Key takeaways
- Online printers are built for standard items, standard sizes and a finished file you upload yourself.
- A local shop earns its keep when something about the job is not standard.
- Proofs on new jobs at our shop come back in 1 to 2 business days, checked by a person.
- Matching one logo color across cards, a banner, shirts and a tent is easier when one shop prints all of it.
- Schools, churches and nonprofits get tax exempt handling and Net 15 or 30 terms once approved.
- A file we fix before printing costs less than a box of cards printed wrong.
The short version
Both are good tools. They are built for different jobs.
An online printer is a website with a giant factory behind it. You pick a product, pick a size, upload a file and pay. If the file is right and the item is standard, that is a fine way to buy.
A local shop is a person with presses, a cutter and a counter. You hand over the problem, not just the file. Someone looks at it, asks questions and catches the stuff a website can't.
So the real question is not which one is better. It is how standard your job is.
When an online printer is the right call
We'll say it plainly. Some jobs belong online.
- A tiny run of a standard item. One box of cards, a short stack of postcards, a few stickers.
- A finished file. You or your designer already built it at the right size with bleed.
- No deadline. You can wait for the box to ship and arrive.
- No matching. It doesn't have to line up with shirts, signs or anything else you own.
- You like the template. Online tools are great for picking a layout and typing in your name.
If that describes your order, go for it. You don't need a print shop to hold your hand on a reprint of a card you already love.
| Job | Online printer | Local shop |
|---|---|---|
| Reprint of a finished card | Good fit | Works too |
| File needs a fix or a check | Prints as uploaded | Person checks first |
| Match color across items | Hard across vendors | One shop, side by side |
| Odd or custom size | Limited to listed sizes | Cut to your size |
| Event this weekend | Depends on shipping | Pickup in Hutto |
| Shirts, signs and promo together | Several checkouts | One job ticket |
| Tax exempt or PO | Varies | Handled on the ticket |
Proofs with a person behind them
An online preview shows you what the software thinks your file looks like. It doesn't tell you the logo is a blurry screenshot, the phone number sits in the trim, or the photo will print dark.
Here, a person opens every new file. We check the shape and resolution against the size on your ticket. If something is off, we tell you before the proof, not after the box shows up. Proofs on new jobs come back in 1 to 2 business days, and nothing prints until you approve it.
If you want to get the file right yourself first, read what print ready means. It covers bleed, 300 DPI and vector logos.
The proof shows your actual file at your actual size. If we changed anything, like pulling text in from the edge, we say what and why. You can approve it, ask for a change, or call and talk it through.
Color that matches across items
This is the big one for businesses. Your brand blue lives on cards, a banner, polos, a tent and a yard sign. Each one is a different material and often a different print method.
Order those from five places and you get five blues. Paper, vinyl, cotton and thread all take color differently, and nobody is comparing them side by side.
When one shop prints all of it, we can. Give us your Pantone or color codes on the ticket, or bring in a shirt or sign you want to match. We print paper goods, signs and banners and apparel under one roof, so the comparison happens before anything ships.
Same goes for a reorder. A year from now, when you need more cards, we print from the same file and the same color notes. You aren't starting over in a new cart.
Odd sizes, rush jobs and big stuff
Standard sizes are where online printers shine. Step outside them and things get harder.
- Odd sizes. A sign that fits one exact window. A menu that has to slide into a holder you already own. We cut to the size you need.
- Rush pickup. If an event is this weekend, shipping time is the problem. Pickup in Hutto skips the box and the truck. Rush timing is quoted on the ticket.
- Large format. Banners, A frames, feather flags and tents. Our vinyl banners are 15oz, hemmed and grommeted, in 2x4 ft, 3x6 ft and 4x8 ft stock sizes, with $5 flat shipping on banner orders.
- Event tents. 10x10 and up, from $999 with free design and free shipping. They take 2 to 5 business days, then ship FedEx with tracking.
For big pieces, a person checking that your art holds up at 4x8 ft matters more than it does on a business card.
Apparel, signs and promo in one order
Most real orders are not one item. A grand opening needs a banner, a feather flag, shirts for the crew and a few hundred koozies. A booster club needs spirit wear, a sponsor banner and yard signs.
Online, that is three or four checkouts, often with three or four companies. Here, it is one job ticket. We screen print, embroider, run DTG and DTF, print large format, cut vinyl and laser engrave in-house. One proof round, one invoice, one pickup.
Shirts have their own math. Our apparel minimums are 12 garments for one color and 24 for two colors, with 7 to 10 business days from approval and payment. See screen printing or the local screen printer vs CustomInk guide for the shirt side of this question.
Tax exempt and PO handling
Schools, churches, PTAs and nonprofits buy differently. There is a purchase order, a tax exempt certificate and an office that pays on a schedule.
We handle tax exempt organizations right on the ticket. Approved organizations can get Net 15 or 30 terms, so the person ordering doesn't have to put a district order on a personal card. We take cash, check or card.
That alone moves a lot of school and church work to a local shop. The paperwork is part of the job, not a support ticket.
Booster clubs and PTAs get one more tool: a spirit wear store. Families order and pay online, and the club earns 10 to 20 percent back.
Fixing the file instead of printing it wrong
A website prints what you upload. If the file is wrong, you get a box of wrong.
We would rather fix it first. Here is how that work is billed:
- Layout, $45 per hour: resizing, adding bleed, moving text out of the trim.
- Graphic design, $65 per hour: rebuilding a blurry logo, cleaning up photos.
- Full project design, $125 per hour: building a piece from scratch.
If your logo can't be saved, a new one is $250 flat. Fix it once and every order after that is easy, online or here.
The fixes we see most: a logo pulled off a website, a flyer sent as a phone photo, a banner file that is square when the banner is 3x6 ft. Each one is a quick fix before print and a reprint after.
How to decide
Go online if all of these are true: the item is standard, the file is finished, it doesn't have to match anything, and you can wait for shipping.
Come to a local shop if any of these are true: you want a person to check the file, colors have to match across items, the size is odd, the date is close, the order mixes apparel, signs and promo, or you need tax exempt or PO handling.
Not sure? Open a job ticket or call or text 512-817-2200. We'll tell you straight if your job is one you should just order online.
Plenty of businesses do both. They reorder a plain card online and bring the event, the signs and the shirts to a local shop. That's a smart split.