KCS Trade Print managing director Terrye Teverson:
MAYBE... "A lot of printers do not have the correct policies in place when it comes to payments. Late payments are not a problem for us because I operate quite a strict system, which all our customers follow. I am sure that some smaller printers do have payment issues though. We give customers 58 days to pay, which I think is quite fair. But I’ve heard of some firms waiting for payments for up to six months. Printers have lots of overheads, and on top of that they are lowering prices to remain competitive. But to offer competitive pricing we must be paid on time."

Diamond Print Services sales director Roger Brent:
MAYBE... "Some of our customers always pay on time and others don’t. When trade slows down, payments tend to follow a similar pattern. I am a firm believer in communication between us and our clients. If one of our customers is having a tough time financially then I would prefer them to call us up in advance and let us know. Then perhaps we can do something about it like hold up the payment. The worst thing
they could do is not tell us. By keeping quiet about it, our first reaction will be to become nervous and this will negatively affect our working relationship."

Totally Dynamic owner Scott Coleman:
NO... "I am sure that a lot of people in the industry are foolish with money and offer loyalty accounts without any recommendations at all. This is where problems will start to arise. We ask for 50% of the cost of the job to be paid upfront and the rest to be paid on completion. Very few customers are offered an account with us. If we are considering offering an account to a customer we will carry out stringent credit checks before we go ahead."

Buckingham Colour Quest Group managing director Tyrone Spence:
NO... "Getting payments on time has always been a problem in the print industry. Once customers have the prints in their hands they will hang on to their money for as long as possible. Here at BCQ, we closely monitor customer payments. We have an established relationship with most of our clients and so are familiar with their payment patterns. We know the clients that always pay on time and we know the clients that do not. If we think there might be an issue, we will ask for upfront payments."