One of the best ways you can maximise your brand exposure is to have your logo or artwork printed on the bags that you give out to your customers. If you’re in retail, or running a stall at a trade show, printed bags are essential. That being said, getting printed bags can be a big commitment financially. That’s why we want to make sure you’re asking the right questions to your printer, whether it’s QIS or someone else. 1. I need my bags by [insert date here]. Will they arrive in time? There would be nothing worse than preparing for an event or stall and then realising you won’t have your bags in time. That’s why it’s imperative that you let your printer know the latest you can afford to receive your bags. A good printer will let you know straight away whether they can do the job, or even if they need to do a rush job to get it to you on time. Many companies will list their lead times on their websites. At QIS, for example, our lead times for our express printed bags are 2-4 working weeks. However, it’s important to understand what that lead time covers. Does it include delivery? The quoting process? The proof preparation time? It can be hard to get all that information off the bat, so it’s always best to just let your printer know exactly when you need your bags. At QIS, this is something we check anyway, during the quoting process, so we can adjust our schedules accordingly. You can read all about our full printing process here. The other thing you want to be sure of is how likely the printer is to adhere to your deadline. An honest printer will let you know if your target is unachievable, or if they need to add an extra charge to rush the job. The last thing you want is for someone to over-promise and under-deliver. The easiest way to figure out if a printing company is going to meet your deadline is to have a look at their reviews on Google and Facebook. 2. Will the bag fit my products? Most printing websites, including ours, will list the exact measurements (length, width, gusset) of the bags. However, it’s easy to under- or overestimate the size of your products. It never hurts to just ask your printer if your items will fit. An experienced printing company will have seen plenty of different types of customers and will be able to give you sound advice on choosing the right size bag for your products. 3. How will my artwork look on the bag? One of the most important things you can do when getting your bags printed is to ask for an artwork proof. All good printing companies will present you with an artwork proof that shows the exact positioning of your logo or artwork on the bag. An example artwork proof. Don’t rely on “do it yourself” upload sites, where a mock-up is automatically generated right there on the site. Whilst these sites might seem convenient, not having a graphic artist look over the art is a sure-fire way to end up with unsatisfactory bags. Printing is an intricate process, and it needs a human touch to ensure quality from start to finish. There are so many variables - from the positioning of the artwork, to the colours used and how they will show up on the bag, to the design of the art (for example, are some parts too intricate to print clearly?). Talking to an in-house graphic designer (such as our helpful graphic design team at QIS) will give you a proper consultation process, and ensure that any issues are ironed out before printing commences. Conclusion Using these questions, you should be a little more confident in ordering printed bags. Let us know in the comments if there are any other questions that you like to ask your printers! If you would like to get a quote for printed bags, click here.