A Review of Personalized Printing Companies by Janina R. Williams
Personalized
printing is a great invention of the modern world. If you’re looking
for custom made invitations, stickers, company stationary, or business
cards at an affordable price, then look no further. There are several
companies ready to meet your needs. Here are three such businesses.
Kinkos is the cornerstone of personalized printing for the individual or business.
When they first opened in 1970, it was nothing like what you see today.
According to their web site, their first store featured a single copier,
offset press, film processing and a small selection of stationery and
school supplies. It’s grown oodles since then. Now, you can print
posters, bind presentations, and create color copies. You can even upload
files, have them printed and then sent to specific destinations. They
also cut and print on most any paper you bring into their shops. I love
Kinkos is because it’s so accessible. Any time, day or night, you
can find at least one that is open. This is an invaluable tool for any
business. Although Kinkos is very accessible, you will pay heavily for
that accessibility. Many of the services are very expensive, but try taking
your project to a specialty shop and you will end up paying much more
than that. Whenever I’m in a pinch, I use Kinkos.
Another printing
company that offers personalized service is Vistaprints. This online business
can personalize a plethora of goods from postcards, calendars, and brochures
for small businesses to products for the individual including special
occasion cards, invitations, and t-shirts. One great thing about Vistaprints
is that they offer a number of free promotional products, which are listed
right on their site. They also offer their customers downloadable templates
for postcards, magnets, and business cards so that there aren’t
any issues with sizing. They’ll even send you a proof for a nominal
fee. I’ve ordered a number of items from Vistaprints including business
cards, postcards, magnets, and sticky notes and I am always pleasantly
surprised. Vistaprints packs all of their shipped goods with care. Sometimes
the materials come packed within smaller boxes or are sent with protective
layers of paper so the products aren’t damaged during shipping.
I’ve had one issue with Vistaprints regarding a custom order for
postcards. When I received them, they were pixilated at the bottom. A
quick phone call to the Vistaprints customer service department and it
was all cleared up. They sent me a new set of postcards within three days.
Although, I enjoy the products I’ve purchased from Vistaprints,
I think the cost of shipping these products is very expensive, but because
they offer a number of free products, as well as excellent customer service,
I will continue to purchase from them.
Another new
online printing press is Moo. Located in England, Moo offers several products
on their web site www.moo.com. They
don’t print business cards, they print minicards. With mimicards,
you can upload up to one hundred full color photos for less than twenty
bucks. You can even make your own sticker books where you’ll receive
a total of ninety stickers (and ninety different images if you'd like)
for less than ten dollars. One can make stickers out of their business
logos and attach them to their products, or take photos of your friends
and family and turn them into stickers as well. The possibilities are
endless. About a week after I purchased a set of stickers, I was told
that they were damaged. They sent me a credit to purchase another set
of stickers including shipping and they still sent me the damaged ones
because I was told that many of them were salvageable. A week later, the
damaged stickers arrived and they were right; many were still usable.
About two weeks later, I received the other package of stickers. They
arrived in a tiny, cardboard envelope in perfect condition. The printing
was sharp and my stickers looked great. The only downside I can see to
ordering from Moo is how long it takes the products to arrive, but I can’t
complain. Shipping from the UK was only $2.99. All in all, I can see myself
ordering from Moo again especially because they have such unique products.
These three
companies, although similar, are all very different. With the many pros
and cons of each business, it is up to you as a consumer to decide which
company is best for you. Good Luck!
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