Quick Printing is the resource for the Commercial printing, visual and graphic arts industries. Since 1977, Quick Printing has focused on improving efficiency and increasing sales and profits in the print shop. Industry experts share their ideas and
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22 Quick Printing | January 2015 MyPRINTResource.com network is backed by more than 130 team members in its Worldwide Sup- port Center in Cleveland. Its newest multimillion-dollar member is MCS Marketing LLC powered by Proforma. "We chose Proforma because its model allows us to work for ourselves while also giving us the support and resources we need to thrive in this industry," said Scott Dieleman, formerly a sales representative with distributor Image Builders Market- ing, who joined the Proforma network last December. "We have a wide range of clients from national Fortune 1000 companies to local businesses," Dieleman noted. "Proforma has the buying power, marketing strategies, and technology that enable us to successfully serve all our customers and exceed their expectations." 4over also counts some 59,000 customers and plans to add a few thousand more this year. When the trade printing frm frst started up operations in Glendale, CA, in 2003, it focused on creatives and small, graphic design frms. But its client make-up has evolved to include mar- keting agencies, print brokers, and, of course, printers. "We cater to anyone reselling print," Herrin said. "Printers tend to order higher volumes," and those bigger orders are rewarded as part of the frm's loyalty program, which aims to keep customers coming back. Herrin pointed out that one of 4over's goals is to help printers be more relevant in their marketplaces. One broker customer, situated in the Florida panhandle, faced a tough eco- nomic climate after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico fve years ago. On top of that, a serious illness threatened h er business. "Without 4over," she praised, "I would not be successful with my small print brokerage business which I started seven years ago. After the BP Oil Spill here on the Gulf Coast I was able to offer printing to my stead- fast businesses who were so devas- tated. 4over allows me to offer to my customers a constantly expanding assortment of products at the best price, fastest turnaround, and, most importantly, the highest quality." Progressive printers-turned-mar- keters are looking for a customer base with consistent needs. "They With eight printing plants in North America, 4over now offers roll-fed labels, too. boxes, and bows. "We even offer custom. preprinted tissue paper," Fla- herty explained. "These packaging elements are ideal for organizations such as spas, gourmet packaging stores, handbag manufacturers, and retail jewelers." DFS also rolled out Logo Design ser- vices about 18 months ago. "We offer graphic design services to resellers," Burak explained. Starting this year, customers can choose from between 10, 30, or 50 logo design concepts as part of the updated package. "Our call centers also received a lot of questions about Full Color Checks & Forms," she said. "We added four-color process checks and forms as of last October, adding new equip- ment and processes in manufactur- ing" to keep the pricing attractive. Coming by month's end is a new DFS marketing portal, which is intended to help dealers save even more time. "It's designed for our cus- tomers who are too busy to market products and services to their end customers," Burak said. "We'll be able to link banner ads to their sites, for example, which open to a [brand- ed] micro site. Also part of the pack- age is marketing collateral, which can be downloaded and personalized for print or email (PDF) purposes, she continued. "We are taking the design and content creation out of their hands," so that they can focus on their core businesses. Thousands of Customers Another major player in the print promotions game is Proforma, which serves approximately 60,000 clients through more than 750 member offc- es across the globe. The $450 million are like ad agencies back in the day," said ASAP's Geuvara, "except people today are not willing to pay premium prices for those services. Printers and print brokers need pro- viders they can trust." ZooApp Mobile In mid-2014, Zoo Printing added a mobile app for its trade customers. The ZooApp gives print resellers the tools to manage their print business from anywhere. "One of the most im- portant aspects of our business is ef- fciency," said Dan Doron, president of Zoo Printing. "Our focus for years was speeding up production turnaround and shipping times. As a result, we offer the fastest turnarounds in the industry and ship almost anywhere in the US in one to two days using standard ground shipping. Now our focus is helping our clients get orders from their customers more effciently. This is where ZooApp comes in. It shortens the gap and speeds up the ordering process between our clients and their customers." Traditionally, trade print clients spend a lot of time in front of their computers checking prices and turnaround times, reformatting and marking up estimates, and waiting for customer approval. ZooApp 1.0 is the frst step in improving this process. Zoo clients can now check turnaround times, see estimate quotes, and view and approve proofs on the go. The ZooApp 1.2 now is available and closes the gap between print sellers and their customers to get and place orders quicker. It includes a pricing calculator, instant ordering for Zoo's complete product line, and downloadable estimate quotes that can be marked up and emailed to clients. "The goal is to offer almost ev- erything our full website can do in a simple way on your phone," said Doron. Head to the Web MPR's Trade Printer Directory www.myprintresource.com/ directory/trade-services/trade- printers