How to Brief a Commercial Printer: What You Need to Know Before Placing an Order

Placing a print order sounds simple enough. But the gap between a vague request and a print ready brief is where most delays, budget surprises and reprints originate.

Whether you're ordering business stationery, brochures, leaflets, magazines or bespoke packaging, the quality of your brief directly affects the quality of your result. A well-prepared brief means faster turnaround, accurate pricing and a finished product that matches your expectations.

This guide walks you through exactly what a commercial printer needs from you — and why each element matters.

Why a Good Brief Saves Time and Money

Printers price jobs based on specific variables: quantity, paper stock, size, colours, finishing, and delivery. When any of these are unclear or missing, a quote becomes an estimate based on assumptions — and assumptions often turn out to be wrong.

A thorough brief means:

• Your quote reflects the actual job, not a best guess
• There are no unexpected costs at proof or press stage
• Production can begin without unnecessary back-and-forth
• You get what you actually wanted

Our commercial print services cover everything from business cards and letterheads to brochures, magazines and specialist items — and every job benefits from a clear brief, regardless of size.

1. Tell Us What You're Printing

Start with the basics. What is the item? Be specific.

"A leaflet" tells us relatively little. "An A5 folded leaflet for a restaurant menu, four pages, printed both sides" tells us a great deal.

Where possible, include:

• The product type (brochure, flyer, business card, NCR book, poster, etc.)
• Its intended purpose (marketing, event programme, internal documentation, packaging insert, etc.)
• Any examples or references — even a rough sketch or a competitor's piece you like

If you've ordered the same job before, share the previous specification. It's far easier to match or update an existing spec than to build one from scratch.

2. Confirm Your Quantities

Print pricing is heavily quantity-dependent. The cost per unit drops significantly as quantities increase, because setup costs (plates, make-ready time, paper spoilage) are spread across more copies.

When confirming quantities:

• Be realistic about what you'll use — ordering too many is wasteful, but ordering too few can mean a costly reprint at a lower quantity
• Consider whether you'll need the same job reprinted regularly — if so, a slightly higher quantity now may be more cost-effective
• If you're unsure, ask for pricing at two or three quantity brackets; the difference is often less than people expect

If you're ordering for an event or campaign with a hard deadline, confirm your quantity early. Last-minute quantity changes can affect scheduling.

3. Specify the Finished Size

Give the finished (trimmed) size, not the flat or sheet size. For folded items, clarify both the flat size and the finished folded size.

Common print sizes include A4, A5, A6, DL (one-third A4), and various custom dimensions. If your size falls outside standard formats, tell us — it may affect paper efficiency and pricing.

Also clarify orientation: portrait or landscape. 

4. Describe the Paper Stock

Paper choice has a significant effect on both cost and the finished look and feel of a printed piece.

If you're not sure what you want, we can send samples — but it helps to give us some direction:

Weight: Paper is measured in grams per square metre (gsm). For reference:

• 80–100gsm: standard copier/office paper weight
• 130–170gsm: typical flyer or leaflet weight
• 250–350gsm: typical business card or cover stock

Finish: Coated stocks (silk, gloss, matt) give richer colour reproduction. Uncoated stocks have a more tactile, natural feel and are better for writing on.

Sustainability: If eco credentials matter to your brand, ask about FSC-certified stocks, recycled paper options, or our green printing capabilities.

If you've had a job printed elsewhere before and liked the stock, describe it as best you can — we can usually identify a close match.

5. Specify Colours

Print jobs are priced differently depending on the colour setup:

• CMYK (full colour): Four-colour process printing, suitable for photographs and rich designs. Most common for marketing and promotional print.
• Spot colours (Pantone): Individual ink colours mixed to an exact specification. Used where brand colour accuracy is critical, or for special effects.
• Black and white / greyscale: Single colour, lowest cost option for text-heavy documents.

If your artwork uses Pantone references, supply the exact Pantone codes. If you're working from a brand guidelines document, share the relevant section.

6. Describe the Finishing Requirements

Finishing refers to anything that happens to a printed item after it comes off the press. This includes:

• Folding — and if so, what fold type (half fold, tri-fold, z-fold, concertina, etc.)
• Binding — saddle-stitched (stapled), perfect bound, wire-o, case bound
• Lamination — gloss, silk, soft touch, anti-scuff matt
• Cutting — standard straight cuts, or die-cutting to a custom shape
• Drilling or eyelets — for items that need to be hung or ring-bound

Finishing is often where print projects go over budget because it wasn't factored in from the start. Tell us about your finishing requirements upfront so we can price accurately.

7. Set a Realistic Deadline

Lead times vary depending on the complexity of the job, current capacity, and how long artwork approval takes. As a rule of thumb:

• Simple jobs with print-ready artwork: typically 3–5 working days
• Jobs requiring design, proofing or complex finishing: allow 7–10 working days or more
• Large-format, bespoke or high-quantity jobs: discuss lead time directly

If you have a hard deadline — an event, a launch date, a regulatory deadline — tell us at the quoting stage. We will always be honest about what's achievable rather than promising a date we can't meet.

8. Supply Print-Ready Artwork (or Tell Us You Need Design Help)

A print-ready file is one that is correctly set up for production: the right colour mode, the right resolution, the right bleed, with fonts embedded or outlined.

Our artwork help page covers everything in detail, but the key requirements are:

• File format: Print-ready PDF preferred; Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop also accepted
• Resolution: 300dpi minimum at final print size
• Bleed: 3mm on all sides
• Colour mode: CMYK (not RGB)
• Fonts: Embedded or converted to outlines

If your artwork isn't print-ready, or if you don't have a designer, we offer in-house design and artwork services. We can work from a brief, a rough layout, or existing brand guidelines. Design is charged at £35 per hour and we'll always agree on the scope before starting.

9. Include Your Contact Details and Delivery Address

This sounds obvious, but it's frequently missed. Make sure your brief includes:

• A contact name and direct telephone number or email
• The delivery address (including postcode)
• Whether delivery is to a business or residential address
• Any access requirements (loading bay, restricted hours, etc.)
• Whether you need the job split across multiple delivery addresses

If you have a specific carrier preference or an account with a courier, let us know.
 

Quick Reference: Pharmaceutical Leaflet Artwork Checklist

At Lanes Printers, We Make It Easy

You don't need to have every detail pinned down before getting in touch. We're used to working with clients at every stage — from a fully-formed brief to an early-stage idea that needs shaping.

Our team will ask the right questions, guide you through the options, and make sure your job is specified correctly before any costs are committed.

Browse our full range of commercial print services to see the products we offer — from brochures, flyers and business cards to books, magazines, NCR forms and seasonal print.

Ready to Place Your Order?

Tell us about your project and we'll come back to you with a clear, accurate quote.

Get in touch with Lanes Printers

Or call us directly on 01843 861314 or email enquiries@lanesprinters.co.uk 

Lanes Printers, Pysons Road Industrial Estate, 16 Patricia Way, Broadstairs, CT10 2LF