Know Your Vendor Before You Order Your Discs

To ensure you are buying from a reputable company do some research. A little research can save you both time and money! 'Anybody' can print discs and ship them - its true, its not that difficult. What is difficult is to do it in a commercial manner, using dedicated equipment specifically designed and developed for the job. A large majority of companies use simple desktop inkjet printers not designed for production use over and over again maintaining consistent quality and service. Before you choose your vendor you need to decide what type of printing you need. While this may sound obvious, it actually can make a huge difference in how your printed image will look and affects what options are available and the bottom line - the cost. Take a look at this article if you are not sure.

So how do you initially choose the right vendor? Here are some important points to research:

• Reputation / Ratings - Check their reviews / testimonials both on their site (if they have) and other review sites such as ResellerRatings.com. If their rating is 4 out of 5 (8 out of 10) or lower or they have less than 300 reviews you should move on! Read the reviews understand where the company has their weak points and decide if it matters to you.
• What Media Type is Used - Know the media type being used for your custom printed discs. If you are getting discs that you will record / duplicate yourself, it's important you know the brand they supply so you can check that they will function in your devices and are suitable for your application of use. If the brand is not advertised on the companies website, chances are they are using the cheapest media possible. This is a common tactic to increase their profits!
• Shipping Rates - Is the company quoting a 'standard' shipping rate for the quantity irrespective of the ship to address? If so, you could end up paying more for shipping than you need to! Shipping rates are calculated based on package weight, origin of ship from and destination. FedEx or UPS do not offer flat rate shipping.
• Turnaround Time - Typically most companies pricing is based on a 5 day turnaround time. This means they can take up to 5 days from receipt of your order, artwork and other components before they ship. Add on to this shipping time and you could be waiting up to 2 weeks or even longer for your order to arrive assuming you ordered Ground shipping, (ordered from the East coast and being delivered to the West coast). Want it faster and you'll be charged a Rush Fee.
• Manufacturer or Broker? - It's important to know if the company you are choosing is actually manufacturing your discs or are they simply taking your order and then ordering from a manufacturer - known as a broker? You should only choose to have your discs manufactured directly with a manufacturer as you will have greater control and recourse should something go wrong.
• Made in the USA? - If you do decide to go with a broker, check that the discs are manufactured in the USA. Why is this important? If they are manufactured overseas (China / Taiwan) you run the risk of having your order delayed by either shipping or customs. All of BlankMediaPrinting manufacturing is done in our facilities in Florida. Nothing is manufactured overseas (with the exception of the blank media - Philips, JVC/Taiyo Yuden, Verbatim).

Ready to prepare your order now?