Print-on-demand services have risen in popularity over the past several years, and for good reason—they offer a great way to get the print products you need, when you need them, without going over budget or generating a lot of waste. But is print-on-demand a good fit for your business? Let’s go over the pros and cons.

What is Print-on-Demand?

Print-on-demand (POD for short) is just what the name implies—a digital production model where goods are printed on an as-needed basis. Your custom designs are printed only as you need them and only in the quantity you order.

How does Print-on-Demand Work?

  1. Sign up for a POD service
  2. Choose the products you want
  3. Create and upload your designs
  4. Order as needed

The service then prints, packages, and ships your products either directly to you or to your customer, your different office branches, etc.—depending on your business setup and the shipping services offered.

Whether you need sales brochures, promotional products, training manuals, business cards, or other printed products, print-on-demand is a low-risk, cost-effective way to get the products you need as you need them.

Pros of Print-on-Demand

  1. You don’t need to print anything in bulk. With print-on-demand, you don’t have to order large quantities of your printed materials and pay for them up front, only to have them sit in storage. This means you won’t be burdened with the costs of up-front bulk production or manufacturing, and you won’t need extra storage space. This means less cost up front and less waste in the end.
  2. You set your budget. Your POD supplier will work with you to choose products that meet your goals and fit within your budget. If you have several people in your company who will be ordering, you can specify company-wide ordering limits and budgets so you don’t go overboard.
  3. You get orders faster. Once you’ve created and uploaded your designs, all that’s left to do is print and ship your products. This means that when you order, you have the benefit of near-immediate production and order fulfillment. Many POD services can also drop-ship for you, sending your products directly to your customers or your company branches.
  4. It’s easy to edit your designs. Print-on-demand services help ensure you always have the most current version of your products. You can fix mistakes, update your logo, or change your messaging easily so you aren’t stuck with mistake-riddled items (or the costs of having to re-print them all). This is vital to ensuring you are always getting the most up-to-date products out to your customers.
  5. You can experiment with new designs easily. With low or no minimum order requirements and the ability to easily edit your designs, POD offers the perfect opportunity to test out new products. You can order a small number, see how they work for you, then order more if you want. If not, you can try another design or product. This gives you the freedom to experiment with new ideas.

Cons of Print-on-Demand

  1. You have less control over the quality of the products. Even if you verify the quality of their products for your first order, if your POD supplier changes who they order from, the quality could change overnight.
  2. You are dependent on your printing partner for product availability. If your POD supplier discontinues or runs out of your preferred items or the supplies needed to create your products, that will affect whether or not you can get the products you need.
  3. You could experience color variations. Depending on the ink your POD supplier keeps in stock, the vendors they buy their ink from, or the printing equipment they use, you could see color variation from one printing to the next.
  4. Pricing could change from order to order. Since you’re buying in smaller quantities, your price could change from one order to the next. If your POD supplier raises their prices for any reason, your costs could go up.

These things could all have a big impact on your business—that’s why it’s important to choose a company you trust. When you work with IntegriPrint, you get all of the pros of print-on-demand services and none of the cons.

What IntegriPrint Can Do For Your Company

At IntegriPrint we pride ourselves on our consistently high standards and integrity in everything we do. We offer:

  • Precision and quality for every project and every account—big or small
  • Customized templates to fit our clients’ needs
  • Quick turnaround times
  • Highly responsive customer service
  • On-time delivery, every time
  • Personalized online storefronts for each client
  • And more!

Here at IntegriPrint, we take integrity very seriously—so much so that we put it in our name! Not only do we conduct our own business with integrity, we make sure the products we provide maintain the integrity of our client’s brand. Our mission is to make our clients look GREAT!

As you consider the ways in which print-on-demand services could enhance your business, don’t hesitate to contact us with questions. Give us a call at 763-682-3750 or shoot us an email at clientcare@integriprint.com. We look forward to serving you!