When it comes to print fulfilment, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. Many misunderstand it to simply equate to shipping items from a-b, but that is only a tiny part of what a fulfilment company does. The overall process is receiving, handling, packaging and shipping customer orders. And there are multiple departments, systems and processes involved. It can include the printing of banners, signage, apparel, marketing materials and more, using various printing formats. It is the ideal service for a company looking to streamline their print supply chain whilst maintaining brand consistency across multiple locations. So, let’s take a look at the process:
Sourcing
Print fulfilment often starts with sourcing print products; looking at different print formats and materials for certain products to suggest the most ideal application for specific requirements, while keeping in mind the costs and branding parameters.
Printing
The most critical step is choosing a reputable print company. An experienced printer will be able to consult better on what print format works best for certain applications and provide costs and quality suggestions. The printing equipment needs to be able to handle the printing capabilities you’re seeking, and they should be able to offer file preparation to ensure the files are adequate for print.
Warehousing and distribution
Print fulfilment companies offer warehousing and distribution services to store and ship all your printed materials for you. So, it’s worth ensuring you’ve chosen a print fulfilment company that has enough space to store all your printed materials.
Choosing the right print fulfilment company
When it comes to choosing the right print fulfilment company for you, it’s worth asking the following questions to ensure they have the right print and project management experience to handle your project:
- Ask how the company handle art files and whether there is a fee for file prep?
- Ask how the company handles colour-matching and how best to supply correct brand colours
- Ask what equipment they have on-site and their capabilities
- Ask about their warehouse and distribution and whether there is a fee for picking and packing items
- Ask whether there are any reporting and analytics available to monitor print
Choose Birch Print as your print fulfilment company
At Birch Print, we work from concept to completion, to ensure your project is in safe hands. In addition, we have 27,000 square feet of space to hold your products safely until they are ready to leave for their final destination. Our warehouse holds an array of products and you can feel confident that your stock products or campaign items will be securely and safely contained in our large warehouse facility. And as part of our full print management service, our team will prepare, pick and pack your product ready for dispatch from Birch HQ.
So, if you’re looking for a print fulfilment company or if you’re looking for some help and inspiration with print management and print supplies in the UK, we at Birch Print would love to hear from you! We specialise in print management, print fulfillment and custom product packaging. Call us on 0115 951 2468 or email us at: team@birchprint.co.uk.
