For this Print Tip, I channeled my inner print customer. FWIW, here’s what I’d tell every commercial printer.

This letter is for every printer with whom I’m working or will be working – just so there’s no misunderstanding about what this relationship is all about from my perspective as your customer.

Although I have a few years’ experience buying print for my employer, I’m no expert. (My company thinks I am. In their minds, I AM the print guru.) But I need you to be. It’s a huge reason why I choose to work with you. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t work with you.

Can you do the following for me?

If we work together for the long haul, and I’d prefer that we do, please bring me along with knowledge and manufacturing advances so I can apply them for my company. This will make you invaluable to me – and me invaluable to my employer.

Stop me from making stupid mistakes.

I need you to tell me if my job’s headed in the wrong direction, based on specs and the format I have in mind. Tell me, what am I missing? What would make the job better? What would save me/my company money? What would make this project a home run?

Please tell me.

Did I make a mistake when I spec’d the paper? Is it too light? Too heavy? Is the finish going to work against me? Would another sheet have performed better? Does something about the design spell “Big Trouble” to you? If so, what? I’d rather hear about it up front as opposed to when the job’s done and I’m unhappy with it.

How are our files? I’m a grown-up. Please tell me where we’re screwing up. If you do it in a professional way, I can take it. Better yet, send me something in writing that I can share with our designers. They won’t listen to me.

What’s new, fabulous and magical in the print manufacturing world that I might not know about? What’s happening with digital printing technologies that we could use here in my company to improve our campaigns or just make them exceptional?

Don’t lie to me. If there’s a problem with my job, and it’s going to affect my schedule, the quality, or the price, I need you to tell me ASAP. If I find out you’ve misrepresented something or hid something I should’ve been told, it’s the end. I won’t trust you again.

I just expect you to do what you say you’re going to do. I expect this from everyone.

You’ve never been in my shoes, and it’s incredibly stressful. Editors and creatives and managers are all over me about print jobs, which they believe can be printed overnight. Please know that when I bug you for an update or to try and move a delivery date, it’s because my back’s against the wall.

And don’t dodge my calls. I expect to hear back from you really quickly once I leave you a VM. The same goes for emails. I don’t want to chase printers for information. They should be providing it.

Who’s my CSR? I know your main job is selling, and that a customer service rep is probably most familiar with my job when it’s in production. I want to know her name, phone number and email. Also, when I have a job in production, I need to know if you’re going to be out of the office for any amount of time (like a day or more). Who’s covering for you while you’re gone? I expect that person to be totally familiar with my job and to treat me professionally.

So you know, I don’t want to get frivolous calls or emails from you when all you really want to do is sell me more. If you have something interesting to tell me about, I’m up for that. Tell me about something new and fantastic you’re doing, or a big enough trend in the industry that I need to learn about. Send me articles or links to articles or posts that relate to what I’m doing. Whatever you do, just make sure it isn’t a sales pitch.

BTW, we’ve been working together for years already. Doesn’t that count for something? I get a free coffee from Starbucks every year on my birthday. Just sayin.’ Even an acknowledgment from your company (maybe the president) would be nice. A little goes a long way.

When I come in for press OKs, it’s not just the sheets I’m studying. I pay attention to everything I see, like how clean your facility is – including your restroom. I observe the chemistry between sales and production staff. I try and get a sense of how important a client we are to you.

I hope this all makes sense to you. Believe me, I hope this business relationship lasts for a long time. I hate the process of finding new printers. You’ve been a great resource for me and my team so far, and I honestly look forward to continuing working with you. When someone asks me to recommend a printer, I never hesitate to drop your name.

You make my job easier. I want to say “thanks” for that. I probably never said it to you before. Anyway, thanks for listening, and here’s to more years of working together.

© 2014 Margie Dana. All rights reserved.