News

Inking a deal with the right printer

December 27, 2004

If print advertising is the lifeblood of the pizza industry, why are so many pizza print campaigns positively anemic?

Some operators say it boils down to a combination of inexperience and choosing the wrong printer. Finding a good one, they add, is just like finding the best food vendors to work with. You want the ones who deliver what you ask for at a fair price.

Stan Miller, owner of World Famous Piezons in Fulton, Miss., looks for a printer that will follow his instructions. He said he's worked with printers who promise to do a really good job for you, but deliver results that leave him wanting.

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"I was having magnets printed once and wanted to see a proof," Miller began. "The guy said, 'Don't worry, we always do a good job.' But when I got the magnets back, it was something other than I'd expected. It was a dirt-cheap thing, so I didn't complain much."

Shakey's Pizza franchisee Chuck Wilburn said he finds a printer who produces top-quality work and negotiates the right price.

"I want one who can get things done quickly and accurately," said Wilburn, whose restaurant is in Redwood Shores, Calif. "I'll pay a reasonable cost for that."

Both Wilburn and Miller said they like working with printers who understand the uniqueness of their businesses. Tom Roach, a former pizza operator and now co-owner of Best Choice Printing in Taylor, Mich., said he can identify.

"The best print pieces are those that represent that pizzeria, not every other food business," he said. "It takes experience to know how to do that well and make it affordable for the pizza operator."

Pizza operators who aren't experienced in dealing with printers, he said, often are taken in by bold promises printers shouldn't make. It takes some legwork to find an outfit that can do what it says it will.

Getting what you want

"It's probably a good idea to call around and talk to other businesses," Roach said. "Too often people just go with the cheapest offer, but there's a point where it doesn't make sense because of the quality you might get."

What distinguishes good printers from bad ones, Roach said, is their work. Examine nicely printed pieces you like and find out who produced them.

Also, full-service printers have graphic designers on staff who can tailor pieces to each pizza operation's unique look. They also have a library of high-quality, licensed stock photography.

"It's invaluable to have a design team and professional expertise in layout," he said. "What you need to stay away from are people who promise you they can do good work in their basement for $50 bucks. You'll get what you pay for."

Wilburn believes using stock photography is risky because of its generic look. The food in them "could have a different appearance from what we actually serve, so I usually away from that unless I can get it provided (by Shakey's)."