Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

To invest in an at home printer or not?

Jul 5, 2016 11:43AM PDT

I am new to the invitation business. Please forgive the "green" nature of my questions. It is difficult to find people that have the patience for starter companies. I recently started my own company that focuses on wedding invitations. I am stuck at this beginning crossroads and I was looking for some helpful advice-
A) Do I invest in an at home printer to print my designs?
-Can at home printers perform embossing, debossing, foil stamping etc?
-Since I would need to invest in paper stock/ink/toner does at home printing increase the cost for my business?

B) Do I invest in a print company that offers several print services, but requires a membership fee?
-There's a good chance I will be communicating with a company in another state.
-I won't see the physical invitation (unless I order a proof) before sending it to a customer?
-Do I become the middle man? A customer chooses one of my designs, I send it to the print shop, they send it to me, THEN I send it to the customer? Isn't that a lot of steps?

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Re: printer
Jul 5, 2016 12:32PM PDT

No, the usual home and SMB inkjet and laserprinters do what they say: print (and copy, and possibly fax). And sometimes (the more expensive ones): staple.

What does your business plan say about revenues, investments and expenses (production costs in this case)?

- Collapse -
Print at home vs. print company
Jul 5, 2016 1:01PM PDT

My business plan says the investments I make and the expenses I output need to be enough to get the ball rolling but not too much that I am unable to satisfy such investments within a year of earning revenue.

- Collapse -
Answer
can get complicated
Jul 5, 2016 1:01PM PDT

home printers will not perform embossing and debossing, and in general foil stamping, though I read an article a few years ago where you can use a laser printer for foil stamping. Personally I would not want to try it out since foil flakes.

You will have to purchase separate equipment to do all of the above. I have a coworker who did have an in home business making the different dies. He used an iron for foil stamping. embossing and debossing requires a lot of pressure for the designs to be pressed into stock - depending on the type of designs and papers you use.

there are plenty of online companies that will take care of your merchandise, including cafepress, zazzle, smugmug, deviant art and more. You setup a store in those places, the customer will order and the merchandise is shipped directly to the customer.

If you do it yourself, for emboss and deboss designs. you will need brass or copper and its not cheap. you can get magnesium for your lettering but it requires etching and hazardous chemicals. You can also get rubber or silicone dies but quality is not that good. You really need metal dies.

There is so much involved if you want to do everything yourself that it cannot be said in this forum. You can do google searches and find different ways to do each. My source for the above is I work in the engraving department at a major company and am a die maker.

- Collapse -
Print at home vs print company
Jul 5, 2016 1:11PM PDT

Thank you for being so specific. However, "can get complicated" is very scary. I do realize this entire process can get complicated, so I am trying my hardest to research the least complicated processes-if those even exist!

I am familiar with Zazzle and Smug Mug. I attended the National Stationy Show in NYC in May so I have been in touch with a few print companies that attended. I guess I am just fearful of whether or not the membership fees these companies charge will be a foundation for my business earning revenue. Does that make sense? Am I explaining it correctly?

Thank you!

- Collapse -
it is called risk
Jul 5, 2016 1:25PM PDT

it is called risk, you will not make money at the start, most likely you will lose money the first year or so unless you have the next big thing. I do not know where you live but in my town, you got walmart, where you can get special orders for invitations and business cards, local newspaper has that service, and there are a couple of local printing shops that will do it too. AND websites that does special orders are a dime a dozen.

As far as looking at membership fees, look at what they offer for their membership fees and decide. It will be a risk either way you go. Maybe do simple at home and outsource what you cannot do at the start.

- Collapse -
Risk
Jul 7, 2016 8:20PM PDT

I understand what risk is and that opening a business entails a lot of it. I was just looking for some helpful feedback on printers. I prefer to do research on a product before investing in it, so that's all I'm trying to do.

- Collapse -
While you can research let me share
Jul 8, 2016 9:40AM PDT

When I'm unsure of which to buy I have found that the BEST SELLERS on Amazon in the top 10 or 5 tend to be very nice models that I want.

Research those as well. Remember I take it you are doing the research and not asking me to do your research.

- Collapse -
I misspoken
Jul 5, 2016 1:17PM PDT

I said you will have to purchase separate equipment. You can get machines that will do all of it.

- Collapse -
Answer
Let me share this.
Jul 8, 2016 10:25AM PDT

I've been in and around print shops since the 1980's so I can write that to start a new printing facility would be very expensive to the point I think you must consider buying a going concern. For say wedding invitations you can't use a common printer as these usually are embossed or have fancy cutouts which your run of the mill consumer printer can't produce.

I take it you are a beginner printer otherwise you would never consider inkjets and such.

Try to get some internship at a print shop or print factory to learn the business.

- Collapse -
Answer
Not at the start and not professional
Aug 19, 2016 4:23AM PDT

Of course it would be deadly for your business to buy a professional printer at the start of your business. It did not pay off quickly. And to by home printer is also no sense. It will not solve necessary tasks. You can try to conclude a contract with the print shop for direct shipment to the customer to make less steps. Another question how much it will cost.