Does Offset Printing Artwork Require a Graphic Designer?

If you’re planning an offset printing project, do you have to pay a graphic designer to handle the artwork for you? The answer to that question depends on the nature of the value-added services — if any — that your local printing company offers. In many cases, printers offer design assistance as a part of their offset and digital printing services. If you can take advantage of this benefit, you may be able to skip the time and hassle of hiring your own designer.

The Challenges of Using a Graphic Designer for Offset Printing Artwork

The biggest challenge associated with using a graphic design consultant is the potentially prohibitive cost, followed closely by how time-consuming it can be. You’ll have to provide your logo artwork and design specifications (color and font, for example) and spend enough time with the artist to convey what you want. After the time it takes for production, you’ll likely have at least a few rounds of review and revision too, all of which the graphic artist will likely bill you for. So what is a business owner or marketing manager to do?

What Alternatives Do You Have for Designing Your Offset Printing Files?

As an alternative to all this hassle and money, you can try using a friend or relative, a neighbor or even a design student, but you have no assurance that the result will be workable for you or your offset printing company. You could hire an employee to handle this work, but unless you have a lot of offset printing to design for, this isn’t likely to be a cost-effective solution either. Or you could see if your local printing company offers design services for their customers. They may provide this assistance to their customers as a part of the cost of digital or offset printing. If so, you will cut out all the challenges associated with using an outside design firm to create your press-ready artwork files.

Can Your Printing Company’s In-House Design Assistance Solve Your Problems?

Some savvy local printing companies — including Sun Print Solutions — have begun to offer this valuable in-house design assistance as a part of their services. The benefits for you are fairly impressive. You don’t have to pay to use a graphic design consultant or hire an in-house designer. You don’t have to buy any software or have any specialized knowledge related to digital design. You save time, money and hassle if your printing company offers these services. And make no mistake, offering these value-added services benefits your printing company as well. It helps avoid confusion and the back-and-forth communication that’s necessary if a file has problems or is formatted incorrectly. It ensures that your offset printing job is ready to go right away too, which saves time and effort on the printer’s side of the equation. So we think it’s safe to say that offering in-house graphic design assistance is a win-win for us as well as our customers! In addition to our comprehensive offset and digital printing services, Sun Print Solutions offers a variety of value-added services for our customers, including fulfillment, packaging and direct mail. These valuable services are ideal for individuals, groups and entities of all sizes and types, but they are especially valuable for small businesses that could not otherwise access them affordably. Contact Sun Print Solutions today to learn more about how we can help you get the greatest possible benefit from our comprehensive digital and offset printing services.