Adding Value—Photo Services

For several years we’ve been talking about the downturn in the market and how printers, both large and small, are trying hard to be inventive in order to keep their heads above water. As we all know, the economy has taken a nosedive in the past year. While it may take time for the recession to completely affect our industry, once it hits, it’s not going to be pretty. Also, the printing industry seems to take longer to recover than most, due in part to annual budgets and consumers who tend to buy in lots. To that end, more and more printers are striving for ways to earn extra cash, attract more clients, and cut expenses.

Adding value to print services is by far the easiest and smartest way to ensure your business will survive. Adding value can be accomplished in many ways, from adding mailing and fulfillment services, including variable data, or through changing the way production is handled.

One of the most popular add-ons in the recent past has been digital photography. Digital photography has come a long way over the past decade, even for those who might still be using older equipment without digital capabilities. Prepress and software packages have made life much easier for layout and design people as well as the rest of the workers. Changes are made faster and easier. Jobs that used to take a week can often be printed from start to finish in one day or less.

The First To Go

Sadly, many consumers see printing as an indulgence—or at least not a necessity. According to David Friedberg of Creative Print Services (CPS) in Metuchen, N.J., when it comes to budget cuts, printing is always the first to go. So how does CPS handle the challenge of adding value to its work?

First of all, CPS believes strongly in adding value through giving what the consumer wants and what very few printing companies offer—photo services. CPS opened in 1995 when David Friedberg, Angela Pineiro, and Brenda Lee Ridings left the corporate printing arena to start their own creative design boutique under the auspices of the Seybert Nicholas Printing Group. The company has a strict ideal of making sure its entire staff is trained in the art of print, from conceptualization through to delivery. The one-stop-shop atmosphere allows the consumer to see and understand the purpose of adding photos to their work.

“Our people are trained in all aspects of the business,” said Friedberg. “There is one spokesperson to take the client through the whole process. The people who work for me can handle design, printing, mailing, layout, and photography.”

CPS came into the industry with a different point of view. Having worked in soft goods, the company executives knew that visuals were an important part of selling the product as well as achieving a return for the clients. Photo work also helps the consumer see the creative result of what they otherwise consider to be a mechanical process.

“Our clients view printing as a mechanical process,“ said Friedberg. “It all starts with a conceptual design.”

Friedberg believes it is imperative to work with the client from the beginning in order to be able to offer the services they most need and want. Clients may use another source for photography but Friedberg said that it is not necessary, and in fact, the client is served better through a single source. When working with an outside entity, whether it is a photographer or agency, the client may not get the best printed piece and the experience of the printing professionals.

“It’s another avenue if somebody wants to go to someone else for the photography,” Friedberg stated. “But you may not have the opportunity to have input into the printing process if the client starts somewhere else.”

On the other hand, Friedberg added, “There are very few jobs we don’t get if we start with the design process.”