supplied artwork – just ahead of colours. Due to the variety of fonts in existence and the legal / technical limitations of having them stored within a database, you should always convert your text elements to outlines. Without conversion there’s a high chance your printer may not have the font available and it will be automatically substituted by their graphic design software. This is particularly true of bespoke fonts or those in languages that do not use the English alphabet.

There are other processes to workaround these issues – like flattening of an image file – however this can create other issues that need fixes of their own. By simply converting fonts to outlines you can ensure that artwork will print as it is provided, and avoid any delays to printing.

Most trade printers will not undertake proofing and require artwork to be provided in this way. This allows for automation and expedited printing with minimal service requirements. If you want to better understand what is required by your trade printer, and find the right match, we recently discussed the fundamental questions to ask.

3) Flatten Gradients Where Possible

When it comes to gradients (unlike Fonts), flattening is a useful process to ensure an accurate finished product. If you leave gradients as a raster, or simply a selected effect option in a PDF, it may be interpreted differently depending on the Raster Image Processing Software (RIPS) used by the printer. Not all RIPS are made the same, so it is best to standardise your images and eliminate the chance of gradients going awry in your wide format printing.

It’s always safer to flatten your gradients and it doesn’t take long – so what have you got to lose?

4) Utilise CMYK For Large Format Printing

Always create and supply your print artwork in CMYK colour format. Conventional large format printing is done using CMYK inks, so you’ll want to ensure your artwork matches. Whilst it may be tempting to use RGB in this digital age, that colour format is only best for screen / web design. Quite often we find people are surprised by the difference in colour between a digital RGB file and a sample CMYK print output.

By using CMYK from the very beginning you’ll be able to see the actual output throughout the entire processes. This leads to accurate printing, a better idea of the finished product to set expectations, and satisfied customers.

BONUS: Inspect Your Artwork At 100% On Screen

Here’s a bonus tip we’ll throw in for free: make sure you view your PDF Files at 100%!

This simple trick can pay dividends down the line and help you avoid any issues with large format printing quality. By viewing at 100% you will get an idea of the actual quality of images and see any potential pixelation.

For those more technically-inclined here’s what this means from a DPI perspective:

• If the file is 10% then make sure to zoom in at 1000% to see the artwork as it will end up.

• 120 DPI for raster photos at 100% size is what we generally recommended. Going over this is likely overkill and will see diminishing returns.

An example: For banner files at 10% size, ensure that it is set up at 1200 DPI so when blown up it gets to the 120 DPI mark.

Eliminating Errors From Wide Format Printing

So there you have it – our top tips for eliminating any issues when utilising a trade printing partner. We’ve worked thousands of print jobs over the years; by following these recommendations our customers have accelerated their print processes and eliminated the burden of rework / delays.

If you’re a high volume print reseller looking for a trade-only printing partner with a wide range of products speak to us today.

In this article we discuss the best practices for optimal large format printing in this video and accompanying article.

Many of our customers have prior experience with differing forms of printing – offset, small format, merchandising, and screen printing. Large format printing, however, has its own nuances. So getting across these best practices can help you expedite printing, save headaches, and achieve better printing results.

Convert Fonts In Your Large Format Printing Artwork to Outlines

Fonts, like colours, are a particularly tricky element of printing artwork. There are legal / technical limitations when it comes to fonts. You can never be sure the printer will have the font you require available. So to mitigate any issues you should always convert your text elements to outlines. Without conversion it’s likely to be automatically substituted by graphic design software. This is particularly true of custom fonts or those in languages that do not use the English alphabet.

Converting fonts into outlines ensures that artwork will print as it is provided. Quite often we see text elements being the cause of delays to wide format printing. There are other processes that can help, like flattening of an image file but this create other issues.

Most trade printers will not undertake proofing – so double check your work before sending. Conducting conversion of text elements and following the other tips below will set you up for success. If you want to better understand what is required by your trade printer, and find the right match, we recently discussed the fundamental questions to ask.

Use CMYK & Pantone For Accurate Colour Matching

Always setup your artwork files in CMYK and not RGB. Whilst RGB is the go-to for digital design, the finished, printed colours won’t match. Trust us – there is quite the difference in colour between an RGB specification and the CMYK print output.

If you’re after a very specific colour match you’ll want to go a step further. Specify a Pantone C colour to correctly match and achieve your desired output. As colours can change from inkset to inkset, Pantone C colouring specifications keep wide format printing profiles in check.

Aim For 120DPI in Any Photos

Keep to the golden number of 120DPI photos to be printed in a large format. Any lower than this and it’s highly likely pixelation will occur. If you go too high you run the risk of RIP (Raster Image Processing) issues due to massive file sizes.

There really is no need to overdo it on the DPI. Don’t forget: most large format printing is designed to be viewed from a few meters back. You’ll find that there is a larger dot size (compared to small format printing) due to the outdoor durability requirement of the ink. So when it comes to the finished product, whilst it may look odd up close, you’ll get an accurate representation of the image when viewed from the intended distance.

Another thing to keep in mind here is the file size compared to its final scale. If the file is at 10% size, then set your DPI to match so that once blown up the image appears as intended.

For example:

If you’re delivering banner files at 10% size, set them up at 1200DPI. Once blown up to 100% size you’ll be right on that ideal 120DPI mark.

Utilise Vectors For Wide Format Printing

Use vectors wherever possible for any wide format printing. Vectors are incredibly handy for this typoe of printing. Vectors utilise mathematical formulas to create the shapes that make up your image. So no matter how large the artwork needs to be, the image will remain sharp. Industry standard graphic design software will be able to look after the technical side of things for you.

Trade printers recommend vectors due to their better sharpness when compared to rasters. With rasters, there is always a point where the images will pixelate. Rasters are essentially a photo – so they cannot scale infinitely. In wide format printing this ability to scale eliminates the possibility of any pixelation or blurring.

Plus vector images contain the CMYK values. Which takes care of the best practices above and leads to more accurate colour in the finished print.

If you’re a print reseller and outsourcing (or looking to outsource) over 30 jobs a month, we can help. Mediapoint has over 16 years of experience servicing high volume resellers exclusively. Talk to us today.