Choose a printing company by how clearly it answers questions about your job, not by how it describes itself. Send the same written specification to every printer you are considering, then compare what each quotation states about stock, process, proofs, artwork checks, turnaround and delivery. The checklist below sets out what to send, what to ask and what a clear answer looks like.
What should you decide before contacting a printing company?
Decide the six things that set the job: the stock, the quantity, whether it prints on one side or two, the finish, the finished size and the date you need it. A printer can only quote accurately from those details, and two printers can only be compared fairly when both have quoted from exactly the same ones.
| Item | What to state | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | The paper or material by type and weight, or “please advise” if you are unsure | Two quotations on different stocks are two different jobs |
| Quantity | The number of finished pieces, plus any second quantity you would like quoted | Quantity can change which printing process suits the job |
| Sides | One side or both, and the colours on each, written as 4C/4C or 4C/1C | Full colour on both sides is a different job from colour on one |
| Finish | Lamination, spot UV, folding, binding, die-cutting, or none | Each finish is a separate step after printing, and some need tooling made first |
| Size | The finished trim size, and the flat size if the piece folds | Size sets how many pieces fit on a printed sheet |
| Deadline | The date the finished items must be in your hands, and the address | A date, rather than the word urgent, gets you a plain yes or no |
If you do not know one of these, say so rather than guessing. “Please advise on stock” is a perfectly good line in a brief. A guessed weight that the printer then quotes faithfully produces a quotation for a job you did not mean to order.
Which questions should you ask a printing company before you order?
Ask questions whose answers you can check against the quotation later. A useful question has a specific answer: which process the job will run on, what the artwork check covers, what form the proof takes, when the turnaround starts, and how the finished items reach you. A vague answer to a specific question is itself useful information.
| Question to ask | A clear answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| Which printing process does this quotation assume? | Digital or offset, with the reason: the quantity, the stock, or a colour that must match |
| What does your artwork check cover? | The items named: trim size, bleed, image resolution, colour mode and fonts |
| What proof will I approve, and in what form? | A PDF proof for wording and position, and whether a printed proof on the actual stock is available |
| When does the turnaround start? | A named event, such as artwork approval, rather than the day you enquired |
| How will the finished job reach me? | Courier delivery to a stated address, or collection at an agreed time |
| Is any tooling kept for a reorder? | The tooling named, such as a die, a foil block or a screen, and whether it stays on file |
| Which company am I contracting with? | The registered company name and its UEN, matching the quotation and the invoice |
The process question matters more than it looks. Digital and offset printing have different setup, different colour behaviour and different stock limits, and the digital printing page explains where the crossover between them sits. You do not need to choose the process yourself, but the quotation should say which one it assumes.
How do you check that a printing company is a registered business?
Ask for the registered company name and its Unique Entity Number (UEN), and check that both appear on the quotation and on the invoice. A Singapore company’s UEN can be looked up on the register kept by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). Public-sector buyers should also check GeBIZ registration where their procurement rules require it.
A trading name on a website is not the same thing as a registered entity. If the name on the quotation, the name on the invoice and the name you can look up are three slightly different names, ask which company you are contracting with before you approve the job. The answer should be one name and one UEN.
How do you compare two printing quotations fairly?
Compare quotations line by line against your own specification, not total against total. Before looking at any figure, check that each quotation names the same stock, quantity, sides, finish, size and deadline, states the process it assumes, and says what is included for artwork checking, proofing and delivery. A difference in any of those lines explains a difference in the total.
A complete quotation carries these lines:
- The stock by type and weight, not just “art paper” or “card”.
- The quantity of finished pieces.
- The colours on each side, such as 4C/4C or 4C/1C.
- Each finishing step, named.
- The finished size, and the flat size for anything that folds.
- The process the quotation assumes.
- The turnaround, with its starting point, and the delivery or collection arrangement.
- The registered company name.
If one quotation is very different from the others, look at the specification first. A lighter stock, a single-sided job or a missing finishing step will each change the total, and none of them shows up if you only compare the bottom line.
How should proofs and artwork checks work?
The artwork check and the proof do different jobs. The check looks at the file itself: trim size, bleed, image resolution, colour mode and fonts. The proof shows you what will be printed, so you can confirm the wording, the page order and the position of every element before production starts. Ask the printer which of the two you are approving, and when.
As a reference point, a press-ready file is usually supplied like this:
- PDF/X-4, with Illustrator files or packaged InDesign folders as alternatives.
- 3 mm bleed on all four sides, so background colour runs past the cut.
- Placed images at 300 dpi at final size.
- Fonts outlined or fully embedded.
- CMYK colour, with any Pantone colour that must be matched named exactly.
The artwork guide covers file set-up in more detail. Where colour is the point of the job, such as a brand colour on a long run or a stock you have not printed on before, ask whether a printed proof on the actual stock is possible before production. A screen cannot show you how a colour will sit on a particular coated or uncoated sheet.
Approving a proof is approving its content. Read every word, number and date on it, because a correction is simple before production and much harder after it.
What turnaround and delivery terms should you confirm?
Confirm the turnaround as a window with a stated starting point, and confirm how the finished job reaches you. Ask whether the clock starts at enquiry, at payment or at artwork approval, because those are different dates. Then give the printer a date and a delivery address rather than the word urgent, so the answer you get is a plain yes or no.
Ask, too, whether the quoted turnaround covers finishing. Lamination, folding, binding and foil are each a step after printing, and some of them need tooling made before they can start. A turnaround that covers printing alone is not the date your finished items arrive.
If the date is genuinely tight, the urgent printing brief sets out what to send with an urgent enquiry so the printer can answer accurately. Delivery terms are worth confirming at the same time: whether the items are couriered to your address or collected, and who to contact on the day.
What are the warning signs when choosing a printing company?
Pause when a quotation cannot be checked. Warning signs include a figure with no stock named, a finished date promised before anyone has seen the artwork, no mention of a proof, or a company name you cannot match to a registered entity. None of these proves a problem, but each one is a question to ask before you approve the job.
- The stock is described only as “paper” or “card”.
- The quotation does not say which sides print, or in what colours.
- A finished date is promised before the artwork has been checked.
- There is no proof stage on a job with finishing, several pages or a brand colour.
- The name on the quotation does not match the registered company or the invoice.
- Urgency is used as a reason to skip the specification. A tight date is a reason to send a complete brief, not a shorter one.
Worked example: comparing two quotations for the same brochure
Comparing quotations is easiest when the brief is written down first. In this example, an office sends one written specification for a folded A4 brochure to two printers, then reads both replies against it line by line before looking at either total. The difference between the two turns out to be in the specification, not in the printers.
Hypothetical planning example. Actual production timing, paper availability, and logistics are confirmed individually upon artwork and specification review.
An office manager needs 1,000 A4 tri-fold brochures for an event and sends the same brief to two printers:
- Stock: 157 gsm gloss art paper.
- Quantity: 1,000 brochures.
- Sides: 4C/4C.
- Finish: folded as a tri-fold, no lamination.
- Size: A4 flat, drawn at 216 × 303 mm including 3 mm bleed.
- Deadline: a stated date, delivered to the office.
Quotation A repeats every line, states that the job runs digitally because of the quantity, includes a PDF proof, and gives the turnaround from artwork approval with courier delivery.
Quotation B reads “art paper, full colour, folded” with a lower total, no process stated and no proof mentioned. Before comparing the totals, the manager asks Printer B to confirm the weight, the sides and the proof. The reply names 128 gsm gloss art paper, which accounts for part of the difference. Printer B then requotes on 157 gsm, and the two quotations can finally be compared on the same job.
Frequently asked questions
What information should I send when asking a printing company for a quotation?
Send the stock, the quantity, the sides, the finish, the finished size and the date you need the items, together with the delivery address. If you are unsure of the stock, say so and ask for advice rather than guessing a weight. A quotation built from a complete specification can be compared with another one built from the same details.
How do I compare quotations from different printing companies?
Check that every quotation names the same stock, quantity, sides, finish, size and deadline before comparing totals. Then check what each one includes for artwork checking, proofing and delivery, and which printing process it assumes. A difference in any of those lines usually explains a difference in the total.
Should I ask for a printed proof before a print run?
Ask for one when colour matters, for example a brand colour on a long run or a stock you have not printed on before. A PDF proof confirms wording, page order and position, but a screen cannot show how a colour will sit on a particular coated or uncoated sheet.
How can I check that a printing company is a registered business in Singapore?
Ask for the registered company name and its UEN, and look the UEN up on the ACRA register. The name on the quotation and on the invoice should match the registered entity. Public-sector buyers should also check GeBIZ registration where their procurement rules require it.
When does a printing turnaround start?
It depends on the printer, so ask. Possible starting points include the date of enquiry, the date of payment and the date the artwork is approved, and each leads to a different finish date. Agree the starting point in writing along with the turnaround window itself.
How does EZ Print handle a printing enquiry?
EZ Print is EZ PRINT PRIVATE LIMITED, UEN 201706183R, trading since 2017 and located in the CBD. Every job is quoted from its specification — stock, quantity, sides, finish, size and deadline. Artwork is checked before production, and standard turnaround is 7–14 working days. EZ Print is a GeBIZ-registered supplier.
Same-day and urgent printing available. Subject to artwork approval, payment, print type and production availability. Timing confirmed per job. Island-wide courier delivery is available, and collection can be arranged on request.
To put this checklist to work on a real job, read how quoting works, then send your specification through the quote request page.
Same-day and urgent printing available. Subject to artwork approval, payment, print type and production availability. Timing confirmed per job.