Print shops info

Locating, Contacting and Dealing with Printers for Tracts

 

  1. Determine Quantity(Points to Consider):

 

  1. One’s surrounding area: rural/urban, commercial/residential
  2. Frequency and size of public events: parades, concerts, etc.
  3. Number of potential distributors

 

(If the desired size of the order being considered is less than a few hundred tracts, then folding becomes a non-issue)

 

  1. Contact the Printers(3 Minimum):

 

  1. Bring a sample copy of the tract (does not need to be the exact copy of the one you wish to have printed at this point) to the printer. This can be a floppy or a paper copy. Or, if personal visit is not possible:
  2. Have the printer look at a sample picture of the tract available at http://goodmessage.org/Scripts/Job1/DGLY/Folding.JPG for the preferred folding method (called tri-fold)
  3. Have the printer download a PDF copy of the tract (sample or actual) from either Good Message (http://goodmessage.org/Scripts/Job1/DGLY/HGSY.English%2001%20Central%20CA%20USA.pdf) or Distinctly and Rightly (http://www.distinctlyandrightly.com/Job1/Bible%20Tracts/3%20tracts/HGSY%20-%20WNY.pdf) for the layout and size of the document.

 

  1. Ask the printer for a quote on 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 tracts, folded, by the least expensive method available (there are different paper weights and printing methods available, but start with a quote on the lowest cost option).

 

III. Choosing the Printer:

 

  1. Price
  2. Ease of communication / Accessibility (this is a very important factor, as tracts are not static documents, but dynamic, requiring ongoing modifications and revisions – a printer with whom one cannot communicate well is not very conducive unto this end)
  3. Time required to delivery date
  4. Location

 

  1. Placing the Order:

 

  1. Ask the printer to print the desired number of tracts. It is strongly advised that this first order be kept reasonably small, as a test.
  2. Ask the printer that you would like to see a sample copy of the tract before the printing begins in earnest. If seeing the sample in person is not feasible, then a faxed copy will be needed. Check carefully the structural fundamentals of the tract, such as the layout and margins, as well as the content, including the contact information.
  3. Place the order and verify whether or not the delivery date projection is met.