Having the client and the broker sign off?

[cgl102770]

Hi - I'm a graphic designer and print broker. I'm doing postcards for a client, and found a good deal so I'm paying to have them printed then marking them up somewhat. The printer wants me to sign off on the job, as well as my client. I couldnt understand why they want my client to sign off as well. Being a broker I would like this to be transparent...am I asking too much by asking them to only require my signature? Thank you for any comments! - Greg

 

[J]

Hi - I'm a graphic designer and print broker. I'm doing postcards for a client, and found a good deal so I'm paying to have them printed then marking them up somewhat. The printer wants me to sign off on the job, as well as my client. I couldnt understand why they want my client to sign off as well. Being a broker I would like this to be transparent...am I asking too much by asking them to only require my signature? Thank you for any comments! - Greg

Could be a number of reasons:
1) Printer wants full disclosure of pricing i.e. the printer wants your client to know that you are marking up their original price
2) If there is a problem (e.g. an error that you didn't see when you approved the job) then both "customers" have accepted responsibility for the missed error and the liability is with them and not the printer
3) Your client can afford the printing (better credit - deeper pockets) than you if there are any payment issues.

My feeling is that that you may be in a conflict of interest when you act as both designer and print broker. I think that it would be more appropriate if you charged your customer a print coordination fee to handle the print procurement and let your customer pay the printer directly themselves. You should not sign off on the job unless you are willing to take full financial responsibility if something goes wrong. It is your customer who should be signing off instead.

J

 

[cgl102770]

Thank you...

Thank you...

...for the feedback. I always looked at it like if I'm buying this printing, and if I sign off on it, then I'm fully responsible for paying for it. If not, then why have me sign in the first place? If my client has an issue with the printjob that I dont feel is valid, then thats between me and the client and does not affect the printer. If they have an issue that I feel is valid, then thats between me and the printer.
The other printers I deal with make themselves transparent if needed, and I was just assuming this printer would be the same. Letting the client know who printed this job defeats the purpose of me being a broker.
I do appreciate your feedback, and I am prepared to take full financial responsibility if something goes wrong. Maybe charging a procurement fee would be simpler and less headache for me though...this projects really stressing me out! Thank you for your feedback...

 

[J]

Remember though that you are not strictly just a print broker. Because you are also the designer you are a bit of a hybrid. And may, as I noted, have a conflict of interest. For example, as the designer you could create the project in such a way, either by trim size, colour use, substrate, folding, etc. that increased the cost of the project in order to increase your profit margin. Whereas if you were simply a designer going to a printer for a quote there is a good chance that the printer would suggest small alterations to the design in order to reduce the cost of the project if they saw that. Even a 1/16 th of an inch difference on the size of a brochure or postcards can make a difference on how many units you can get out of a sheet or what size press the job will run on and hence the final cost.

J

 

[aambrosi]

In my opinion you are the printers client (the one who wrote the PO and the one paying the bill) your signature should be the only one needed to sign off on the proof. It is none of the printers concern who your client is.

Aaron

 

[MacDaddy]

If your the paying customer your the only one that need to sign off.
Makes no sense to me how does he know their is a third party?

 

[jbbbarr]

That's because a lot of printers try to go directly to the client and replace you as the middleman, happens all of the time.

Find another printer, the good deal was too good to be true.

 

[cgl102770]

Thank you...

Thank you...

...for the feedback. I agree that the printer shouldn't be concerned what I'm doing with their printing once I've paid and signed off on it...hopefully theyre not tryint to circumvent me but who knows. The conflict of interest is something I did not consider and will handle delicately.

 

[LoweringTheBar]

Find a printer who will give you a commission for bringing them your work. That way your customer pays the printer, and the printer cuts you a check every month. All of the printing goes through you, so you can track the sales, but the printer bills your client. No risk for you! We do it all of the time.

 

[bookgirl]

As a client...

As a client...

And as a client who just had my print broker float my $5000+ payment to manage his own cash flow, thus delaying my project for 3 weeks...I would MUCH rather pay the printer directly. I will not do it like this again!

 

[ondemandbindery]

In my opinion you are the printers client (the one who wrote the PO and the one paying the bill) your signature should be the only one needed to sign off on the proof. It is none of the printers concern who your client is.

Aaron

Bingo. If you like the Printer and you want to play some stick and ball, whip up a confidentiality agreement. That should wad their panties up....................

 

[easiprint]

Bingo. If you like the Printer and you want to play some stick and ball, whip up a confidentiality agreement. That should wad their panties up....................

Agreed, we do work for many print brokers, and it's always part of the agreement that we do not have any contact with the end client, and what's more we wouldn't want to have. Why get more people involved than is needed? So long as you are prepared to take responsibility for signing it off and paying the bill, then that's all that matters. Any printer who want's to get the end user involved in a situation like this looks very suspect to me and I would too be questioning their motives.