For organizations that are considering whether to outsource their printing needs, there are two main considerations; complexity & cost associated with setting up in-house printing facilities and the flexibility or time difference between handling the printing in-house.
Cost considerations:
For those organizations that do not currently have the capabilities to print complex variable labels in-house, the cost of purchasing a thermal transfer printer, printer ribbons and the software to design and create labels may simply not be feasible, especially for smaller organizations or those without large print volumes.
The best option under these circumstances is to outsource this service to trusted and experienced printers in order to avoid the large set up costs, whilst allowing experts to not only print your labels but design them. Any sized organization – from a small one man operation to a large corporation, may opt to outsource and use a bureau printing service that can print anything from address labels for mailing, product labels for scanning in a large pick & pack warehouse, to clothing wash labels.
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Well-established bureau printing organizations will provide an end to end label service; offering the expertise and experience that you may not have to manage complex requirements, producing labels in-house to ensure the quality of the label, using in-house software to design and format the labels before printing them, and providing an automated service that checks the label is printed to the specification designed.
Bureau printing allows organizations to have printed, variable information on labels without the cost of investing in a thermal transfer printer and the associated costs. Outsourcing to a bureau printing service not only provides potential cost savings, it is relatively straightforward – organizations are only required to provide the label information via a spreadsheet or barcodes that can then be transferred by the printer to the label, and let the bureau worry about the rest.
Flexibility & time considerations:
In today’s 24/7 society, it is fair to say that many of us are guilty of wanting a job done yesterday! Time factors therefore must be considered by any organization weighing up in-house vs bureau printing.
With printing provided in-house, jobs can be prioritized internally as and when required and completed straight away, however when the service is outsourced there is slightly less flexibility. Having said that, a good bureau printer will offer a fast turnaround service of only a couple of days – and you can set expectations with the printer as to when you require the labels to be printed.
Therefore, organizations that have longer lead times for the printing of their labels would arguably be better suited for a bureau printing service, than those with a ‘print as you want’ requirement.
Ultimately, the choice between in-house or outsourcing comes down to the complexity of the job in question, the cost of doing it in-house and the flexibility and timescales required around the production, dispatch and delivery of the label.
If you are considering outsourcing your label printing requirements and would like more information about the bureau printing service we offer please see further information here or call our team who can discuss the best option for you on +44 (0) 1189 364444.