Commercial printing is the production of printed material for businesses or commercial use. There are numerous applications for commercial printing and there are several different techniques used in commercial printing.
There are also many benefits of using a commercial printer for your business needs, such as high print quality, the ability to produce customizations, and speedy delivery. Read on to find out how you can take advantage of utilizing a commercial printer.
What is Commercial Printing?
Commercial printing refers to the process of producing printed materials on a large scale for commercial purposes. Think of commercial printing as a critical marketing tool that helps businesses effectively communicate with their target audience.
Commercial printing is a versatile tool that can be used for a wide range of products and materials, this includes as brochures, flyers, posters, branded pens, notepads, calendars, and more. Commercial printing can also enhance the look and feel of custom product packaging by incorporating high-quality graphics, vibrant colors, and unique designs.
Such items are crucial for businesses looking to promote their products or services, as they can be distributed to potential customers both online and in person.
Commercial printing is widely used across various industries, including advertising, retail, hospitality, and education. It plays a crucial role in marketing campaigns, as businesses can distribute printed materials to potential customers, increasing brand awareness and driving sales. From creating eye-catching banners to designing informative product catalogs, commercial printing allows businesses to showcase their products and services in a visually appealing and professional manner.
How Does Commercial Printing Work?
At a basic level, commercial printing entails using a specialized printer different from a more basic home or office printer. Commercial printing is a complex process involving various technologies and techniques to create high-quality printed materials such as brochures, flyers, posters, business cards, magazines, books, packaging, and more.
Businesses looking for custom commercial printing projects typically will want to partner with a commercial printing partner. It’s much more effective to produce commercial print jobs with a partner that already owns top-notch commercial printing machines – than to go at it on your own with a home printer.
At Print Bind Ship, we have over 60 years of experience in the commercial printing and fulfillment industry. We maintain the highest caliber of multifunction printers and tools to create one-of-a-kind, custom products on just about any type of material you can think of. Get in touch for customized commercial printing products here.
What Can Commercial Printing Be Used For?
Businesses will take advantage of commercial printing for a variety of purposes. There’s really no limit to how you can use commercial printing for custom brand products! Take a look at some of the most popular use cases.
Marketing and Advertising
By far the most common use case scenario for commercial printing is for creating marketing and advertising materials. Research has shown that customers who receive printed advertisements are more inclined to respond. One study found that nearly 80% of consumers act on direct printed mail advertisements compared to 45% of consumers who act on electronic advertisements.
This includes brochures, flyers, posters, banners, postcards, and direct mail campaigns. These materials help promote products, services, events, and special offers to potential customers.
Branding and Identity
Printed materials such as business cards, letterheads, envelopes, and corporate stationery serve to help establish a consistent brand identity for businesses. These can create a professional and recognizable image for your company and solidify your presence in the minds of customers.
Custom Packaging
Packaging is a critical aspect of product presentation and protection. Commercial printing is used to create product packaging, labels, and boxes that display branding, product information, and legal requirements. With commercial printing, you can stand apart from the competition.
Publications
Magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and catalogs are produced through commercial printing. These publications provide valuable information, news, entertainment, and marketing content to a wide audience.
Books and Manuals
Commercial printing is used to produce books, notepads, manuals, guides, and instructional materials. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction books, educational textbooks, or user manuals, commercial printing helps bring written content to readers.
Event Materials
When organizing events, commercial printing is used to produce materials such as event programs, invitations, tickets, and signage. These materials help convey information and enhance the attendee experience.
Point-of-Sale Materials
Businesses use commercial printing to create point-of-sale materials such as display stands, shelf talkers, and retail packaging. These materials attract attention to products and often influence purchasing decisions.
Calendars and Planners
Commercial printing is used to create calendars, planners, and diaries for personal and promotional use. These items are often customized with images, logos, and important dates. They can be used as part of a business branding strategy to gift clients and customers. Or they can be sold on their own.
Photography and Art Prints
Commercial printing allows photographers and artists to reproduce their work as prints, posters, and canvases. These prints can be sold or displayed in galleries and exhibitions. They can also be sold online for an additional income stream.
Educational and Training Materials
Schools, universities, and training organizations use commercial printing to produce educational materials like textbooks, workbooks, handouts, and training manuals.
Direct Mail
Commercial printing is used for direct mail campaigns, including postcards, brochures, and catalogs sent directly to target audiences’ mailboxes. This form of marketing helps reach potential customers directly. Despite the boom in ecommerce and digital marketing, direct mail targeting continues to grow in popularity. Learn how direct mail marketing can boost your business’s customer reach here.
Promotional Items
Commercial printing extends to promotional items like T-shirts, hats, mugs, and other merchandise featuring branding, logos, and messages.
Signage and Displays
Large-format printing creates signs, banners, trade show displays, and posters for both indoor and outdoor use. These materials are used for advertising, information dissemination, and decoration.
What is the Most Common Form of Commercial Printing?
The most common form of commercial printing is digital printing. It is extremely popular for its high quality and low costs.
Why Use a Commercial Printing Company?
The reason for using a commercial printer is to enjoy timely production that is cost-effective. If you do a lot of printing you’ll want to work with a commercial printing company that has your back and can deliver high-quality products and services. When it comes time to meet a strict deadline, your commercial printer can be your best ally.
Types of Commercial Printing
There are multiple methods of producing commercially printed products. In this section we will discuss the different available types of commercial print and how each of them differ.
Digital Printing
Digital printing is the transfer of a digital image directly onto a substrate instead of using a printing plate, as in offset printing.
Offset Printing
Offset printing is the use of metal plates to transfer an inked image onto a rubber surface and then onto the desired substrate. It is the oldest form of printing and it’s still very popular despite its age.
Flexography
Flexography is a printing process that uses a flexible rotating plate to transfer images using a web press at high speeds onto a variety of substrates in a single pass. This allows for high-volume production.
LED UV
LED UV printing is a form of digital printing that uses UV light to dry specialty UV inks to the substrate.
Large Format
Large format, also known as wide format printing, is the printing of images on large substrates, ranging from two feet to fifteen feet in width. These devices typically utilize digital technology to create signage as well as banners for commercial use.
Benefits of Using Commercial Printing Services
There are many benefits to choosing a commercial printer as your business partner, which we will discuss further in the following section.
Higher Quality Images
Commercial printing can offer you images of higher quality than you’d obtain if you were to attempt to print your own. Quality commercial printers use state-of-the-art digital equipment and have the ability to enhance your photos to gain the highest image quality possible.
Ability To Accommodate Various Paper Sizes
Commercial printers can accommodate various paper sizes for your custom prints. Many devices used by commercial print shops have the ability to print on large surfaces and produce wide-format print jobs.
Save Time and Money
Commercial printers can help you save time and money by quickly producing high-quality prints for you to turn around for your business use, which helps you make money. The speed to market helps you stay on top of your business.
Option To Print on Other Materials
Commercial printers provide the option to print on various materials beyond paper, such as canvas, plastics, vinyl, and even automobile wraps, which you obviously would not be able to professionally accomplish on your own.
Delivery Options
Commercial printing gives you delivery options. For example, if you were doing a big show somewhere out of your state and needed your custom prints delivered somewhere else, you can know your items will be packed and shipped safely by your commercial printer.
Commercial Printers Are Valuable Business Partners
Commercial printers have many benefits such as high-quality prints, various surfaces, high-speed production, options for delivery, and more. Take advantage of several methods of printing and types of substrates to produce the highest quality prints for your business.
Print Bind Ship is a leading printing company and fulfillment partner here to help you can the branding you need to boost your business. Whether you’re looking for custom printing products for direct mail campaigns or simply looking to expand your customer reach – we do it all. From custom packaging to book printing to marketing materials, and more. Get in touch to learn how custom print solutions can take your branding to the next level!
FAQs
A commercial printer is a professional printing company or device that specializes in producing high-quality printed materials on a large scale for businesses, organizations, and individuals. It utilizes various printing methods and technologies to create a diverse range of items such as brochures, flyers, posters, books, packaging, and promotional materials, playing a vital role in conveying information, marketing products, and enhancing brand identities.
The commercial printing process involves several steps: design and prepress, where digital files are created and prepared for printing; plate making in offset printing, where images are transferred onto metal plates; the actual printing process, where ink is transferred onto paper or other substrates; finishing and bindery processes, including trimming, folding, and binding; quality control checks to ensure print quality; packaging and distribution of the final printed materials. Get in touch with Print Bind Ship to learn about the process for your custom print project!
Commercial printing can benefit your business by providing professionally crafted printed materials that enhance your brand’s visibility. Improve the way your business communicates with customers, from eye-catching marketing materials like brochures and flyers that drive sales to branded stationery that reinforces a consistent image. Commercial printing also enables you to effectively reach your target audience through direct mail campaigns and signage, fostering customer engagement.