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What Is a Print Design Company?

As a subset of graphic design, print design companies focus on creating and designing materials that are printed physically.

Graphics design is essentially a form of communication with print design being its primary “language”. The main objective of print designers is to create an end product that visually conveys a specific message/feeling to target consumers that engage with the brand.

Print design is often confused with printing itself as clients usually expect these two services to be executed by the same provider. Although some print design agencies offer both, customarily, this is not the case as the printing process is another discipline altogether.

Print designers are responsible for conceiving an idea for the finished product through producing print-ready artwork for the printers.

To measure the print design’s importance, it’s good to know that the market size of the printing industry, measured by revenue, is expected to reach $78.9bn by the end of 2022.

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What Do Print Design Companies Actually Do?

Although the growing number of top advertising companies shifted the industry's focus to the digital environment, businesses did not forgo print design. Quite the contrary. To stay competitive, you need to reach your audience in both the digital and the real world.

In fact, print design evolved to bridge the gap between online and offline through immersive design that encourages “jumping” between them. Not to mention that advertisers want comprehensive campaigns that reach prospective customers at all points, blurring the lines between print and digital advertising.

Printing design companies produce a wide array of design solutions. These are some of the typical examples of print design

1. Business cards

Having a masterfully designed business card can boost your brand’s authority, outlook and awareness.

These are the bare necessity for every type of business and an integral part of brand identity.

2. Book covers and magazines

“Don’t judge a book by its cover”. While we mostly agree with the centuries-old proverb, it doesn’t fit the advertising mentality. The market has specific expectations when it comes to book cover design.

3. Brochure and flyers

Companies need brochures and flyers to properly present their services or products.

They are a perfect example of print design evolution. Besides logos, these marketing materials often contain a CTA and a website combined with other advertising elements such as taglines, messages, descriptions and more.

4. Branded packaging and labels

The best packaging designs make products jump off the shelves. They are usually one of the most creative types of print designs out there.

5. Banners, signage and stationaries

These are essential advertising tools used for various promotional or celebratory purposes.

6. Posters and billboards

These are large notices, pictures or ads printed on a large piece(s) of paper. Their ultimate goal is to send a clear message to passers-by via eye-catching design.

The proper color palette choice, element positioning and messaging are what make onlookers turn heads and be engaged.

Other types of print design include:

  • Greeting cards/invitations
  • Calendars
  • T-shirts
  • Stickers
  • Shopping bags
  • Menus
  • And more

Although complementary, there are some major differences between digital and print design. Besides the obvious, environmental divergence, print design companies take meticulous care to mitigate any mistakes and errors as even minimal post-printing corrections can be extremely pricey.

Print design companies have the added challenge of working with limited parameters.

Take dimensions for example. Designing a banner or a business card drastically narrows down the possibilities. However, print designers have both the necessary expertise and awareness not to “think outside the box”, but to find a way to make said box look amazing.

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How Much Do Print Designers Charge for Their Services?

The exact amount you’ll need to spend on print design services can be hard to pinpoint as it largely depends on factors like:

  • The complexity and scope of the work
  • The type of print design
  • The location of your chosen print design agency

Generally speaking, print design companies in the U.S. will charge hourly rates, from $100 to $200, while companies in Eastern Europe and/or India will charge anywhere between $25 and $75 per hour.

Those that don’t want the varying hourly fees may opt for a single cost/flat fee for each individual design project. This may simplify the entire process since both the print design company and the client know the exact budget at stake, as well as the project timeline. Depending on the type of print design it may cost anywhere between $100+ to 10,000+ per project.

5 Benefits of Working with the Best Printing Design Companies

Besides what we already pointed out – strengthening your brand identity, utilizing the services of print design agencies with a proven track record can have a multitude of benefits:

1. Stand Out

Print design can help your brand become more prominent and stand out among competitors. Since utilizing digital marketing is a given, you should take advantage of having print marketing materials as well.

Combining online presence with professional print design helps you stay ahead of your rivals.

2. It's Easy to Use

Although the majority are shifting to digital marketing, many prospective clients still prefer traditional marketing. Print gives them something multipurpose and reliable that they can hold on to.

While digital marketing is extremely beneficial and measurable, it is not permanent like print media.

3. Reach Out to a Wider Audience

Let’s face it, not everyone can use the internet. Some customers still prefer print content and having both options ensures that you’ll reach all your target audiences.

Unlike website links and those pesky spam emails, the print design offers the opportunity to target your demographics at the right time in the right place.

4. Enhance Your Brand

It’s simple – the more you let your brand be seen, the more it’s going to be recognized. All things considered, opting for boosting your print marketing makes your business look more credible and reliable.

No matter how well they’re designed, people often leave websites in less than 15 seconds. On the other hand, print design can engage the audience and stay in collective memory longer.

5. Increase Your Profit

Depending on what sort of business, company or service you provide, your customers may respond differently to specific marketing tactics. Traditional pieces of print marketing can help you reach more tangible results and, by extension, increase your profit.

In fact, consistently presenting your brand across all platforms can lead to 23% higher revenue.

How To Choose the Right Print Designers for Your Business?

When it comes to choosing the best print design agency, the most important factor is creativity., In other words, they should showcase the highest rate of talent possible, as well as innovation and an eminent portfolio (preferably the one that won prizes).

However, these are very general metrics that don’t really speak of the company’s notion of integrity, professionalism and business approach.

In our listing of the top print design companies, you can filter by levels of expertise, customer testimonials, average rates and more.

When selecting a print agency partner for your project, be sure to focus on the following factors:

1. Professional Partnership

There are tons of incredible print design agencies in the USA that are able to fulfill a variety of needs. Before you start searching for the right agency to suit your goals, determine the type of relationship that you need to improve your business.

Whatever the case, before you begin vetting agencies, take the time to know what you’re looking for in a professional partnership and your ideal price point.

2. Organized Process

While you consider potential collaborations with print design companies, you should ask them specific questions about their creative process and approach.

Creating a stunning visual design that accomplishes a goal is a challenging task that requires plenty of organization and communication. You need to feel comfortable with how a specific design agency will approach your brand, understand your objectives and translate those into an end product.

3. Clear Pricing Structure

Hiring a top-rated print design agency is costly. However, you should know exactly what you’re paying for.

Make sure you ask prospective print design agencies about their pricing structure to know how to allocate your budget.

Find out whether they charge a flat or hourly rate and which team members you are paying for (and how much time they dedicate each week to your project).

4. Staying on Top of Trends

As new technologies emerge and trends start to shift, print design agencies must readjust their work process and approach.

Make sure to partner with an agency that is able to keep up with industry changes and design trends to deliver up-to-date services and solutions that work.

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10 Questions to Ask Print Design Agencies Before You Hire One

Here are the most important questions you need to ask print design companies before you decide on your next partner:

  1. Do you have previous experience with clients in our industry and have you worked on similar projects?
  2. Can you describe your design process and how you will infuse it into our existing branding?
  3. What is your main area of expertise?
  4. Do you plan to research our audience and how do you plan to target it visually?
  5. How do you keep up with changing trends in the design market? What tools do you use?
  6. What do you need from us during the project?
  7. Who will comprise the team that will work on our project and what is their experience?
  8. Who will be our main point of contact?
  9. What is your typical timeframe for this type of project?
  10. Do you charge for revisions?

Print Design Companies Takeaways

Print design companies help you boost your brand identity through conceptualizing engaging physical materials including business cards, brochures, posters, packaging design and more.

They typically charge between $100 and $200 per hour in the United States, or $25 and $75 in Eastern Europe and India.

When selecting the best printing design agency for your business you need to evaluate their:

  • Professional partnership
  • Creative process and approach
  • Pricing structure
  • Client reviews
  • And more

Best of luck!

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