Hey Charles,
I was waiting to see if anyone was going to answer...but, it seems like everyone is busy. So, I'll do my best to give a general answer.
Most people have used a commercial printing service in their own town or city. A few have gone ahead and printed themselves, buying or leasing their own equipment.
One guy in Louisiana leased a Duplicator, which made fast copies, very cheap. But, the quality was much lower than what you would get with a digital copier - at a commercial printer.
Another person bought an HP-8150 laser printer, off of eBay, which did up to 11x17 paper. It did a pretty nice job, but did jam up occasionally.
Which would I recommend? A commercial printer!
Why? Time/effort saved, lower overall costs and less headaches.
- If you crunch the numbers, you'll find that you can save money by printing yourself. But, what you need to factor in is the time you need to dedicate to printing/watching the machine for issues, costs to maintain the equipment, costs to repair breakdowns, etc. And, if it does breakdown, you'll need to print with a commercial printer while you get it fixed. That'll likely drive your costs way up.
- If you use a commercial printer, you keep your overhead low in the beginning - no extra equipment to buy. You will always pay the same amount, allowing you to budget very effectively. - and by telling the printer that you'll be back EVERY week, you'll likely be able to get a really good price.
- If the commercial printing equipment breaks down, it isn't your problem. They will still have your newsletters ready.
- with a commercial printer, the quality will always be outstanding. Customers will appreciate it, and advertisers will be much more likely to advertise when the quality is there. After all, who wants to advertise in a grainy newsletter?
So, as you can see, I'm pretty one-sided about the issue. I'm all for hiring a professional to do the job right!
Does anyone else have anything to add?
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