In House Printing vs Outsourcing: Should You Bring Print In House?

For many businesses, outsourcing brochures, booklets, marketing materials and other print jobs has always been the easiest option. Send the artwork to a commercial printer, wait for it to arrive and repeat the process when you need more.

But as production print technology has developed, bringing more of that work in house has become a realistic option for a much wider range of organisations. Modern production printers can handle higher volumes, different media and professional finishing, giving businesses greater control over what they print and when they print it.

That doesn't mean everything needs to come in house outsourcing can still make sense for highly specialist jobs, unusual formats or occasional work that doesn't justify investing in the equipment yourself.

The question is whether you're currently outsourcing work that could be produced more efficiently, flexibly and cost effectively within your own business.

What Is In House Production Printing?

In house production printing means producing professional quality printed materials within your own organisation rather than sending every job to an external commercial printer.

We're not simply talking about printing everyday office documents. With the right production print equipment, businesses can bring jobs such as brochures, booklets, direct mail, training materials and other customer facing print in house.

Modern production equipment can also be combined with finishing options for processes such as cutting, folding and binding, allowing more of the finished job to be completed internally.

Why Do Businesses Outsource Their Printing?

There are plenty of good reasons to outsource, a commercial printer gives you access to specialist equipment and expertise without the cost of owning that equipment yourself. For occasional or highly specialised jobs, outsourcing can therefore remain the most practical option.

It can also provide additional capacity during particularly busy periods.

However, outsourcing becomes less attractive when you're regularly sending the same types of work externally.

You may find yourself dealing with:

• Longer turnaround times

• Delivery costs

• Minimum quantities

• Last minute rush charges

• Less flexibility to make changes

• Surplus print and wasted stock

• Less control over production schedules

This is where bringing some rather than necessarily all of your production print in house can make sense.

What Are the Benefits of Bringing Printing In House?

More control over deadlines

When you're relying on an external printer, your job needs to fit around their production schedule. Therefore, bringing production print in house gives your team much greater control. If something needs printing today, you're not waiting for an available production slot or delivery.

This is particularly useful for marketing teams working around campaigns, exhibitions, events and last minute changes.

Greater flexibility

Spotted a mistake after approving your artwork? Need to change an offer? Want 50 copies rather than 500?

Producing work internally makes it easier to make changes and print what you actually need. It can also make shorter, more frequent print runs practical, rather than ordering larger quantities simply to achieve a better outsourced price.

Reduce unnecessary print waste

Ordering large quantities externally can sometimes mean estimating how many copies you'll need months in advance and if those materials become outdated, the remaining stock goes to waste.

With production printing in house, you can print closer to demand and produce additional copies when they're actually required.

Take greater control of your print costs

The interesting question isn't simply: "How much does a production printer cost?"

It's: "How much are we already spending on outsourced print?"

If you're regularly paying for brochures, booklets, direct mail, manuals and other materials externally, it is worth comparing that total spend against the cost of bringing suitable work in house. The calculation will be different for every organisation. Volume, equipment, consumables, finishing, servicing and staff time all need to be considered.

Is In House Printing Always the Better Option?

No, in house print isn't always the best option which is important to take into consideration. There will always be print jobs that make more sense to outsource.

You might need a particularly unusual size, specialist process or finish that you only use once or twice a year. You might also have occasional spikes in demand that exceed your internal production capacity.

A hybrid approach can often make more sense.

Bring the regular, repeatable work in house and outsource the genuinely specialist or occasional work.

That way, your team gains greater control over everyday production without investing in equipment that spends most of its time unused.

When Should You Consider Bringing Print In House?

It might be worth looking at in house production printing if your organisation:

• Regularly spends money with commercial printers

• Frequently produces brochures, booklets or marketing collateral

• Needs quick turnaround on print jobs

• Often makes last minute artwork changes

• Orders more copies than it really needs

• Wants greater control over print quality and scheduling

• Produces frequent short run print jobs

• Is looking for ways to reduce external print costs

The more regularly these situations occur, the stronger the case becomes for assessing whether a production printer could take on some of that work internally.

What Equipment Do You Need?

This will depend on what you're printing, how much you're printing and the finished result you need.

For some businesses, the priority may be speed and volume but for others, it could be colour accuracy, heavier media, automation or the ability to produce a wider range of applications.

Modern Xerox production printers offer a range of options for in house print environments, from versatile production devices through to high volume presses designed for more demanding workloads.

Should You Bring Your Printing In House?

There isn't a single answer that will suit every organisation.

For occasional or highly specialist print jobs, outsourcing may continue to make perfect sense. However, if you are regularly sending the same types of work to external printers, it could be worth looking at what you could bring in house.

The right production print setup can give you greater control over turnaround times, quantities, costs and finished output, while still leaving you free to outsource specialist jobs when it makes sense.

At DNS, we can help you review what you are currently outsourcing, understand your print requirements and explore whether bringing more production print in house would be right for your organisation. Contact us today to discuss your print requirements and find out what bringing more print in house could look like for your business.