Printing



Choose a printer

Most printers offer a mix of services and equipment that can handle projects in a variety of categories. This guide describes the printers’ core capabilities and the range of work they can produce. MIT requires any purchase over $5,000 to be bid with at least three vendors to obtain competitive pricing. If you are planning a project in an unusual media—from gift bags to vinyl banners—consult the Publishing Services Bureau for help in finding the best vendor for the job.

Category 1
Short run (500 or less), simple graphics.

Quick turnaround black and color digital output; photocopied documents; flyers, brochures, booklets; stationery, postcards, invitations.

Ambit Press
Arlington Lithograph
MIT Copy Technology Centers

Category 2
Medium–short run (5,000 or less), moderate graphics.

1-, 2-, and 4-color offset brochures and newsletters; posters; multi-page books with separate cover.

Ambit Press
Arlington Lithograph
Artco Inc.
Puritan Press

Category 3
Medium–long run (20,000 or less), complex graphics.

2- and 4-color offset projects: brochures and books with complex images, duotones, and color-critical imagery; die-cut work; perfect bound and saddle wire books.

Arlington Lithograph
Artco Inc.
Kirkwood Printing
Universal Millennium Inc
Puritan Press

Category 4
Long run (20,000 or over), color-critical graphics.

4- and 6-color offset projects; heat-set web offset; complex marketing materials requiring detailed prepress involvement; annual reports, recruitment, and fundraising materials; work requiring extensive color correcting, stochastic screening, or other advanced prepress technologies.

Artco Inc.
Kirkwood Printing
Universal Millennium Inc

Buying tips

Find out how to buy print effectively and economically.
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Digital Printing

Digital presses image directly from an electronic file, without the setup costs, materials and longer turnaround time of traditional offset presses.
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Tools and resources

Quickly access all the essentials you’ll need to choose a printer, start your job, and achieve your project goals.
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Selection process

Learn how the Smart Buy Purchasing Initiative team selected print vendors and how they are being evaluated.
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Ongoing evaluation

Find out how MIT is monitoring the performance of print vendors and how you can help.
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Buying tips

Getting started

Obtaining estimates

  • Download a print specification form for printing jobs.
  • Email requests for estimates to printers, and expect formal estimates within two business days.
  • MIT requires three written estimates for printing jobs anticipated to cost more than $5,000, but you should secure multiple estimates for printing projects regardless of cost.
  • Ask your printer representatives for suggestions about paper, size, and binding options that could save you time and money.
  • Compare estimates, select a printer, and confirm the schedule with your print rep.

Releasing your project to the printer

  • Printers will accept files from design layout programs such as Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, Adobe PageMaker, and Adobe Illustrator. A PDF may also be acceptable, depending on the project. Microsoft Word and PowerPoint are not print-ready file formats. Your print rep can advise you about acceptable formats, and your PSB advisor can connect you with resources for preparing print-ready files.
  • Provide to the printer the design file, all fonts, and any logos or images used in your project. Also supply printouts of your project and all electronic files.
  • MIT requires that you provide a purchase order number at the time you place the order. When creating a requisition in SAPWeb, select material group 1630 and GL account 420840 for the purchase of printing.
  • Provide delivery instructions, including locations and deadlines. Your print rep will suggest shipping methods appropriate to your needs.
  • Request that a CD of the final files be sent to you with delivery of your job.

Reviewing proofs

  • Expect to receive the printer’s proof a few days after the design files have been submitted. Read tips on the various types of proofs and how to review them.
  • Ask your print rep to discuss the ways in which the color on your proof may differ from the final printed product.
  • Sign the printer’s proof approval form, indicating whether the job is approved to print as is, approved to print with noted changes, or whether you are requesting a new proof. Be sure to make a copy of the completed form for your records.
  • Remember that edits to the proof may have an impact on the delivery schedule and the cost of the project. Ask the printer for updated costs and timelines. You will need to approve any additional charges before your job can proceed.

Delivery

  • Expect most offset print projects to deliver 10 business days after the receipt of the design files. Digital print projects often take 3-8 business days. Check with your print rep for the anticipated schedule for your project.
  • Examine your job to ensure that it printed to your satisfaction.
  • Review the invoice, which will detail costs for author’s alterations, change in specifications such as quantity and paper, overruns, and delivery fees.
  • Complete the feedback card delivered with your project so we can monitor and evaluate the performance of the printers.

Digital printing

Digital printing refers to the process of producing a printed image directly from an electronic file, without the setup costs, materials and longer turnaround time of traditional offset presses.The digital color presses used by our preferred printers can print on a maximum sheet size of 12" x 18" on a variety of paper stocks. For print runs of up to a few hundred pieces, digital printing offers fast delivery with 4-color quality that rivals offset printing.

The true benefit of the digital press is variable data printing. With this process, elements such as text, graphics and images stored in a database may be changed from one printed piece to the next without interrupting the press run. For example, a set of personalized postcards, each with the same basic layout, can be printed with a different name and photo on each card.

Digital presses incorporate the latest in electronic imaging technology, but file preparation and image resolution is still just as important as it is for traditional printing for color accuracy and quality. Please contact the Publishing Services Bureau or one of our preferred printers to discuss whether digital printing is the right solution for your project.


Tools and resources

These tools and resources will help you take control of your project from the outset and complete the process with a product that meets your budget and expectations. Remember that MIT’s Publishing Services Bureau is available to lend guidance and support with any aspect of the project.

The Smart Buy Purchasing Initiative is a highly collaborative effort by members of the MIT community. Print buyers from across the campus have pooled their knowledge and experience, evaluated vendors, interviewed the MIT community, and consulted print buyers at neighboring institutions to select this group of preferred printers that offer exceptional service and pricing to clients at the Institute.


Selection process
At the start of the process, the Purchasing Initiative print team, led by the Publishing Services Bureau and Procurement, analyzed Institute print buying trends, interviewed staff at MIT and at peer institutions, and evaluated a variety of printers already serving the Institute. The team analyzed and compared operations and evaluated customer service.

The result: out of 240 Boston-area printers, MIT’s Copy Technology Centers and 10 external printers were chosen as preferred vendors. The printers selected represent a broad array of printing capabilities. They were chosen after rigorous analysis according to their ability to deliver the highest-quality print products reliably and economically. They were also judged according to the strength of their overall operations, willingness to devise innovative solutions, commitment to sound environmental practices, and ability to stay apace with emerging technologies. Get more details on the selection process by downloading this report.

As the Smart Buy Purchasing Initiative grows and evolves, the participation of the community is vital to its success. The more frequently MIT purchases from participating vendors, the stronger the initiative will become. Greater volume allows the Institute to leverage advantageous pricing and services.

Please contact us to report your experiences with vendors and to let us know how you think this effort is working. You can use the same form to join a Smart Buy Purchasing Initiative team charged with evaluating vendor performance.


Ongoing evaluation
The Publishing Services Bureau and MIT Procurement will oversee the performance of preferred print vendors, evaluate feedback from the MIT community, and monitor costs and quality to ensure that both the vendors and the process are consistently serving the community. Visit this page to read updated reports about the initiative.

As the Smart Buy Purchasing Initiative grows and evolves, the participation of the community is vital to its success. Please contact us to report your experiences with vendors and to let us know how you think this effort is working. You can use the same portal to join a Smart Buy Purchasing team charged with evaluating vendor performance.

Please don’t forget to return the evaluation card you receive with the delivery of your print projects. Your feedback helps us to advise the printers on how they can fine-tune their services to meet your needs and the needs of the larger MIT community.