Discount Postcard Printing - What's In a Name?

I've always been struck by the offers for discount postcard printing that are plastered all over the Web. In some cases, the printer will explain what this means, by comparing their prices to those of leading competitors. In other cases, they'll use the word "discount" without backing it up.

This is where it pays to be a smart shopper. You have to dig beyond the marketing pitch to find out if discount postcard printing services are truly discounted in some way. You have to compare the pricing offered by different printers, in an apples-to-apples manner. In this blog post, I'll give you some tips on doing exactly that.

My Postcard Printing Background

I promise not to bore you with my extended bio, because it's really not relevant. But I have to tell you were I'm coming from with this article. In the past, I've worked for a couple of printing companies, one of which specialized in postcards exclusively. To prepare for my job as a web writer, I would often listen in on customer service phone calls.

Long story short -- I quickly realized that pricing was the one thing that confused people the most. Here's why:

• Many printers offer different types of card stock for your postcards, and the prices will vary from one type to the next.
• Some printers offer glossy finishes, while others do not. And this also affects pricing.
• Want full-color printing for your postcard order? That will cost you as well. Color costs more than black-and-white, and if you put it on both sides of the postcard you'll pay even more.
• What size postcards do you plan to use? Most printers will offer a standard size as well as a larger size. And it's one more pricing differential, too.
• Do you plan to have your postcards mailed out to your mailing list, or do you want them shipped in bulk directly to you? For the first option, you'll incur a postage charge per postcard.

Now you can see why so many people are confused about discount postcard printing services, in terms of pricing. There are plenty of variables, and different printers offer different options. It can get pretty confusing if you're not familiar with the industry. So let's clear things up a bit, shall we?

What Does Discount Mean Anyway?

My advice to you is to remove the word discount from your printing vocabulary. Discount, wholesale, cost-effective, competitive pricing ... in most cases these are just marketing terms. So forget about the discount side of postcard printing, and just compare printers in an apples-to-apples fashion. Here's how to do it:

• Start by making a list of postcard printing companies for your future research. You can find dozens of them online by doing a Google search.
• With a few minutes of research, you'll quickly find out who the big "players" are in this industry. Make a list of five or six of these companies.
• Next, make a simple spreadsheet or table with columns for the items you want for your postcards. For example, you might want over-sized postcards with full-color on both sides and a glossy finish. You may also want the printer to mail the postcards for you, which means you'll need a column for postage.
• Lastly, revisit the websites of the five or six printing companies you wrote down initially. Record their pricing per postcard for all of the things you have on your list (size, color options, card stock, postage, etc.).
  

This might seem like a no-brainer. But this simple process will help you avoid the common confusion associated with postcard pricing. If you simply visit the home page of a printer's website and write down the "as low as" price, you're not getting the full picture. There may be additional fees for the various options we discussed above. By adding up the items on your list, you'll get a much more accurate picture of the pricing.

Discount postcard printing means different things to different companies. Don't be fooled by marketing lingo or "as low as" pricing offers. Dig deeper to find out exactly what you're going to pay for the type of project you have in mind, and then compare printers based on those criteria.

Good luck and good marketing!

-Brandon