A trip to the printers

As part of a project I am working on, I was required to request a quote to have a rewards card that I had designed printed. I was madly trying to recall all that had been mentioned in class about printing costs and what impacted them. I had recollections about the number of colours used, types of paper and quantity, could all impact the price, but at the end of the day I still felt a little in the dark.

I sent of my quote request feeling not very knowledgeable, not knowing if I had provided enough information or if I was able to effectively portray what I wanted. I was pleased with the prompt response I got to my email and the ones that followed with my questions answered.

However, I was still unsure when it came to the paper that was quoted on, as I did not have the equivalent paper at hand and was unsure about the thickness. So I made a request if it was possible for me to come in and look at a sample, explaining that I was doing an internship and learning about all these different aspects of public relations. I was thrilled when I was offered a tour of the printing location, which I quickly accepted and organised a time.

On Friday, 18 February 2016, I visited Advance Print and Communication Specialists along with another curious person from the office. I have to say it was very worthwhile. Max (my point of contact and tour guide) had prepared samples of the different types of paper that could be used and explained the various benefits of each. The best part of the whole experience though was the tour of the premises, in which we were shown the various different types of printing presses used and their functions. It was amazing! My favourite was the folding machine, which even though I was staring at it, I found it incomprehensible at how quickly it folded pages.

Digital printing press

I took some photos of the machines I saw which I have inserted. They do not do them justice. I was amazed at the volume they were able to print in such a short time and the reliability of the quality. A

Folding machine

Eight colour printing press

Thank you, Max, for taking time out of your day to go through the various papers with me and taking me on a tour. It was greatly appreciated and enjoyed.