A user-generated thread on the PrintWeek forums gave me pause for thought about the things that printing companies most often bend my ear about when it comes to their dealings with print managers.

The most common gripes I hear are:

• Ridiculously long payment terms
• Ridiculously one-sided contracts
• Ridiculous number of requests for time-wasting speculative quotes

Another noteworthy moan is that some print managers don't defend their own position, and that of their print suppliers, when there is an issue. Rather they just run to the printer for compensation, even when said print manager has happily press-passed a job and signed it off. The print manager's problem thus becomes the printer's problem.

The faffage involved with pricing to take account of restrospective rebates and sliding scale discounts is also a level of tiresomeness many print providers could do without.

While accepting that print managers have been operating in a buyers' market for a long while now (whether that will continue to be the case is open to debate); printers unhappy with their dealings with PM cos could usefully adopt the same attitude as some notable - and notably profitable - print bosses of my acquaintance. Their view is that without access to the printing company's expensive equipment, print managers quite simply do not have a business.  

A suggested solution to the above gripes is for printers to exercise their power to choose who they deal with and on what terms, eg:

• Payment to the printco's own terms or no deal
• Do not sign or agree to ridiculously one-sided contracts
• Do not waste valuable time and effort subsidising the print manager
• Work with print managers who demonstrably value their print suppliers rather than simply screwing them.