Small sign shops are a LOT of work. Creating custom signs day in and day out means each day will always be a new adventure, but it also means handling walk-in business and being able to produce on a dime sometimes.
When the opportunity comes to take a big job, it could mean you are producing that job in replacement of the day to day smaller jobs your business thrives on.
So what is a print shop to do?
May we suggest taking a look at working with a wholesale print provider? A print partner that specializes in large production volume or who has print capabilities beyond your own can be a valuable asset. Hopefully, it means never having to turn away business.
Wholesale Printing for Resellers – Say Yes to More Business
Taking advantage of a wholesale print shop is a fantastic way for a small print business grow their revenues. Just because you operate a small print shop doesn’t mean your product offering has to be small. By partnering with a wholesale banner provider, you can expand the materials you print to and the print capacity you can offer. Basically, it can be summed up in:
- Great wholesale pricing
- A wide variety of products (one-stop shopping)
- Online ordering capabilities
- Great print quality
- Great customer service
- Blind Shipping
What to Look for in a Wholesale Print Partner
Like anything, not all print wholesalers are created equally. There are several things you should look for when choosing your wholesale print provider:
Wholesale Pricing
I mean, this sort of goes without saying right? Wholesale print pricing needs to be low enough that you can make the margins you want to make when you resell it at retail pricing. Also, does the printer sell at retail themselves? This is can be a conflict of interest but is not a definite deal-breaker. Some retail companies are large enough that they can and do demand wholesale pricing. Don’t hold it against a potential print partner that they are printing directly for Walmart or Budweiser. These companies are used to paying wholesale rates for products.
Wide Variety of Wholesale Print Products
You are welcome to find 20 different wholesaling vendors, but isn’t it easier to find one or two that you really like and trust and simply use them? Try to find a vendor that offers a wide variety of products and has a wide variety of printers and print finishing machinery.
For example, at ABI Digital Solutions we have multiple 5-meter wide printers (16 feet 4 inches). In addition, we offer flatbed print capabilities as well as digital cutting or routing of those products.
We also have very high-resolution printers for self-adhesive vinyl products and specialty materials.
Additionally, we have multiple di-sublimation presses for wholesale printing fabric (as well as the myriad of sewing machines to finish out those products). We use these to produce custom flags, table cloth throws, even custom apparel. We even have screen print and embroidery capabilities to offer a wide variety of wholesale apparel printing to our clients.
[table id=2 /]
Wholesale Printing Finishing Options
You are going to want to partner with a wholesale printer that can offer you a wide variety of finishing options on your signs and banners. Remember, the whole point is to be saving time and making money. You will want your printer to be able to provide you a finished product instead of just the printed materials. That way all you have to do is deliver the product and invoice your client.
The ability to heat seam or sew a finished edge or pocket is important. Grommets, D-Rings, Velcro, and weldable webbing are just a few of the standard finishing options you will want your wholesale company to be capable of providing.
Ordering Wholesale Banners Online
You are super busy, so your business may not all get done in the traditional work hours (traditional work hours? What are those? You are a small business owner, there’s no such thing as traditional business hours). If your client emails you a project at 10:00 at night, you want the ability to get that quoted and even ordered right then, right?
Or maybe you just want to wait until you get all your production that HAS to get done that day out of the way before you even worry about that new order your client sent in.
Whatever the reason, the ability to order at 2 am while you are in your underwear is a convenience you WILL want to have. Our wholesale site allows you to quote jobs, save them for later if needed, upload art, and even pay for the job.
Great Print Provider Customer Service
The ability to order online and not have to talk to anyone is great and all, but you probably don’t want to work with a team that insists your ENTIRE order be handled just online. When you have questions about the art you uploaded, or special finishing, or need help with turn times you are going to want to speak to a warm body.
That’s why it is imperative your wholesale banner printer has real live human beings that actually answer the phone. We all know your client will change the art at the last minute, or suddenly decide you need to ship directly to show site instead of their office or change the quantity of the order. At times like these, you will pull your hair out if you get voicemail or are instructed to handle everything online.
Blind Wholesale Shipping
Most clients will understand that a small print shop doesn’t have the ability to print a giant banner in house, but it is nice to not have to worry about that in the first place. Knowing that your wholesale print provider will blind ship your package direct to your client on request is an important convenience. Not every printer will offer this option, so make sure you ask.
Wholesale Print Quality
This used to be a big deal when there was an enormous difference in print technologies out there. In the early 2000’s it wasn’t unusual for a print provider to be marketing the 300 dpi product vs. the 72 dpi product of their competitor.
These days, it pretty much goes without saying that a print provider has the ability to produce a product at high resolution. That said, just because a printer CAN print at amazing print quality, that doesn’t mean they WILL print at that quality.
Printers have the ability to print at different print settings to optimize for either speed or quality. One is usually sacrificing the other. So, it is important to know your print provider understands your print needs for a particular project. The required resolution for a billboard seen at hundreds of feet away is different than the resolution requirements for a wall mural that people will walk right up to.
Conclusion – Wholesale Printing Makes You Money
Using a print partner to grow your business is as simple as passing art from your client to your partner and then marking up the cost. It is a fantastic way to never have to turn away business.
We suggest partnering with ABI Digital Solutions. Our wholesale print business provides all of the services listed above. In fact, our online ordering is ONLY for print resellers. You cannot even see the pricing without being approved as a reseller.
Call or email us today!