If you have spent hours upon hours getting your logo just right; getting the photos for your brochure placed in their perfect spots; and you’ve spent days getting your text colors just so, you need to make sure you have a great color printing company that won’t make a muck of all your hard work!

If you don’t research your printing company options, you could end up partnering with a printer that will cost you time, money and maybe even your clients. Read on to learn how to pick the right printer for you.

Identify your needs. This is the first thing to think about when you’re checking out printing companies. Do you need a printer for a one-time project or will you need to be printing new brochures, catalogs or other materials monthly?

Identify your budget. Sure, you could go with the cheapest printing company in town, but what level of quality are you willing to accept? Make sure that your budget can handle what you want to print – don’t just think quantity, but quality too. It’s better to print a few quality posters to put in key places around town rather than print a higher number of substandard posters to put all around town. Don’t think of your budget as how many of X can I buy, but how many of good-quality X can I buy?

Evaluate their customer service. When you’ve put such hard work into your part of the printing process, you want to ensure that you’ll be satisfied from the printer’s end of the process. You’ll want someone who is willing to help you and solve problems with you, not for you. What if you need something last minute? How willing is the company to work with you toward a quick solution?

Check out their track record. What kind of printing has the company done in the past? What do they specialize in? Most printers specialize in some form of printing. Ask to see some items they’ve printed for other customers and ask for the names and numbers of former customers. That’s right – do a reference check as if you were hiring someone – oh wait, you are hiring someone! Ask the references about the company’s customer service, their timeliness with deadlines (are they constantly late?) and ask about customer satisfaction.

Investigate online printers. There are many printers that have Web sites, and many printers that do business exclusively on the Internet. If you don’t mind not talking face-to-face with your printer, an online printer could be just for you. Online companies can save you money because they can do all of the work electronically – you don’t have to drive over to check out your proofs or to pick up your printed materials. They can electronically send you the proofs and they’ll mail you your materials. You never have to leave the office!