Printing Your Own Labels vs. Professional Printing
For smaller businesses, the option of in-house label printing is perfectly plausible. In which case, outsourcing label printing requirements can seem like an unnecessary additional cost.
If it is something you can handle yourself, why pay someone else to do it for you?
A logical argument on paper, but one that does not always add up when put into practice. Depending on your immediate and long-term requirements, it could actually prove more cost-effective to join forces with a professional printing house.
When to Print Labels In-House
In-house label printing can be the more economic option when looking to run off small batches of labels, printing individual labels ad-hoc. For obvious reasons, it would not be cost-effective to reach out to a professional printing house every time you need one label here and there.
Likewise, smaller businesses that only need labels in limited quantities could find in-house printing the way to go. Printing equipment and consumable have a tendency to be quite expensive, but can still be cost-effective for small-scale printing requirements. If you are not going to burn through a great deal of toner along the way, printing your own labels is an option.
Where the DIY approach to label printing is viable, some of the benefits of handling your own label printing requirements are as follows:
- You can print on an ad hoc basis anytime you like
- It could prove more cost-effective for short runs
- It’s a good way of running off test runs and experiments
- An affordable option for businesses with limited printing requirements
On the downside, the in-house approach to printing will almost always prove significantly more expensive where larger runs are concerned – particularly those involving high-quality materials and premium-quality inks.
When to Choose Professional Printing
There are three instances in which it makes better sense to go with the professional printing option:
- When you want the finished labels to look as professional as possible with consistent quality and visual appeal.
- When you plan on printing a lot of labels at the same time or have ongoing printing requirements.
- When you do not already have all the equipment and consumables needed in house and would need to buy them outright.
Most businesses with label printing requirements will find themselves falling into one of these three categories. Shy of smaller businesses with strictly limited printing requirements, it almost always proves more cost-effective to outsource to a professional printing house.
In addition, outsourcing brings the benefit of guaranteed quality and consistency. You are either provided with consistently flawless labels of the highest quality, or you can request replacements for a refund – welcome peace of mind with every purchase.
As an added bonus, the experience and expertise of a professional printing service can translate to invaluable input and advice along the way. Expert consultancy is not an option when going it alone, but is all part and parcel of the service when you outsource to an established label printing company.
