If you're planning on a brochure that will use four or six colors, the price quotes you get are likely to vary depending upon the printer's capability. You may find fewer discrepancies for simpler color jobs like business cards and letterhead that you have done regularly, and find it less worth your while to ask for bids for those. It will be more cost effective to find the appropriate printer for a job than to have a printer serve as a middleman and send the job to another company. Ask about scheduling Some printers do not rigidly schedule each press, allowing you to jump in with a small job and get it done very quickly. Other printers schedule very carefully, requiring long lead times before a job can be finished.
Some printers incorporate ganging into their scheduling process as well.
Check references A critical area to investigate is service. There are many areas where a printing job can go wrong. An effective liaison will help manage the process smoothly, provide information as needed, and trouble shoot when necessary. Build a relationship Remember, though, that even if you regularly use different printers, choosing printers is about building relationships. You want a partner who will make recommendations about paper sizes or ink that can save you time or money, someone who will guarantee the quality of your print job, and who will sometimes go the extra mile because of your relationship to deliver on time.