Modern printers are often clumped together, which is often long on plausibility, but short on actuality. This article aims to clarify what print project management is, and debunk a few myths.

Principally, print project management is the process of delegating your print related activities to experienced professionals. Typically, they proficiently capture your ideas, oversee its execution, and cost-effectively deliver on your requirements from the conception of your initial thoughts through to successfully unveiling or featuring the end result to your audience.

The whole process, but not exclusively, could involve obtaining initial briefs, pre-artwork planning, attending press passes, pre-production meetings, collaborating with design agencies, packaging consultants, ink and substrate suppliers. There will be a requirement to check proofs, develop specifications, be technically conversant and acutely aware of elements like design files, pack copies, key documentation, cutters, finishing, guillotining, embossing, stocking, distribution, and convey complex technical data to drive projects to completion – in guaranteeing the end product is exactly what was envisioned at the outset.

Printer Management, Managed Print Services or Document Management

Print project management sometimes gets confused with printer management, managed print services or document management – these are focused on desktop printers, with their characterizations varying from company to company, but most follow a similar blueprint in helping firms decipher the printing behaviours of their workforce, specifically where there are numerous departments. Essentially, the company observes how each department or individual user utilises the printers so as to reduce the number of abandoned, then eventually discarded print jobs.

These activities are monitored by IT support, who regulate the process in an effort to drastically control print waste, through scrimping on ink and paper, thereby promoting overall staff effectiveness, which ultimately benefits the environment. This is roundly accomplished through the use of special software on computers which tracks employees’ actions, handles the security and maintenance of their printers, and ensures documents containing sensitive information are treated securely within an office environment.

Print Project Management 

To effortlessly actualize a dynamic print concept to an audience, our approach is unsurpassed – particularly after listening to numerous exasperated consumers who haphazardly selected a printer, that resulted in some unpleasant experiences. Through the incontrovertible influence of print project management, which is our key area of expertise, we have chronicled some pitfalls to neatly sidestep, to avoid being plagued by the same quagmires.

As at 2020, the global market value of the print industry was estimated at $814 billion, and forecasted to increase by a minimum of $12 billion annually, over the next 5 years.

This growth is spurred by new technology, increasingly efficient services, and the growing ability of printers to offer solutions over and above what the average printer can deliver. Printers across the world are essentially raising their game, and offerings are constantly evolving to meet the needs of a fast-changing marketplace, in adapting and changing to the varying consumer demands. Inevitably, as some areas of the market are declining, others are booming; nevertheless, not all providers are created equally. Therefore, time should be taken to properly evaluate their capabilities in ascertaining whether they can meet clients’ needs.

Nominating Your Print Provider

When faced with a variety of printers in this rapidly growing market, consumers are likely to have numerous options, ranging from basic, to full service, and everything in between – with providers ranging in size, style, and quality. If choosing one is proving difficult and consumers are struggling to narrow down their options, there are several questions to consider. Most importantly, will this company save me money, can they deliver on my requirements, and do it in a timely manner.

In addressing these questions, aim to avoid two recurring gaffes often made by consumers:

• Do not make your decision based on price alone
• Do not nominate your print provider through the understanding of an intelligent layman.

The industry is often inundated with calls from angry consumers venting their frustrations after doing just that. Sadly, only after many have made these mistakes and lived to regret their decisions, they often turn to companies like Reelkomm Print. Firms like ours are at pains to neutralise their quiet trepidations, address the disgruntled murmurings of the unrepresented, and counteract stereotypes and misconceptions, which sometimes unfairly lumps all printers together. We emphasise the best approach through teams of multidisciplinary professionals who are committed to disseminating information of this type through printing workshops offered to absolute beginners and seasoned design professionals alike. This is made accessible in simple, lucid English – giving presentations on topical print subjects, taking them on trips through paper stocks, inks, over-laying colours and images.

Understandably, consumers may be pressed for time – denoting that attending printing workshops is unfeasible. Consequently, based on our diversified experiences, we have featured some common conundrums we sometimes encounter, as clients grapple with the nebulous notion of which printer could be right for them.

Through years of accumulating far-reaching experiences and effectively achieving growth in a variety of highly competitive industries, we have developed the proficiency to deal with large clients; being the first point of contact and simultaneously collaborating with contractors in building the profiles of instantly recognisable global brands, within the print, healthcare, manufacturing, fashion, retail, service and the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) sectors.

Immensely, accustomed to industry challenges and very excited at the prospect of making every day special for our customers, by translating our adept abilities, techniques and ideas into business solutions for consumers, whilst functioning with technical experts from a variety of sectors, in fulfilling stakeholder expectations. These and similar experiences, positions us somewhat advantageously to recognise the most adequate printing process and supplementary functions capable of producing the finest range of printed products, finishes, and services.

To a greater extent, we leverage our longstanding relationships in minimising both cost and risk to consumers, through our broad field of qualified suppliers. Collectively they offer up a wide range of viewpoints and ideas. Originating from varying backgrounds, they have amassed distinguished records of repeated accomplishments over numerous years of simultaneously delivering on quality and service.

This gives us a competitive edge, solidifies our confidence in our suppliers’ capabilities, and ultimately helps our customers win, say, through the huge savings we will accrue if our nominated partner has the reprographic facilities and pre-artwork resources to facilitate designs and produce artwork, leading up to printing.

Printing is a nebulous concept that has frequently flummoxed some smart consumers, particularly those lacking the understanding to appreciate that diverse businesses identify themselves as print management companies, albeit only a handful in a dominant form. The loudest tend to be printers or those with their own presses who make their living from print. Understandably, having invested heavily in their equipment, they cannot afford to have them idly lying around. Consequently, questionable jobs are sporadically forced through their equipment, precipitating a shambolic mess, which snowballs into customer dissatisfaction and sometimes costs a fortune to rectify.

Their service can be shoddy, the end product substandard, but customers get what they pay for – sometimes paying more, due to the additional costs’ printers incur when they farm out activities their presses cannot fulfil, and they lack the financial prowess to engineer reduced costs.

-Paradoxically, in farming out the jobs they cannot produce, they tend to resort to larger, more established print businesses who are suitably equipped to dispense one-stop print and specialist services, like embossing, debossing, raised inks, intricate folds, die cutting, foil stamping, engraving and thermography.

Consumers with large, complex or extensive needs, like web to print and needing reprographics, designers, artworkers, storage and distribution facilities, would be best suited to these larger outfits, who possess the, printing capacity, experience, and a kaleidoscope of machinery – precipitating the added benefits of having a single outlet, the buying power and the in-house expertise, to effect a prompt delivery and generate savings averaging between 15-25%.

Good ideas rarely develop in a vacuum; fresh eyes and a fresh perspective are needed to identify opportunities, provide insights and develop impactful solutions that net real results. In essence, Reelkomm Print prides itself on its independence to deploy the services of incomparably equipped small and large print businesses, provided they possess the capabilities to cost-effectively deliver the quality products and services our customers expect. This autonomy means we do not necessarily need to own any presses, but rely heavily on our experiences in proposing workable options, in line with the clients’ requirements. This means we are often involved in pre-artwork meetings, press passes and everything in between.

We basically take ownership of the project running smoothly, and promptly address ad hoc issues. This benefits clients through reduced prices, thanks to speedier resolutions to arbitrary bottlenecks, as consumers are increasingly seeking hidden savings opportunities to gain a competitive edge; prompting us to critically examine latent areas of their operations. The potential savings attained, directly correlates with the depth of the scrutinization of their requirements – the deeper the analysis, the greater the savings opportunities.

We also reassure customers of our disinclination to align their print jobs to our presses in a bid to feather our nest, but rather to the best press capable of delivering the required quality and finish.

Our approach is designed to recognise each customer’s individual needs, guide them through the process, update them every step of the way, and provide innovative solutions. We do not only explore the immediate solution to a single problem; as a print partner we develop and oversee long-term creative strategies that drive continual growth. In deciding on your next move, we would be happy to discuss your requirements further and hope you have found our article insightful