What is Online Printing?

Call it what you want: expedited printing, print-on-demand, e-printing, digital printing, or even an online press. Regardless of what you call them, online printing services provide the ultimate solution for professionally printing your documents, flyers, brochures, business cards, and so much more.

Online printing services make it possible to take your ideas and turn them in to professional documents, marketing materials, or even promotional items. Whether you need a professional designer, do-it-yourself design tools, or just need to upload your own design, online printing services will help you prepare your document for printing.

Online print services also accommodate a variety of paper and cardstock choices, as well as binding and other finishing options. After you preview and approve your designed document, the printing service takes your design and prints as many copies as you need, all with professional quality.

Several online printing services are quite flexible with delivery options. You may be able to get your documents rush delivered, or even shipped overnight or the same day. Flexible online printing services may even allow you to pick up your prints in a few hours at a local store.

Online printing is the best way to get a variety of documents with custom creation, professional printing, and speedy shipping. The best online printing services combine flexible solutions with professional quality to allow you to print just about anything. At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don't Have To.™

What to Look for in Online Printing Services

Though some may have similar ordering processes, prices, and even use similar equipment, not all online printing services are alike. With over 3 million printer sites online, how can you find the one that’s right for you? There are a number of factors that you may consider, such as price, delivery speed, site usability, and selection. It’s important to find the online printing service that will provide you consistent quality and the right set of features. At TopTenREVIEWS we evaluated a number of the best online printing services by a number of criteria, including:

Ease of Use
If the service is difficult at all, chances are that you’ll look elsewhere. And rightfully so; online printing services are designed to make printing your documents extremely easy. Whether you’re using the built-in design tools, uploading your own files, or just trying to reorder, the whole process should be simple and straightforward. The best online printing services have intuitive navigation and incorporate a simple step-by-step process to help you get exactly what you want, quickly and easily.

Selection
What good is an online printing service that can’t print what you need it to? While several of the printing services we reviewed are designed to be all-in-one printer solutions, some may not be equipped to print exactly what you want. Whether it’s size, paper stock, or custom cutting needs, be sure and find a printing solution that can accommodate your printing needs. Some online printers specialize in a particular area, and while it’s good to look for a service that can do it all, you might consider using one printer for your standard documents, and another for promotional items or stationary.

Design Features
Whether they’re creative editing tools or simply upload and preview abilities, design features are specifically (for lack of a better word,) designed to help bridge the gap between your original design and the finished product. Several of the online printers we reviewed include custom creation and editing tools to help you tweak your design, or even start from scratch. The best online printing services include a variety of downloadable templates to guide your design, as well as a number of pre-made designs that you can use. And while most services allow you to upload PDF files, only some of them support additional formats (Photoshop, Illustrator, Word, PowerPoint, etc.). Additionally, the best online printer services will include preflighting, a series of tests on your personal document(s) to assure that they will print properly. And before the service starts physically printing your document, you should definitely have the opportunity to see a preview or proof so you can make sure you’re getting exactly what you want.

Finishing features
You’ve got a great design; don’t let it go to waste by going with the cheapest paper and bland finishing. After all, one of the reasons you’re choosing an online printer over your desktop printer is to get professional quality. The feel and weight of a document can say just as much as the actual content. Online printing services offer a number of paper stocks weights and colors, as well as professional finishing (lamination, aqueous coating, gloss). You will also find a variety of cutting, folding, hole punching, and binding options.

Shipping
Getting your materials to where they need to be is an essential step in the printing process. Some of the service can be picked up in retail stores, while most take advantage of shipping through FedEx, UPS, or USPS. Some of the services even have integrated direct mailing services to help you get your marketing documents to a number of customers, using your mailing list (or one of theirs). And while several offer rush or even overnight shipping, keep in mind that this is only after the actual printer turnaround time (usually at least one day).

Print quality
As well as convenience and advanced options, one reason to use an online printing service is for premium quality. If the end result looks like you printed it off on your home printer, why bother? With the best online printing services reviewed here, you can expect consistent performance; rich colors, excellent finish, precise cutting/folding, and excellent overall quality.

Help/support
Printing your documents online should be simple and easy, but sometimes you need some extra help. Whether it’s trouble trying to open your files, additional assistance with the service, or getting a custom price quote, online printing services should offer a variety of solutions as well as a venue to obtain personalized help. Additional support may be found with online resources, phone and email support, or even live chat.

Combining all the right features and excellent quality, online printing services are the ideal way to print anything. Online printing services are the perfect solution for home and business printing. Take a look at our in-depth reviews of online printing services, including our best all-around online printing service, UPrinting.