You might wonder: if Shropshire Printing works with other printers rather than printing everything in-house, why not just go directly to a printer yourself and cut out the middleman?
It’s a fair question. On the surface, it seems logical, fewer people involved should mean lower costs, right? But in practice, print management companies like Shropshire Printing add significant value that often goes unnoticed.
Understanding Print Management
A print management company isn’t primarily a printer … —it’s a strategist, sourcing specialist, and logistics coordinator rolled into one. Our role is to understand your project needs, match them with the most suitable suppliers, oversee quality, manage timelines, and ensure smooth delivery.
Think of it this way: just as a good travel agent knows far more about destinations, transport options, and accommodation than a first-time holiday planner, a print management company knows the landscape of UK and European print suppliers and their capabilities in ways that would take individual businesses years to develop.
The Hidden Costs of Going Direct
When you go directly to a single printer, you’re limited by what that printer can do in-house. Many print projects involve processes that not every printer can handle, specialist finishes, unusual formats, packaging, embroidery, or complex multi-component campaigns.
When your chosen printer can’t do something, they quietly outsource it to another supplier and mark it up. You still get the work done, but you also get:
- Quality uncertainty: You’re relying on someone else’s relationships and standards
- An inflated price: The original printer takes their margin plus the supplier’s costs
- Reduced visibility: You don’t know the job has been passed on until invoicing
- Hidden delays: Communication passes through an extra layer
How Shropshire Printing Works Differently
We source both locally, right here in Shropshire, and with specialist suppliers throughout the UK and even Europe. But unlike a printer who outsources on the quiet, we’re transparent about our approach and use it as a strength.
We know who to go to. Over years of working with diverse projects, we’ve built relationships with printers and specialists suited to every type of work. When your project lands on our desk, we don’t say “yes” and then scramble to find a solution. We already know which supplier is best suited, whether that’s for high-volume litho printing, digital marketing materials, specialist finishes, packaging design, complex multi-part campaigns, or unusual formats.
We compare fairly. Rather than taking the first quote, we leverage our supplier relationships to compare options across quality, speed, reliability, and price. You get the benefit of competitive quotes without the groundwork of contacting multiple printers yourself.
We manage the process. From artwork checks to quality assurance, timeline management to final dispatch, we coordinate every step. If something doesn’t meet standards, we handle it directly with the supplier rather than leaving you to negotiate.
Pick and Despatch Services
For companies with multiple locations or a national depot network, we also offer pick and despatch services, collecting finished print from various suppliers and routing it to the right destinations efficiently. This is a particular strength for large organisations with complex distribution needs.
You Gain More Than You Lose
Yes, working with a print management company means an additional step in the process.
But that step delivers:
- Time savings: No researching and contacting multiple printers yourself
- Better value: No hidden markups from outsourced work
- Right-fit suppliers: Your project goes to someone genuinely suited to it, not just whoever answers the phone
- Single point of contact: One phone number, one email, one person responsible for seeing it through
- Peace of mind: Transparent processes, quality assurance, and professional oversight
For teams without in-house print experience, and that’s most businesses, a print management company removes the guesswork and risk. You’re not paying extra for convenience; you’re paying for expertise, relationships, and accountability.
If you’ve ever felt unsure whether you were getting genuine value from a print quote, or discovered a print job had been quietly passed between suppliers, you’ve felt the pain that print management solves.
Shropshire Printing is here to be that trusted partner. Based in Telford and connected across the UK and beyond, we’re ready to source, manage, and deliver your next print project with transparency and professionalism.