There’s a rule.  You must get three estimates for every printing project.  It’s a rule like you can only have four, or six or five words on a billboard.  And you have to have enough blank space on a business card to fit a quarter.  It’s a rule.

Rules can be helpful…if you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.  Man walks into a printer and says he needs an estimate to print a box of business cards.  As soon as he gets the other two estimates, the man will announce which printer has been blessed to get the project.  Really?  Happens every day.

Just two points to make regarding printers.  If you, or your company, are a regular purchaser of printing, find a printer that you can get to know and trust. Once you’ve done that, a good printer will want to make sure he doesn’t lose your business.  A good printer is more interested in the relationship than in the sale.  And when you’re confronted with a printing deadline crisis, you’ll have a partner that you can go to that will have solutions.

If you’re a freelancer, or a small shop, the right printer can provide solutions that you never thought of, giving you a competitive edge you wouldn’t ordinarily have.  The right printer can make earning a living a lot easier.