What is wholesale printing?
Wholesale printing is B2B print production in which a trade printer manufactures printed products for another business to resell, fulfill, or provide to its customers.
What is a trade printer?
A trade printer is a printer that primarily provides production services to other businesses involved in selling or providing printed products. "Trade printer" and "wholesale printer" are often used interchangeably.
Who uses wholesale printing?
Print shops, graphic designers, print brokers, sign shops, marketing agencies, and print resellers commonly use wholesale printing.
Do I need my own printing equipment?
No. Wholesale printing allows businesses to outsource production without owning all of the equipment needed to manufacture every product.
Can I outsource only some of my printing?
Yes. A business can combine in-house production with wholesale outsourcing based on equipment, capacity, product requirements, quantity, and economics.
Is wholesale printing cheaper than printing in-house?
Not automatically. The comparison depends on equipment, labor, materials, volume, capacity, shipping, and other costs. Evaluate the total cost of each option.
Can I make money reselling wholesale printing?
Yes. A reseller can purchase production at wholesale cost and establish its own customer price. Profitability depends on the complete job economics, including production, labor, shipping, overhead, and desired margin.
Can a wholesale printer ship directly to my customer?
Some trade printers offer direct or blind-shipping services. Availability and policies vary by printer.
What is blind shipping?
Blind shipping is a fulfillment arrangement designed to allow a trade customer to ship an order to its customer without presenting the wholesale printer as the supplier.
How do I know which printing method to use?
Consider the product, quantity, material, color requirements, finishing, quality requirements, turnaround, and cost. **Digital vs Offset** provides a more detailed comparison.
What files do I need to submit?
Requirements vary by printer, but print-ready artwork commonly requires correct dimensions, bleed, resolution, color setup, fonts, and page configuration.
How long does wholesale printing take?
Turnaround depends on the product, quantity, production method, finishing, printer capacity, and order timing. Shipping time must also be included when calculating the delivery date.
