Advances in print technology have made it easier to produce large volumes of printed materials with high accuracy and quality. Even with advances in cloud-based data storage solutions, there are still many instances when a business needs to print out large volumes of documents. Depending on your company’s needs, waiting on these large-scale print jobs or even on small but time-sensitive printouts can be stressful. A separate vendor may have priorities that can leave you scrambling to explain yourself to your clients and stakeholders.
Companies that provide printing solutions and machinery such as SBL (sblmachinery.com) have made it easier for regular employees to handle large-scale printing instances without needing technical training or assistance. The ease of handling combined with cost savings also adds up to another important factor in today’s data-sensitive world: security. Keeping customer information secure plays a significant role in ensuring the integrity of your business. If any leakage occurs, even if it is from a previously reliable outside source, it is your company that will suffer the consequences. Customers simply do not trust a company that makes them feel at risk.
These issues combined with the advancements in print-making technology have led to many companies seeking in-house printing options.
Security Matters
Information security or secure data transmission and protection is an integral part of every company’s function. Today, data means money, and you can lose or gain customers based on how secure you can keep their personal information. It is also about more than just making money. Leaking confidential information about customers puts them at grave risks such as identity theft.
An unscrupulous hacker needs very little information to wreak havoc on a company or its clients. The amount they find on an unsecured print job, even one time at an outsourced facility, might be enough to leave your company open to large-scale data breaches.
Service industries that rely highly on information security, such as the finance industry, are already taking precautions. They are seeking ways to bring printing in-house and secure all sensitive data printing. Financial information is of great appeal to digital thieves and, if stolen, can be devastating to your company and clients.
Scale of Importance
A third-party vendor who handles all your printing can be a reliable and discreet company. But at the end of the day, your documents are just another hob for them. Their business model relies on having multiple clients such as yourself with many print jobs for them to do. They are not as invested as your company would be in ensuring security and prioritizing your printed materials.
Their security is likely good and as effective as they can make it. But it is geared toward the mass of data they receive from clients. A data breach that is quickly secured can still result in a small amount of information leaking. A small amount for them could be the entirety of the print job you outsourced to them.
In-house Printing
In-house printing can allow you to have a team that is solely focused on the quality and speed with which your company’s printing needs are fulfilled. Your necessary print jobs will always be a high priority, and schedules can be adjusted to make changes or prioritize different materials on short notice.
The cost of mailing large-scale print jobs can be high as well. In today’s world, hygiene plays a significant role. You simply cannot know every person who is handling your documents at the outsourced facility. In-house printing means enforcing safety protocols and standard operating procedures that ensure that the printed products are safe for handling.
The most significant advantage is that you have a higher likelihood of receiving your needed materials the same day that you send them to print with in-house printing. The benefit of this speed cannot be overstated.
Conclusion
Part of the inconvenience of outsourcing printing is the hidden costs. On the face of it, the actual printing may be affordable and well within your budget. But there will be costs for mailing, any postage, and time.
The time it takes to schedule the printing in the third-party company’s machine availability is money you lose in keeping clients waiting. The time it takes to process the printed materials, prepare them for shipping, and unpacking and re-preparing them within your offices is also a loss of money.
In addition, most printing companies charge a higher price for smaller printing runs. This means that small businesses can often end up paying more per volume than a larger company. This is not cost-effective but a necessary evil till the small business can afford their own printing machinery. Otherwise, their profits will be earmarked for printing fees before it even reaches their company accounts.
