I have lots of questions in my head this morning. Do you guys print your brochures in-house or have them printed by say a Staples Office Supply or VistaPrint.com?
Angie

Hi Angie

I guess the correct answer would be to get them done professionally, BUT, finances don't always allow for the correct answer, do they?

I have had some postcards done by Visatprint which I plan to use to advertise in shop windows, etc

I have a good quality laser printer which I use to print my own tri-fold brochure - perhaps a false economy as print cartridges are quite pricey aren't they?

I guess it is a decision which you will need to make depending on your situation and what hardware you have at your disposal.

Another question I guess would be whether you are at all design oriented. If not, it might pay you to get someone to design it for you. I could help you with that if you like, or your could get someone local to help you. I think Vista Print offer a service which may help you???

No matter what you decide, make sure you are comfortable with your decision.

All the best.

I myself am a firm believer in doing what you can on your own if you are able to do it in a high-quality way. I wouldn't personally print brochures in-house unless it was a last minute thing. There is just no comparison, in my opinion, between printing on a home printer (UNLESS of course, you have a quality laser printer or something) and the results of something that has been professionally printed.

As Nicole said, it's not always cheaper to print at home. I bet if you really did a close cost comparison, you wouldn't find significant cost savings by the time you factor in your time, materials, etc.

Check w/ your local community to see if there are "mom n' pop" printers. I know here where I am, there's a printer that's been around for years. They are very reasonably priced, better than Staples, Kinko's, etc. And then there's Vista PRint, Overnight Prints, etc.

Just remember we should practice what we preach - outsourcing is a good thing! It gives US time for other things, and also makes our companies look professional.

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Kari Thevenot, Virtual Assistant
www.yourlefthand.net

I also look for officemax and staples printing discount coupons. Our local Kinkos uses a really high quality plain white paper that I use to print brochures for my 9-5 job; they cost .06/ea for b&w and just shy of $1/ea for full color.

I do mine on a custom paper stock I found (marble print background) in b&w...

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Lily Chambers, The Virtual Office Goddess, LLC
Author "How to Do Your Own Small Business Bookkeeping"

Hi Angie,
I know several people who use Vistaprint (they sometime offer items for free) and are pretty happy with the service. And, yes, I'd go with a printing company: if the brochure is designed "wisely" (I mean with a budget in mind), it will end being more cost-effective than printing in-house.

While I'm not discussing here the design options, I have to say I've seen, over the years, a couple of "brochures", all including a list of services, a brief company profile and contact details that looked almost like a plain letter, but were so clear, classy and professional, that made you want to pick up the phone and give that company a call...

cheers,
Alessandra

I have used vistaprints and have found they do an excellent job and have had complements on my brochures. In addition, they are very reasonably priced (many times free).

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Kathy Altman
www.offsiteofficesolutions.com

I have used Staples for several of my projects and find them quite reasonable. I have printed small quantities at home but when you actually figure in the cost of high quality paper and your printer ink you come pretty close to the same price as using a printing service.

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Helen
H & L Bookkeeping & VA Services

I have tried Vista for the business cards and was impressed with the results. I think I will try them for the brochures as well. Thanks for all your input!

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Angie
Blue Water Business Services

Must agree - Vista Print works well for me too. :¬)

If you can afford it, I vote for finding an independent printer and develop a relationship with them. I have been working with the same 2 printers for the last 3 years. Two things have happened for me, and I'm sure that the same (or more!) could happen to you!

1. AWESOME customer service. They often let me get away with little extras. I design my business cards on 11x17. They print me off them on a 12 pt stock and charge me for a poster. I bring them home and use a meter stick (with cork on the back), a cutting pad and a roller cutter. Line up my cut marks and away I go. 500 super high quality business cards for less than $15 bucks and an hour of tv time
2. Sometimes they send some business my way. If not a client, they might need some copy typed or someone needs a simple flyer designed that would be wasting $$ for a graphic designer to do.

Also, I'm a huge fan of shopping locally
Amanda

I am a big fan of Vista Print as well. I haven't used them for my new VA business but I have used them in the past for my employers.

Amanda, that is a very neat idea. I think I will try it!

I do all my own printing. Except for the letter head. I have a really good color printer and a b/w laser printer. When I do want things printed, I go to Kinkos. They always do a great job.

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Rebecca Thompson
CLR Virtual Connection * fanTABulous fan pages

http://gotprint.net I don't think you can beat their prices, and their quality is great.

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Cheryl O'Neil
Southern Orange County

I print our brochures in house - for both my husbands business and mine. We do have very good color laser printers which is a must BUT the main reason we do it here is we are always "tweaking" the content. My husband especially likes to update his project photos so rather than having outdated brochures laying around, we print current versions and it works well for us. Janine Raj.

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Janine Raj.
www.AccurateVAs.com

I ususally do things myself. I also find myself tweaking things from time to time and if I have too many printed then I have wasted my money on them.

I too have been happy with everything that I have received from Vista Print.

Dina