5 Signs You’re Working With An Innovative Print Vendor

As a creative or ad agency, your clients count on innovative, one-of-a-kind designs to make their direct mail campaigns or product packaging stand out among competitors in the market. However, print suppliers often can’t keep up with changes in the industry or consumer expectations. With pressure to deliver on innovation, ad and creative agencies are often left in limbo trying to innovate but having no reliable partner to execute.

Choosing an innovative print vendor can help prevent losing a client or having to oversimplify your designs to adjust to their capabilities. This gives you the peace of mind that you need to do what you do best, without worrying about making your vision come to life.

Here are five signs you’ve made the right print supplier choice:

• New Equipment and Technology is Regularly Being Added

Just like consumer technology innovates, print technology continues to develop. A good sign that your print vendor is keeping up with changes in the industry is taking advantage of the latest print technology and regularly upgrading their equipment inventory. From adding new presses or press technology that allows for better proofing, quality control or more efficient production, you’ve made the right choice when your print supplier is concerned with having access to the latest technology available. To you, that means you can continue to innovate your designs without limits.

• New Ideas Come from Your Print Vendor

Just like writer’s block, agencies and designers may start have a slowdown in creative juices. A great indication you’re working with an innovative, creative print vendor is that they supply you with new ideas to implement in your design or strategy.

From providing ideas on structure, substrates to use, or print finishes to implement, a truly forward-thinking print supplier will be able to regularly pitch new ideas for you to run with and incorporate into your designs. Whether you’re looking for a simple refresh or a complete change, your vendor should be able to contribute unique approaches to achieving your desired goals.

• Consistent Production Quality and Accuracy

While this should be expected, agencies are often required to work with pre-approved vendors and may not have the flexibility to switch vendors as fast as they would want, leaving them to manage with poor quality or inaccuracies.

A sign that you’re working with a qualified and innovative vendor is how well your final pieces turn out. Could they produce the innovation with consistent quality or did they fall down on execution? Consistency from project to project and overall execution are factors you need to consider when working with your vendor. If your supplier is able to meet deadlines and budgets and deliver on quality and accuracy–regardless of the complexity of your project–you’ve made a good choice.

• Speedy Resolution of Production Hiccups

It’s no mystery that there will be minor issues and bumps during any project, especially if something new and innovative is being done. Sometimes these may be small, sometimes they may be quite large. Regardless of the gravity of the challenges that may arise during any given project, an agile response is a clue that your print/packaging vendor has the necessary experience and know-how to overcome challenges and communicate throughout the process.

Whether it’s a tight deadline, an unexpected change in quantities, or an unforeseen production hiccup, a competent vendor will spring back quickly with a solution.  Also choosing a supplier who is ISO and G7 certified only increases your confidence.

• Mutual Excitement and Passion about Projects

An easy way to know that you’ve partnered with an innovative, quality-driven print vendor is mutual excitement and passion when it comes to new projects. Just like a artist gets excited about a new project, your print vendor should get excited and passionate about your next project. It’s an opportunity for them to flex their creative muscles towards a new challenge. If sounding skeptical or pushing you toward a less complex is what you’re currently hearing from your print vendor, you may have made the wrong choice.

A good print partner will be equally excited about new challenges and new opportunities to showcase their print capabilities and collaborate with you.

Finding the Right Print Vendor

As an ad agency or creative agency, your designs and innovation is only as good as the execution of those designs. Take the time to interview print vendors to find one that values exactly what you value in a partnership.

For over 50 years, JohnsByrne has been at the forefront of innovation. With a team dedicated to pressing the limits on innovation and delivering award-winning designs, the packaging specialists at JohnsByrne can help you turn up the innovation on your packaging designs. Contact us for a free consultation.