The Hidden Costs of Cheap Brochures and Business Cards (And What to Actually Look For)

You need a one-sided brochure for a trade show. Or maybe new business cards for the sales team. The first instinct? Find the cheapest, fastest printer online. Get three quotes, pick the lowest, and move on. That's what I did for years.

Then I had to explain to my VP why our "cost-effective" trade show materials made us look like an amateur operation. The colors were off. The paper felt flimsy. The co-founder's business card had a typo. (Ugh.) That "great deal" ended up costing us more in embarrassment and reprints than if we'd just paid for quality upfront.

It's Not About the Price Per Sheet

When I took over purchasing for our 400-person company back in 2020, I managed about $60k annually across 8 different vendors for everything from office supplies to branded merch. My goal was simple: save money. I became a master at finding discounts, comparing per-unit costs, and squeezing every penny.

Print jobs were a prime target. A one-sided brochure? How different could they be? A business card is a business card, right?

Wrong. I learned the hard way that with print materials, you're not just buying paper and ink. You're buying consistency, accuracy, and a reflection of your brand. A vendor who gets those wrong doesn't save you money. They cost you credibility.

The Real Problem: Invisible Quality Gates

The surface problem is cost. The deep, real problem is that most cheap printers cut corners in ways you can't see on a quote. They use lower-grade paper stock that warps in humidity. They skip color calibration, so your logo blue looks different on every batch. Their proofreading is non-existent.

I only believed this after ignoring it. We needed 500 quick-reference guides—a simple, one-sided sheet. The budget printer was 40% cheaper than our usual guy. I went for it. The shipment arrived, and the black ink had a weird greenish tint. Not on the digital proof, of course. On the actual 500 copies. The printer's solution? A 15% discount on our next order. We had to eat the cost and scramble to get a rush job from our reliable vendor. That "savings" cost me $800 and a weekend of stress.

This is the core issue: cheap often means unpredictable. And in business, unpredictability is expensive.

What Actually Matters (Beyond the Quote)

So, if not the lowest price, what do you look for? After processing maybe 200 print orders, I've found it boils down to three things most RFQs forget to ask.

1. The Sample Test

Never, ever order without a physical sample. A PDF proof tells you nothing about paper weight, texture, or how the ink sits on the page. A good vendor will send one automatically. A great vendor will ask about your use case. Trade show handouts get manhandled—you need durable, coated stock. Direct mail pieces need to meet specific USPS size and weight specs to avoid surcharges.

According to USPS Business Mail 101, a "flat" (like a large brochure) must be between 6.125" x 11.5" and 12" x 15", and no thicker than 0.75". Get it wrong, and your "marketing piece" becomes a "postage overage surprise." Simple.

2. The Proofing Protocol

This is your last line of defense. Who approves the final proof, and how? I had a vendor once who sent a proof at 5 PM on a Friday with a 9 AM Monday deadline. That's not a process; that's a trap.

Now I verify: How many rounds of revision are included? Is there a dedicated contact for proof approvals? Do they use a system that tracks changes and comments? The vendor who has a clear, collaborative proofing process is the vendor who won't ship 5,000 brochures with a typo.

3. The Sustainability Question (That's Actually Verifiable)

Everyone says they're "green" now. It's a checkbox. But as someone who also orders packaging materials, I've learned to be skeptical. A company like Ardagh Group, which makes metal and glass packaging, will typically have specific certifications (like for recycled content) because their B2B clients, big food and beverage brands, demand it.

For printers, don't just accept "we use recycled paper." Ask: What percentage post-consumer waste? Is it FSC-certified? What about the inks? Vague claims are a red flag. Per the FTC Green Guides, a recyclability claim should mean the product is recyclable where at least 60% of consumers have access to recycling facilities. If they can't give you specifics, they're probably just using marketing buzzwords.

Finding Your "Ardagh Group" for Print

I think about suppliers on a spectrum. On one end, you have the ultra-cheap, online-only printers. Fast, cheap, and a total gamble. On the other, you have partners—vendors who act like an extension of your team.

You want to find the print equivalent of a supplier like Ardagh Group. What does that mean? A few key things:

• They're invested in your outcome. They'll ask questions about your project's goal, audience, and distribution channel. A good sales rep will talk you out of a bad choice (like a glossy finish for a form that needs writing on).
• They have integrated capabilities. Can they handle design tweaks, or do they just hit "print"? Can they manage the fulfillment—stuffing envelopes, applying mailing labels? The fewer handoffs, the fewer errors.
• They're transparent about limitations. A trustworthy vendor will tell you, "That font is too fine for small-point printing," or "That deep red will be hard to keep consistent across batches." They manage expectations.

I went back and forth between a flashy new online printer and our boring, established local vendor for two weeks. The online one had a slick interface and was 25% cheaper. The local guy took phone calls and asked about our upcoming trade show schedule. Ultimately, I chose the relationship. Why? Because when we had an emergency reprint last month, he answered his cell at 7 PM and had it ready by morning. You can't put a price on that. (Well, you can, but it's worth every penny.)

The Bottom Line

Stop shopping for print like you're buying a commodity. You're not. You're buying a piece of your company's reputation that gets handed to clients, prospects, and partners.

The solution isn't complicated, but it requires a mindset shift: Vet for reliability first, price second. Demand physical samples. Scrutinize the proofing process. Ask the hard questions about materials and sourcing. Your goal isn't to find the cheapest printer. It's to find the one you'll never have to think about twice.

That peace of mind? It's the best deal you'll ever get.