How can you use print quality to gain a competitive advantage in your industry?

Print quality starts with understanding your customer and their quality demands. By understanding their market and customers. Even within the same industry, there are different levels of expectation when it comes to quality. Industry leaders tend to demand the highest level, they understand they are trying to create brand loyalty and demonstrate the quality of their product and service. There could then be others in the same industry who just copy and in some cases rip off the ideas of these leaders. The printer needs to help the customer achieve their quality expectations and must help them visualize the end. They need to be able to see potential bumps in the road. Customers should involve the printer early in the game.

Looking at it from a user perspective, there are several ways that organizations can use print quality to gain competitive advantage. For example, well-produced print materials (design & production) can convey a sense of professionalism and attention to detail which aids brand recognition. That and the fact that more and more organizations are leaning on digital messaging. Using creative print as a messaging tool to connect with customers and prospective customers is, in itself, a major differentiator.

Every printer does quality work. If you don't believe that, then stop saying, "we do quality work." You cannot sell "quality". You must define what quality is. In printing, just look at every printers webpage. It will state, "We do quality work" or some version of that. So, quality a useless word if it is not defined. In printing it can be defined easily as a measureable print result compared to an intended result or normally, this can be measured in Delta E. (∆E). We use of color patches that are the same value as the intended target. We also use a "tolerance" value. Every print job may not match exactly to the target so, it defaults to an agreement of how far off in ∆E we can be and still pass the customer's quality expectation.

Print quality is an often overlooked detail, but it can have a significant impact on the perception of your brand. Companies that want to stand out from the competition should consider print quality as an essential part of their brand identity. High-quality prints convey professionalism, reliability and value. They show customers and potential prospects that you are willing to invest in the quality of your products or services and that you take pride in maintaining your brand image.

Your print quality sets your standard to your customer base. It raises the bar to where your competitors may not want to follow, and takes the focus off the price.

The best way to measure PQ is through the customers eyes! This is why it is crucial to get the customer samples and proofs before running larger jobs. This will ensure that what the customer sees and approves exactly what they are ordering, and eliminated headaches on the back end. This is easily accomplished with digital, although a bit more difficult to manage when printing using traditional methods such as flexo or gravure.

Color accuracy in printed labels is crucial for several reasons: Brand Consistency: Printed labels often serve as a representation of your brand. Maintaining color accuracy ensures that your labels consistently reflect your brand's identity across different marketing materials and products. Consistent colors help establish brand recognition. Quality Perception: Overall, color accuracy in printed labels is vital for maintaining brand consistency, differentiating products, enhancing visual appeal, managing customer perception, conveying information effectively, and complying with industry standards. It contributes to the overall success of your marketing efforts and helps build trust and loyalty among customers.

Choose the right printing method and equipment for your products. Different printing methods, such as pad printing, screen printing, and inkjet printing, have different advantages and disadvantages in terms of speed, cost, durability, and resolution. You need to select the method that best suits your product type, size, shape, and material.

Examples are: 1) Quality Control Standards 2) Industry Standards 3) For reruns use before run sample of quality product. 4) Use spectrophotometer, pms book and other samples for color. 5) Use dyne ink for die strike.

1) Create SOP's that are proven quality results. 2) Updated training by proven methods that are backed up by matrix. 3) Keeping equipment clean, neat and have regular maintenance schedule. 4) Team Building especially between Press Operator's & Quality Control. 5) Scheduling applications towards the skill set of Operator's.

One of the best ways to improve print quality, at least with digital printing, is by ensure the pre-press is done correctly and the file format is correct. We've had a number of customers who ran low res images and wonder why the PQ isn't the best. Garbage in = garbage out! Using the correct materials and material profile in conjunction with a good RIP software will also help tremendously. Additionally, using the proper ink limits and colors will help with any over or under saturation issues you may find while running a job.

Maintaining a clean and properly humidified environment is essential for high-quality print production. Dust and debris can affect print head precision, leading to clogs and uneven ink distribution. Incorrect humidity levels can cause paper warping or ink spreading, affecting image quality. A clean space prevents dust from compromising prints, while correct humidity ensures paper handles ink as intended, preventing static and misalignment. This not only protects your printing equipment but also ensures consistent print quality, safeguarding your investment and reputation.

A great way to improve print quality is to make time and do scheduled maintenance. A well maintained press will eliminate a lot (not all) of variables in production. You can't drive a Porsche one hundred miles per hour for very long if you never change the oil or check the tires. I know in some shops it's hard cause it's go go go all the time, but if you stick to a schedule downtime will get shorter and shorter and you will see improvement in the jobs coming off press. Training for complacency is another huge factor especially with more advanced equipment nowadays. It's easy to go through the motions and not pay attention to what your doing.

Similar to how the quality of your printing is an indicator of your Quality Assurance effectiveness, any non-compliance should be evident through that process whether administrative (info) or (technical) mechanical etc., the area, components and deficiencies identified must be addressed first. None of these actions alone however circumvent subjectivity or guarantee customer 'acceptance' (e.g. a spectral match is not always a visual match) however, the more closely aligned you and your customer are of the terms of reference for the project, tolerances and industry best practices, the higher the likelihood your mutual understanding of what 'quality' is, will be.

When facing print issues, pinpoint the problem by examining symptoms. Blurry or smudged prints? Clean, align, or replace your printer head and ensure the print media is dry and undamaged. Faded or dull colors might indicate low-quality ink or plugged filters; refill or replace with high-quality supplies and confirm the print media is compatible. Additionally, calibrate your profile and adjust colors to match your printer's capabilities. Effective troubleshooting combines identifying and addressing the root cause, from hardware to design calibration.

1) Start at problem and trace it back to find where it began. 2) Trial & error. 3) Decide if issue is design, equipment or operator problem? 4) Get other team members involved.

Some of the main things to ensure a good, quality print is to keep up with scheduled maintenance and, especially for inkjet printing, ensure the heads are being run on a regular basis and inks circulated. This will help to keep nozzles free and clear and ensure the best possible print quality when running customer jobs.

To add to the previous very valid advice regarding printhead maintenance; as an end user, understanding how different types of printheads enable the end user through overall life time or lower maintenance, including material (fluid/ink) use can be a huge advantage. Especially when considering non-printing fluid use in priming or in-use waste. Reliability is a very difficult metric to put in a spec sheet. Here, user or expert advice can be crucial.

This can be a very difficult topic to clearly answer as there are many factors that could cause loss of print quality. A clear procedure for a step by step process that isolates each variable can be beneficial. Run nozzle tests, if they check out, run calibration tests, etc.. We try to have at least two of every printer for redundancy and cross checking quality. Operator training in quality checking daily should be SOP!

First of all... you can't sell "quality". You must sell the attributes of your product that you are referring to as quality. And yes, you can use quality as a competitive advantage as long as the client agrees with your definition. You can even have a "visual" opinion. If you include a measureable reference. For printing, use a color bar or some call it a color wedge. Pick colors that are common to the customers production but based on the customers they may serve. Example: Corporate clients or retailers that have logo colors. These not only can be measured in Delta E but they also can be "visually" assessed side by side of any print product with the same color bars. That gives you a competitive advantage because YOU have set the rules.

Print quality could be judged against client satisfaction. It’s no good a printer falling back on tolerances if they have not explained or considered what their client is trying to achieve. A good printer will consider client satisfaction the primary measure of quality.

Print Quality should be given but as we all know, there are those that just do it better. I used to work for Williamson Printing and above all else, we stressed Quality and even more, Customer Satisfaction…

Once upon a time I routinely included "competitive advantage" in financial justifications for Capital requests whether for extensive enterprise-wide colour management proposals or simply annual G7 certifications. Don't get me wrong, in both instances as much as I agree 'print quality’ is essential, the financial minds win, ‘Print Quality’ enhanced or otherwise is not so much the differentiator in attracting new business as it is in maintaining consistency and cost avoidance.

Ensure consistent and high-quality printing results. You need to have a quality assurance and quality control system that checks the printing process and output regularly. You also need to use high-quality materials, such as ink, paper, fabric, or metal, that can produce clear, vivid, and accurate colors and images.

Warning about "artistic opinion" about quality. It is a really bad idea for printers to say, "Oh we just satisfy the customer." Unless you only have one customer, you are now an artist, not a printer." A printer cannot chase an artistic opinion at the end of the press. We must know what the result will be before we start printing. We must know exactly what we will get before we start printing. Our proof must be accurate and our print must be accurate. The client must approve and have confidence in the proof and if there were anything they did not like about the proof, we can adjust it before going to press. The proofing stage was the time to adjust color. Not on the press or after it is printed. WE ARE NOT ARTISTS, WE ARE PRINTERS.

Beyond the press is where the expectations are. Where the story gets told. Minds persuaded. Sales made. It’s where success is finally measured. You have to run the project, providing High Performance Print Management that successfully takes your project from file to fulfillment—and your confidence in your printer to a whole new level.

Showcase your print quality to your customers and prospects. You need to have a strong marketing strategy that highlights your print quality and how it differentiates you from your competitors. You can use social media, e-commerce platforms, websites, blogs, videos, and testimonials to showcase your print quality and attract more customers.

Lorsque je fais des courses, j'achète certains produits avec des étiquettes. Celle ci ne se détachent pas forcement pour réutilisation des emballages et je trouve cela dommageable pour l'environnement. D'autant plus que des solutions existent !!