Printing: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering printing
You reproduce documents, marketing pieces and large format materials, advising clients on paper, color, finishes and binding. Your value is consistent print quality, accurate proofs and on time delivery.
What customers ask
- Which paper will look best for my job?
- Can you match my brand color exactly?
- How long will the job take, and can you rush it?
- Can you print and bind the job in one go?
- Will the color be the same if I reorder?
How to win the job
- On the first call, ask for the quantity, the size, the paper preference, the finish, the binding, the deadline and the delivery address, then confirm them in writing.
- Check the client's file for resolution, bleed, fonts and color mode before you quote, and list every fix needed.
- Send a printed proof or a press proof for any job where color matters, and collect the client's approval in writing.
- Show paper samples and the finish options before the job is set, so the client can feel the difference.
- Save the press settings and the paper details with the job, so a reorder runs the same way.
- Explain the turnaround and what can change it in the quote, including file corrections and client approval time.
What to put on your profile
- List the print types you produce, such as digital, offset and large format, in plain terms.
- Describe your paper and finishing options and the binding types you offer.
- Post photos of finished jobs, with client permission.
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Offer a reorder reminder for recurring jobs, such as menus or monthly flyers.
- Suggest a paper or finish upgrade for the client's next run, based on what worked.
- Recommend a proof of a revised file before the next large run.
Licenses and permits
Printing is usually not licensed. Keep your business registration current, and check your state or local rules for any registration your work requires; follow any rules that apply to certain printed content, such as regulated product labels, and ask the client which rules apply to their job.
Questions
Do I need a license to run a print shop?
Usually not for general printing. Check your state or local rules for business registration, and check any rules that apply to specific print types you take on.
What should I do when a client's file has a problem?
Stop the job, show the client the problem on a proof and ask them to correct and approve the file before printing.
How do I keep color consistent across runs?
Save the color profile, the paper and the press settings with each job, and check the first sheet against the approved proof before the run continues.
Pro reviewers
Pros who offer printing remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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