Printing stuff

I was recently talking to a friend about where to get stuff printed. Here is a list of places I go to and what I use.

If you're looking for the best deals, go online. Printing is extremely competitive, and they're always trying to outbid each other. If you want to use a local printer, go online and get a quote and see if the local folks will beat it. Only use a copy shop (Staples, Kinkos, etc) if you are doing low volume printing (a small run less than what a regular printer will do. Like less than 250 business cards say). It doesn't matter which one you go to, they all use the same machines so the quality will be more or less the same. Always get a proof before they print your job, especially if color is important. And footnote, nothing you will have produced at a copy shop is archival; meaning the colors will fade and/or eventually it will look like crap. The paper itself may even disintegrate if it's not acid free. Keep that in mind if you're looking to have artwork printed or reproduced.

Ok! So one of the art forms I like to have produced for me is Giclée prints. I will create digital files (I'll do a blog post about how I produce them later, but essentially I draw something out and modify it in various ways. It's faster than painting, and I like the control and graphic quality when it's all done). I currently use http://www.giclee-factory.com, their prices are really good, there's no minimum quantity, and I've liked working with them so far. The only down side for me is that they're in Canada, I'd rather use someone closer but I haven't yet found a company that works for me yet.

For other types of printing, like business cards, stickers, banners, etc. shop around! Some companies may provide all those services, but they may specialize in one more than the other. So their business card prices may be great but their vinyl stickers may be more expensive than elsewhere. Here's a small list of places that I've found that have good prices, and I've liked the samples they sent me (ask them and most places will send you samples to review).

http://www.uprinting.com General printing
http://jimmybuttons.com/ Buttons
http://stickerobot.com/ Vinyl stickers

This list isn't conclusive, and not necessarily the best of what's out there. This is just what I have saved since the last time I've done a search. If you find something better, leave a comment or send me an email with what you've found. I'm always looking for better places to have stuff made.