How print vendor collaboration leads to better artwork development

How print vendor collaboration leads to better artwork development

Brands come up with amazing artwork designs. However, the final printed package isn’t a solo act. It requires the collaborative effort of Brand professionals, agencies and print vendors.

Companies who have a mature artwork management process tend to have good collaboration with their vendors. Collaboration is an opportunity to align your vendors with the sole mission of getting the artwork Fit-For-Use (FFU), i.e. make it fit for print. Companies who excel in collaboration are often the same ones who enjoy lower costs and higher levels of speed.

Look Beyond Procurement

Managing print vendor relationships aren’t solely focused on procurement or cost savings. Rather, to increase accuracy, response times, and total value, collaboration should align with other key objectives, including product development lifecycles, quality control, and innovation.

If design agencies and print vendors work in isolation, even the best artwork may not translate well into print.

Latest Technical Expertise

While design agencies may be very knowledgeable in the print process and requirements, they may not always be up-to-date with the latest advances in print and packaging technology. Print vendors are constantly updating not only equipment but print techniques that can produce a multitude of effects and finishes that can be used to differentiate your product’s packaging. Whether it’s a brand new piece of equipment or a technique that create a subtle effect or minimizes steps in the print process, a print vendor will have access to this industry knowledge. So collaborating with the print vendor early in the artwork lifecycle may provide alternative packaging insights which are more cost effective.

Partners in Packaging Design

A print vendor will have seen the good and the bad in packaging designs and can provide useful insight when it comes to your own packaging design. Whether it’s a question of cost or feasibility, chances are they’ve printed something very similar before. This means that they’ve learned how to achieve the best effects without using your own packaging design as a test. Design agencies and the brand can leverage this experience through collaboration to develop even more sophisticated packaging designs.

Improve Efficiency and Save Money

Oftentimes, great packaging designs can be passed on by design directors or brands because of a perceived cost barrier. While very unique print effects or structural designs are expected to come at a higher cost, there are situations where the knowledge of a print vendor can help achieve a specific look and feel without the associated costs. Whether it’s providing an alternative substrate, an alternate technique that creates a similar effect, or altering the print process to be more efficient, a print vendor can help identify opportunities to achieve a desired effect by using non-traditional methods – a win-win for everyone involved.

Regardless of the market you serve or the type of packaging your brand is going after, early collaboration between your design agency and print vendor is key to helping you create the packaging design you envisioned while giving you the benefits of reliability, cost effectiveness and invaluable expertise.

ManageArtworks provides a simple and intuitive platform where brand owners, design agencies and print vendors can collaborate seamlessly. ManageArtworks has a purpose-built software for Packaging Artwork Management that helps eliminate inaccuracies and accelerate artwork development by providing a single collaborative workspace that can be accessed by all artwork collaborators. Each stakeholder has real-time, up-to-date information that can prove beneficial in managing artworks & specifications, controlling costs, maximizing returns, and discovering new opportunities to strengthen vendor partnerships.

Reach out to our team to show you how easy managing artworks can be.