Since, I print my own. It is usually more expensive because of the cost of ink, but I have full control over the process. It doesn’t hurt to have a nice printer, either.

David – Thanks for the tip – I’ll make a note of Splash print as I value your advice.

Vivienne – It sounds like you’ve found a gem of a printer. I’ve worked with a few printers in the day job who might phone up if they’ve spotted a rare typo that has slipped through, but never had quality control to such a granular level. As with all things in life, you get what you pay for.

Paul – I’d be very interested to know your printers details, just for reference really. Thanks.

I use a lightly more expensive printer that’s (fairly) local to me if I’m in a hurry – and I have another who gets used if I can wait a few more days!

Both are professional, highly reliable, and top quality. They took me a while to find, but I put about £10k of work their way every year – so it was worth searching, even if only for my own piece of mind! I’ll be happy to give you their details if you like!

I use an award-winning printer here in Singapore and the slightly higher price is worth every cent. He would only deliver earlier than the date I wanted and not later. I never have to worry about deadlines. And he would quality check on every single copy for export order, and that’s unthinkable for most printers anywhere. He would call my creative colleague with feedback like “Your 5% magenta will show up on your mac and films, but they are too light to be caught on printing plate. Do you still like me to proceed?” or “Pantone metallic will turn out very strong on textured paper like this, your 20% will most likely look like 50% when printed.” He ends up collecting more mendals and getting more new clients. Go with a professional printer with skills and willing to share his knowledge with you.

Developing relationships with printers is a great way of calming some nerves when deadlines are tight.

I used Splash Print in England for my business cards. Very customer-friendly.