We have finally reached the end of our journey exploring the Life Cycle of a Print Job. Today we’re looking into the options for distribution once your job is completed in the bindery!
If you missed the first five parts of our Life Cycle of a Print Job series, you can read the overview HERE; check out the post about quoting and placing an order HERE; learn the ins and outs of Prepress HERE; get the details on all things Printing HERE, and delve into all of the Finishing options HERE.
After your job is completed in production, there are various routes it can take for final delivery. It’s important to provide as many details on distribution up front so we can plan accordingly from the beginning. Let’s jump in and explore all of the options!
Mailing
If your project requires mailing, we can handle that for you! As long as the quantity qualifies, depending on how you want to mail, we can process your mail list through our mail software to get presorted postage rates. Minimum quantities are 200 for Marketing Mail (previously Standard) and 500 for First Class. If you are a non-profit business, and have an account with the post office, we can process for non-profit rates using your credentials (we would need your non-profit authorization number and CRID). We can also address and apply stamps if the quantity is too small to qualify for presorted bulk mailing.
If printing digitally (with or without variable data), we can address inline while we print. The job is flagged to keep in tray order as it goes through the bindery and is prepared for the post office. If your project is a large offset run, we can inkjet the address and tray/tag for bulk mail as the final operation. For mailings that require an envelope, the envelopes are first inkjetted and then inserted. We can insert up to 6 inserts automatically, from a #10 envelope up to 9 x 12 booklet. We can also insert by hand if needed.
It is especially crucial in the case of mailing that we get all of the information up front, as it will dictate which indicia to print, and we will also need to make sure the design (construction and orientation) meets the guidelines for presorted mail.
Kitting & Fulfillment
If you have a multi-part project we can either bulk pack by item for shipping or delivery, or if you want it kitted into individual sets or packages we can do that too. We can kit into a pocket folder, envelope or box (or another type of packaging/container). We can also include supplied materials (printed or non-printed), and/or we can purchase non-printed items on your behalf as well. Upon completion, fulfilled kits can be drop shipped, or bulk shipped/delivered, as requested.
Drop Shipping
If you have multiple locations to ship to, we can prepare drop shipments to go out via UPS, FedEx or even USPS. All we’ll need is a list of the locations to ship to, how many pieces go to each location and your preferred shipping service and method, and we’ll do the rest! If you have a shipping account with UPS or FedEx, we can ship via third party and bill to your account.
Bulk Shipping
If your project is small enough to fit into just a few cartons (usually up to 10), we can ship via UPS or FedEx small package service, either via Ground or Express, to anywhere in the country, or even the world. As with drop shipments to multiple locations, we can also ship in bulk via third-party billing if you have a UPS or FedEx account. Just let us know a head of time so we can plan accordingly.
Local Delivery
If your project delivers somewhere relatively close to our facility, our driver can deliver in our van. We also partner with local courier services if the delivery exceeds our capacity of either time and/or space.
Freight/Common Carrier
If your project is more than 10 cartons and is shipping farther than our local delivery radius, and as long as the receiving facility has a dock and/or can accept skid deliveries, we find it’s safer (and often times more cost effective) to send via a freight service, wrapped on a skid. We work with a logistics company to get the best rates for common carrier shipments. It is helpful to know all receiving requirements and determine any limitations at the destination up front so we can navigate accordingly and come up with the best shipping solution ahead of time.