Choosing a printing company is almost like being a judge at a beauty contest. You have to have few criteria set so that you can accurately judge the different aspects or dimensions of the company. Do they offer low prices? Are they fast? How good is their printing? Do they offer online printing services or is it a must to go to their office? You have to quantify these characteristics so that you can accurately compare one printing company from another one.

This is important since it helps you maximize your printing dollars for the best possible color printing. So don't get caught up in flashy advertisements and "to good to be true" deals. Be smart and judge your printing company precisely. If you are kind of clueless to start out, here's my own criteria for judging a printing company. This can be a good guide, if you want to add your own criteria then go ahead. These are just the main ones you should consider.

Capabilities (25%)

The first criteria is about the overall capabilities in printing of a printing company. The more capabilities they have the better they are as a printing company. You can judge this by looking at the various printing mediums that they print. Do they print only brochures, flyers and posters? Or are they extensive printing booklets, catalogs, door hangers, note pads and basically any other kind of printed material? If they offer a wide variety of services, then you can be somewhat assured that they are printing company to be considered.

Quality (25%)

Next of course, you need to consider the quality. You can actually judge this by looking at a printing company's printing samples if they are available. If not may be you can have some samples printed of your work. With this criteria you need to look if the products that they print are good looking. Does it have straight cuts? Are colors fine with no blotches or smudges? Is the paper they printed on good and durable? Basically it is about the quality of workmanship that is put into the printing..

Services (20%)

Afterwards, you should also consider the services that a printing company has to offer. Some online printing companies offer services like free sample printing, design advice, proofreading and image enhancement. This removes some of the publishing burdens from you to them. If a company has the time and resources to take care of their customers like this, then it is a good choice.

Cost (10%)

Of course money is an issue as well. In terms of this category, it is really straightforward. Is the cost of the printing worth the quality of the product that has been produced? The company that delivers the best balance between those tow aspects should win this criteria. Basically, this is called "value for money".

Speed (10%)

Speed of course is a factor. It can be the cheapest and most high quality printing in the world. However if it arrives late or weeks after you sent in you order, then it is hardly a good printing company. The best companies that can win this criteria are the ones with the highest quality prints delivered in the least amount of time.

Extra options (10%)

Lastly, you should also consider some extra options. A lof of companies out there are being more aware of the environment and society in general. They realize that they have a corporate social responsibility to help and cooperate with people, and not just get them to buy your services. In this regard, printing companies that offer eco-friendly materials for printing, as well as a foundation program that helps others is a nice addition to your criteria. You want a company who is responsible for their actions.

Those are the major criteria for judging printing companies. Just look for your candidates and see how they measure up. Once you quantify your criteria, you should have no problem in choosing your printing company.