Ways to buy print compared: direct, brokers, print management and RfQ marketplaces
There are four common ways to buy print: contact printers yourself, use a print broker, hire a print management company, or post the job as a request for quotation on a marketplace. Going direct gives the most control and the most work; a broker or print manager takes the work off your hands for a margin or fee; a marketplace such as PrintOffer puts one specification in front of several printers and leaves the choice with you.
| Contacting printers directly | Print broker | Print management company | RfQ marketplace | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who finds the printers | You | The broker | The print manager | Printers that match the job reach you |
| How many quotes you see | As many as you ask for, one by one | Usually one price, with the broker's margin in it | Usually one price, within a managed contract | One per matching printer that answers |
| Who you deal with | Each printer | The broker | The print manager | The printer you choose |
| What it costs you besides the print | Your time | The broker's margin | A management fee or margin | On PrintOffer, nothing: no fee and no commission |
| Fits best when | You know the printers and have the time | You want one contact and no sourcing work | You buy a lot of print across many sites | You want several quotes on one specification and to choose yourself |
Contacting printers directly
You find printers, send each of them your specification, chase the answers and compare quotes that arrive in different formats. It gives you full control and a direct relationship, and it costs the most time — especially for a product you buy rarely, or in a country where you do not know the market.
A print broker
A broker takes your specification, places it with a printer they know and sells you the result with their margin in the price. You get one contact and no sourcing work; you usually do not see the printer's own quote, and the choice of printer is the broker's.
A print management company
A print manager runs print buying for an organisation, often across many sites and suppliers, under a contract with a fee or margin. It suits large, regular volumes where the buying itself is a job; it is a commitment rather than a way to source one project.
An RfQ marketplace such as PrintOffer
You write the specification once — product type, quantities, delivery place, payment term and a bidding deadline — and the request reaches the printers that make that product and deliver there. Each answers with a price and lead time per quantity in the same format, so the offers can be compared side by side, and the one you accept becomes a purchase order.
What it does not do: PrintOffer does not check print quality, and it does not hold or process payment — the buyer pays the printer on the term set in the request. How many offers you get depends on which printers have registered for that product and place; after you publish, you get a notification and an email saying how many printers the request reached, including when it reached none, so you can widen the delivery scope.
Frequently asked questions
Is a print broker more expensive than buying direct?
The broker's margin is part of the price. Whether that costs more overall depends on how much sourcing and checking you would otherwise do yourself.
What does PrintOffer cost a buyer?
Nothing. Publishing requests for quotation and receiving offers are free, and there is no commission on orders.
Who does the buyer pay on PrintOffer?
The printer, directly, on the payment term chosen in the request — for example Net 30 or a letter of credit. PrintOffer does not hold or process the payment.
Can a buyer stay anonymous on PrintOffer?
Yes, and it is on by default: printers see the request without the buyer's name. The name appears on the purchase order once an offer is accepted.
What happens if no printer matches my request?
After publishing you are told how many printers the request reached, including when it reached none, so you can widen the delivery scope or adjust the product type.
Put one specification in front of several printers
Publishing a request for quotation is free. The sourcing guides say what to put in the specification for each kind of job.
Create an RfQ