Print buying and the modern print buyer

Print buying or print procurement – irrespective of what name the function has, it has an important role in modern business.

Businesses often struggle to find a balance between allowing tactical print purchasing to increase efficiency, and maintaining print cost control. In fact, a 2015 survey found 66% of small businesses in the UK were unaware of their annual print costs. In the same poll, 39% of decision-makers and business owners surveyed revealed that their company overspent on unnecessary printing.

According to figures from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, there were 5.94 million small businesses (SMEs) in the UK at the beginning of 2020. By September last year, 234,000 SMEs had closed permanently. Rising costs threaten to compound the impact of Covid-19. Now, more than ever, businesses need to invest time, effort, and money, shrewdly.

The birth of procurement

In 3,000BCE, Egyptian scribes recorded on papyrus rolls the materials and workers needed to build the pyramids, making these ancient scribes among the first in the procurement profession. Procurement’s role in an organisation was not recognised until the 1800s. One of the earliest acknowledgements of the procurement function is to be found in On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures, by British polymath, Charles Babage (pub. 1832), in which he calls for a “materials man“.

Procurement solidified its importance during the Industrial Revolution, and in 1886, the function was awarded departmental status: the Pennsylvania Railroad had its “Supplying Department”.

Print buying as a function is far younger than this historical materials procurement. And there’s an important distinction in terms.

Print purchasing is tactical: individuals sourcing quotes for specific print jobs results in a number of printing companies, all with varying rates and terms and conditions, and quality of print.

Print procurement or buying, is a strategic function. While the savings of strategic print buying may be relatively smaller than when building 6,000 miles of track across America, they are no less valuable to the modern business.

The power of print buying

It’s clear that buying in bulk allows efficient spend. Similarly, choosing to place your annual print buying with a single printing company like Galloways can generate significant savings. Do your print buying with us, and gain the other benefits.

Your corporate image will be in safe hands, and your brand consistent, across all print products. Our proven document management system enables you to securely manage, control, track and distribute a library of brand assets and marketing materials. When you print with us, we hold all your artwork for five years so that you have an instantly accessible back up.

We have state-of-the-art equipment, including printing presses capable of printing thousands of copies each hour, with accurate colours, sharp typefaces and high-definition details.

Our printing presses operate 24/7, and we pride ourselves on our fast print turnaround. Your print order can be off the presses and ready for delivery in just one working day.**

The UK has only a handful of carbon balanced printers, and we’re proud to be one of them. We support the use of Carbon Balanced Paper in our supply chain, which enables our customers are playing their part to help combat global warming.

We offer a complete printing service, from print to delivery, and every stage in between. Furthermore, we’ve been producing high quality print for 150 years, so we bring a fair bit of experience to the table too. Our friendly team is always on hand to provide advice and support.

And if you’re really short on time, why not consider Galloways’ POD, our web-to-print offering. Set up templates for print products like leaflets and booklets, and print them at a click of the button. Because everything has been art worked and agreed, there’s no waiting for studio time, proofs, nor additional sign-off. We simply get on with your printing. It’s efficient and cost effective. And because POD users each have unique logins, you are in control of what they can print. Multiple users spread across multiple sites? No problem. Galloways’ POD ensures brand consistency and the same exceptional quality, every print.

Integration with delivery partners like Royal Mail and hand-picked couriers allows you to track your order right to your door. You’re guaranteed the same high quality as if we’d done the work ourselves. The service will be seamless, and we’ll handle everything.

The modern print buyer

Print products are not a commodity – they are unique, and so, our relationship with you is too.

We’re not here to merely sell you some print: we prefer to learn about your business, and help you understand ours. We’ll spend as long as it takes with you listening and offering options and solutions, working alongside you to deliver an outstanding product. However, you want to work we’ll be with you every step of the way.

Some of the biggest brands in the UK trust us because of the skills and expertise that we bring to each and every project. Get in touch to see what we can do for you. Call us today on 01625 870000.

_{* Study: The Impact of Covid-19 on UK small business
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