Packaging

When a company has a need for design services, they may question why they should work with an agency if they already work with a printer. The main difference between the two is that a printer only focuses on one aspect of a project (the production), whereas a design agency is concerned with the project as a whole.

Some printers do offer graphic services, often as an inexpensive ad-on to their production work. While it may seem convenient to have the printer act as a one-stop shop, brands often find that they are unsatisfied by the level of creative thought that printers are able to provide. A design agency eats, sleeps, and breaths strategy, which is an important distinction that printers typically lack.

A designer’s sense of strategic thinking comes from their creative skill, experience with the relevant category, and the research that they have invested into understanding competitor brands. These resources are almost never available with printers, because they approach design projects from an entirely different perspective. This is not at all to discredit the work of printers – it’s just that their role is different from that of an agency, even though they are related.

How designers and printers collaborate on projects

Designers and printers work together to reach the goal of a successful product. It is so important for a design team to know up-front what type of print process they are working towards, in order to make sure that all of their design concepts are achievable.

There are many different types of printing processes, including direct print, flexo, full color litho, and many more – each having their own requirements, as well as their own limitations. When a design team knows the process that they are working with, they can tailor the design accordingly.

The important thing to know is that a designer takes printing into consideration, and understands how each process works. Printers tend to be a bit more technical in their approach by nature, and are more concerned with how it will reproduce. Meanwhile, a design agency is focused on strategy. Both agencies and printers have important roles for the brands that they work with, and projects are best executed when it’s a real collaborative effort between the two.