Value Engineering – Printing Services in Toronto

What is Value Engineering?

Value engineering (VE) as it relates to printing services in Toronto is a method to analyze and improve the “value” of printed goods and related services. Therefore, value can be increased by either improving the end use or by reducing the cost.

In plain English Value Engineering means that we will look at various factors to reduce the cost of your printed products, improve the quality where possible and taking into account the products life cycle costs.

Sounds complicated? Maybe for some printers, however we do this all the time for our clients. Its part of what we do, adding value for our clients. With over 10 years of experience we have learned a thing or two about improving the quality and reducing the costs for our clients. That’s why many of our clients are long-term clients. They appreciate the value we bring to their company.

From concept to delivery our engineering team works directly with your marketing, creative, production and other third parties (e.g. your advertising agency) involved in the project to ensure the final product meets or exceeds your exacting standards.

To put all this in perspective, let’s say your getting ready to print your annual report. Sounds simple enough. Where most printers would just give you a quote based on your specifications and call it a day, we would take it a step further. In addition to a standard quote, we would value engineer your product.

Our print experts would look at the specifications and provide alternatives. Some examples would be:

What would it do to the price if we ran the report on this press versus that press? You would be amazed at the difference in price based on the printer or press utilized. It could be as high as 20%.

What if we changed the size slightly to get more on a sheet? If there is excess waste on a sheet that can add significantly to your cost. The least amount of waste is good for your pocket and good for the environment.

What about the stock? What image are you trying to project? Is the gauge of the stock too thick and will lead to increased costs and maybe difficult to work? Some stocks will not fold properly and show breaks versus the nice neat folds you were anticipating. If your stock is too thin it may look cheap and not project your company in the proper light.

The colours and fonts specified for your project may not print the way you expect. Surprisingly with all the new technology available, printers continue to receive files from ad agencies and graphic artists that do not understand the printing process. What looks great on their Mac, may not look as good in print. For example, if you had very fine white text or fine white line coming out of a black background, the text or line may not be as crisp as you like in the final printed product.

Is that a UV coating or Matt Finish? The finish you put on your printed products can have a dramatic impact on the look of the final product, not to mention the environmental aspects of each.

Binding, die cutting and folding are major considerations and with each there are endless possibilities for value engineering. For example, slight modifications to scoring or die cutting could mean the difference between cost effective machine folding and time consuming (and expensive) hand folding.

The above are only a few high-level considerations that value engineering can address. This may seem like a lot to consider however this is what we do on a regular basis. Let our years of experience work on your behalf and simplify the process for your company. Our experts do this behind the scenes and only bring to your attention the opportunities that make sense for your consideration.

We focus on quality, meeting deadlines and reducing costs. A properly engineered product is made quicker, more accurately and is more cost effective.

Re-engineering

Many projects are repeats of past projects. Just because it was printed a certain way previously does not mean improvements cannot be made. Some projects can benefit from re-engineering. Re-engineering takes advantage of today’s new technologies from design, layout, print and finishing. We manage many of our client’s portfolios and consistently look for opportunities to add value where possible.

If your company can benefit from value engineering and portfolio management, we invite you to contact us for a free no obligation meeting at your location or ours. Call us at (647) 493-1894 to arrange a convenient time to know more about value engineering and printing services in Toronto.