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krzyswronski's picture
8 pencils

Where to Print?

I'd like to get some business cards printed. Can anyone recommend a good printer (I mean a place that would do it for me, not the machine) that could do it. Low cost would be nice, they'd be color front and back.

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thornysarus's picture
926 pencils

www.postcardpress.com

Their cards are excellent quality, full-color and varnished on thick card stock.

Terrell Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

Donateko's picture
126 pencils

You can check this site, they have better prices than the site thornysarus recommended, and the quality is pretty good. You can even get some samples to check their quality.

--designer wannabe--

thornysarus's picture
926 pencils

I have to get some more business cards printed and with prices like that, I may give them a try. It's just the "pretty good quality" that scares me. Could you elaborate?

Terrell Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

krzyswronski's picture
8 pencils

I might try the overnightprints place just to see. That's a pretty incredible price if the quality is good.

Donateko's picture
126 pencils

I mentioned their quality was "pretty good", because I am not an expert on printing quality. But if I compare it to the cards I have seen around, I could say their quality is exellent. But just go and request some free samples, you would get them within 5 days if you are in the US.

--designer wannabe--

thornysarus's picture
926 pencils

Yeah. I saw that they offered samples, but in my experience, printers usually have a stockpile of samples from when the press was running smoothly and the lead pressman wasn't on a 3-day drunk. hehe

All to say, I've learned that running a print-job with any printer is the only way to tell if quality control is high on their priority list.

I've about talked myself into just giving them the job as a test-run. I'll let you know what I think when the final product arrives.

Terrell Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

pechos's picture
120 pencils

Seriously,
I have had used this place about 5 times and literally Every Single Time, something goes wrong. To top it off, they move such volume, if you have the patience to wait on hold for over an hour, you will soon find out that their more than incompetent customer service department just does not care.

Twice I have been double charged because their site decided to crap out on me and blank screen while processing my order and receiving a refund was nothing close to pleasant. The other beef I have with them is color consistency. They do not offer any sort of proof, hard or soft. I was told by customer service, "what you see on your screen is what they will send you". I don't think I need to elaborate on why this is ludacris, and no they will not work with embedded profiles.

If you have any desire what so ever to maintain color consitency with your cards then go somewhere else! I have placed single orders for business cards with them, having multiple uploads from the same exact source file, with the exception of a changed name, and when I received the order, the colors of a predominately blue logo have ranged from Pink to Purple.

I could vent on this company all day but I need to get back to work. I saw their name and just could not pass up the opportunity to warn everyone out there. Worst Online Print Co. Ever. Stay away!

thornysarus's picture
926 pencils

The voice of experience tells me that there is usually a damn good reason the low bidder is the lowest bidder.

Thanks for the confirmation.

Terrell Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

Donateko's picture
126 pencils

Hey guys, I just got my order from Overnightprints.com, and they quality is good, I mean I could even say exellent... thornysarus I think you should try a small order to see the quality, then if u don't likeit , well... but if you do you could save some money.

--designer wannabe--

thornysarus's picture
926 pencils

I actually did get their sample kit. Not bad at all for samples.

I'll run a job through soon and report back here.

Thanks for the update.

Terrell Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

archmedia's picture
587 pencils

I've dealt with overnightprints.com with mixed reviews, the nice thing is the money back satisfaction guarantee. Other then that, the mentality of "yuo get what you pay for" doesn't really stand too strong with them.

yes, they batch print, but EVERYONE online does unless you wanna pay premium prices.
yes, support is sometimes slow, but that's cause they have a LARGE clientele
yes, support is sometimes not as knowledgeable as they ought to be, but at least they're not based overseas and they TRY! unlike some palces

they offer alot of products, it's not always easy being a pro at all of them.

Other then that, you might wanna look into Printrunner.com i've had good results from them too. it's trial and error sadly sometimes, specially with mixed reviews, but a money back satisfaction guarantee is hard to beat!

____________________________________________
Architectural Technician - Multimedia Designer
www.ArchMedia.us

Donateko's picture
126 pencils

Guys, I need to print some restaurant menus, but overnight prints does not do 8 1/2 X 11. Any recommendations?

--designer wannabe--

archmedia's picture
587 pencils

www.printrunner.com

and they do nice work..

____________________________________________
Architectural Technician - Multimedia Designer
www.ArchMedia.us

walks_in2_trees's picture
252 pencils

wouldn't it be better to find someone local to you?

"...and mamma cried: Watch out where the huskies go, don't you eat that yellow snow" - Frank Zappa

thornysarus's picture
926 pencils

I ran some business cards and two separate postcard runs with them recently.

The quality was good on each job and the shipments were all received as promised.

I'll use them again on short-run projects.

Terrell Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

stokeroc's picture
1 pencil

Give us a try. I guarantee you will use us over and over agin.
Thanks,
Kim

currynicole's picture
1 pencil

Very recently, we have had a great deal of clients that have had bad experiences with OvernightPrints. Seems like they are having a hard time keeping up with their workload and it's starting to reflect in the finished product.

We are not complaining at all, as this gives our clients a chance to see the quality of our printing services and low prices.

If you want a quality based service with outstanding products give Urban Dreams Design Studio a call or visit the website at www.uddsprinting.com. We welcome you.

nathanlewis's picture
31 pencils

Hello some of us Brits would like to know a good UK printer for stickers.
thanks

ND

onegirlcreative's picture
1090 pencils

I also used them as a desperate attempt to save money from going to an offset printer, and I was disgusted at how awful they turned out. The card stock was fine, but the printing was cheesy and the color was way off. Kinko's does a better job than overnightprints.com. Thankfully, they issued me a 100% refund.

Remember one thing in printing (as with anything) if it's too cheap, you get what you pay for. I realize that not everybody can afford to go to an offset printer—which is why I had my printed at Kinko's in the first place—but please, shop around and I'm sure there is something local that can do a great job at a lower cost. If not, I would go with one of the recommendations of the other designers here. They seem to know what they're talking about.

Good luck!

--------
"I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint." ~ Frida Kahlo

www.onegirlcreative.com

Creative_NRG's picture
483 pencils

I've had good luck with www.americasprinter.com. They don't use digital presses and the quality blows overnightprints out of the water. [I had a set of business cards printed at each printer and couldn't believe the difference]

They also have some very competitive pricing. A set of 1,000 business cards, 4/4 on heavy 16 pt stock with a UV coating will run you $49 plus $10 shipping. 2,500 cards is only $59.

natobasso's picture
3953 pencils

...you get what you pay for. If it's fast and cheap, it won't be good. If it's good and cheap, it won't be fast. If it's fast and good, it won't be cheap.

----
natobasso

p1d's picture
1 pencil

The back of my card looked incorrect on their preview screen, I had everything set up properly so I emailed them as to what to do. They said to send the files and they could "convert" them for me. So I did and promptly paid my $70, but when I received the cards they looked incorrect, just like on the preview. Of course they are not willing to reprint or refund my money. They were very willing to help take my money, they answered emails promptly then. But now I can't even get anyone to respond. If you plan to use this company do the research first. Check out the BBB on them, they are declining daily.

walks_in2_trees's picture
252 pencils

for what it's worth I can vouch for Fedex/kinkos quality but you're limited in stock choices, there are no special effects, and it's probably not cheap... (for example when I wanted a color 2-sided document, they charged me for two sheets for every one instead of just adding a small additional charge to cover the extra toner for side two), but it has the advantage that you can order online and pick it up locally at the nearest location you could probably order it before you leave and it would probably printed by the time you got there

"...and mamma cried: Watch out where the huskies go, don't you eat that yellow snow" - Frank Zappa

OvernightMAREprintsdotcom's picture
1 pencil

We placed a 4000 postcard oder with this compnay on Monday 5am. Overnight shipment. In short, its Wed, no order, still printing. They have billed our card for full and Overnight shipping. I spent two plus hours on hold in past few days, nothing. They DO NOT respond to emails.

Buyer beware. There are just too many other alternatives out there than to have to use this company. Checkout their rating at BBB.....geez!

If you want to give away money, donate it to charity. I have learned. Hope this helps someone.

natobasso's picture
3953 pencils

That way you can meet them face to face and the more you work with them the better deals you'll get. Obviously you get what you pay for when you use these quick/cheap printers.

And, always pay by credit card--that way you can dispute the charges.

----
"The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling
is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side." - James Baldwin

JobMatchNow's picture
10 pencils

Let us know what the best place to print at is after you find out please.

v2lab's picture
1 pencil

man you guys pay a lot for printing, while taking a gamble at never getting your stuff. most of this big companies are just print brokers.

if you guys need printing let me know. 1000 4/4 + uv on card stock = $50

-www.v2lab.com

idealz's picture
1 pencil

V2Lab is right. If you're doing alot of online printing, there's a good chance you're dealing with a broker. If they're a broker, they can't control the quality. I went to a local printer called Image Media. I found them on the web, but the fact that I was able to walk through their shop makes me feel alot better about doing business with them, and they always get my printing done right. But, keep in mind,... it's not just the printer that determines the quality. Make sure your designs are press freindly. It pays to know your stuff in design when it comes to getting great results in print.

4over4online's picture

Hello there,

I can recommend the company I work for, 4over4 printing we have prices that start at $22 per 250 double sided color business cards. There's even a 250 free business cards plan. Check us out and see if we're your best option.

Donateko's picture
126 pencils

Well guys,

I have used Overnight Prints for three years now and it has been "overall" a good experience. I said overall because I did have some issues with a couple of orders, but they took care of it. I think for their prices, they are excellent.

None of the less, I have been putting a list together based on good reviews and sample I have received of a few printers that seem to be e good. I have not used any of these but here you go in case you want to try them out:

http://americasprinter.com/
http://mpix.com/
http://4over.com/
http://wholesaleprintingdirect.com/

Hope this helps.

--designer wannabe--

print wiz's picture
20 pencils

Well, it all depends on the material. If your business cards for example are intended to be of solid silver bce-online.com surely is first choice :DDD

eggie's picture
1 pencil

There are tons of instructions on the website and sometimes it's not clear. I was trying to do gloss varnish on my cards. After placing the order (like they instructed to do first) I tried to get rep on phone to go over instructions on how to put job on hold. BUT they weren't piking up. So I emailed only to get a response after the job was being printed without my spot varnish. When the order was cancelled, I got some bogus 1/2 store credit refund (which is useless since I will NEVER use them again) I also was supposed to be refunded in full for shipping and handling but now they are saying it's only for shipping. UPS never refunds the handling. I spent 204.00 total and was refunded 104.00 for the job I never received. Don't use Overnight. They aren't that great anyways. Mediocre quality and there are many companies out there with comparible and better quality.

pikesan's picture
1 pencil

Just 1 day late.
What does "on or before August 11th" mean to you? To me, it meant that I'd have the cards I ordered in time to use them at the event I planned to attend.
When the cards didn't show, I called Overnightprints.com and begged them for some other solution where I could still receive the cards. They kindly offered to "refund my shipping charges". WHAT!?
In this case, what would you want? I wanted to keep the cards and get 100% of my money back. It's only $100! Instead, it was calls and emails back to ONP when finally I got a letter from eval(unescape('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%6f%66%66%69%63%65%6f%66%74%68%65%70%72%65%73%69%64%65%6e%74%40%6f%76%65%72%6e%69%67%68%74%70%72%69%6e%74%73%2e%63%6f%6d%22%3e%6f%66%66%69%63%65%6f%66%74%68%65%70%72%65%73%69%64%65%6e%74%40%6f%76%65%72%6e%69%67%68%74%70%72%69%6e%74%73%2e%63%6f%6d%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')). This person still accused me of trying to get free cards and quoted "terms of service" items that didn't even apply! Thanks alot!
Here are the exact facts: Ordered Aug 4th for "on or before Aug 11" shipping, that's ground and yea, the cheapest way. I was leaving Aug 12th. The cards were knowingly shipped late on Aug 6th (they told me they knew they'd be late) without a call or even email saying they'd be late. When I called Aug 11 to see where my cards were, ONP was flippant about the lateness. Hello! Over-night-prints?
Finally, ONP did refund all my money and offered to let me keep the cards... TOO LATE! I had already sent the cards back.

DO NOT USE Overnightprints.com if you want your shipment delivered on time.

lyclrerk's picture
1 pencil

I'm doing a school project on the republic of Uzupis and I need three print resources to accompany my online resources. My teacher said that the resources could be found online, so long as they were originally in print. Where might I go to find such resources?

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