Years back, a colleague suggested I do the graphics community a “real solid” and create/maintain a directory of all the printers in the U.S.

Thank you, but no.

It’d be like standing knee deep in the rushing waters of a river, attempting to catch all the fish as they swim by. It can’t be done.

Although if I tried this today, it would be easier than if I’d started in 1995, when, according in industry expert Frank Romano, that was when we had the most printing companies – 65,000. As the Internet came about, we began to lose printers. We still do. Today we’re down to about 31,000 printers.

What makes the idea of a comprehensive print company directory so challenging is not just that the industry is in decline, but also this: companies are undergoing significant changes in their products and services. Their names are changing, too, as they have been for years, to move away from a “print only” association and expand into other offerings. Haven’t you noticed? Former printers are now marketing or media companies, or at least that’s what their web sites tell us.

You begin to see how hard it would be to herd all of the companies into one directory. Just when you think you’re done, it’s time to revisit each one for an update. Sure as shootin’, they will have changed something significant.

What’s a marketer or new print customer to do? Google for printers? I guess so. But it’s not going to tell you about a company’s reputation from the customers’ standpoint. I wouldn’t go this route.

I’d ask people in your position. Solid (and current) customer reviews will do more to help you find the right company to handle your commercial printing than any directory could.

A few suggestions come to mind:

1. Ask other buyers, designers or marketers on LinkedIn. I manage a Print Buyers International group for print customers only (no service providers allowed). Although I’ve closed PBI, I’ve kept this group, and if you haven’t joined, please do.
2. Tap into your personal network. Find people who print the same sort of materials you do – books, marketing collateral, outdoor signage, short-run variable data, whatever. Find out who handles their printing.
3. Before you send work to a new printer, check their references. Ask for the names of a few current customers. Call them – customers generally love to talk.

Of course, there are major differences among printing companies: capabilities, equipment, services, products, customer care, pricing and quality (though most printing is very good these days). This is why getting solid customer reviews matters so much.

Don’t go fishing. Be strategic in your search.