BUYER’S GUIDE TO DUPLICATION

SERVICE EXPECTATIONS

With the advent of technological advances over the past 5—10 years anyone can buy a desktop CD/DVD duplicator, place it in their garage, and then call themselves a duplicator. BEWARE! While the bargain prices may be attractive it can also be a big gamble which you would not like to lose. Ask for references, experiences and even actual accomplishments.

What you should expect from any qualified vendor

Testing & Verification — of all incoming masters on a very sophisticated & sensitive piece of testing equipment. While your original master may work on your PC it may not work across a wide spectrum of PC’s in the field and the best time to find out is prior to making all of your copies. The proper equipment will test the integrity of your master’s media, and many other parameters which are indicative of a good or not so good recording. You are better off making a new master than making thousands of new copies.

Adequate Output Capacity — to handle larger orders or RUSH turns in a timely fashion. Don’t be afraid to ask what their capacity and capabilities are, especially if they are a Duplicator. While some duplicators can handle very large runs such as 100,000 + and Rush turns such as same day, not all of them are capable of meeting your deadlines effectively. Some companies run more than 1 shift regularly, while others will do so on a needs basis. Be frank with them, as if you don’t ask you may not know what they can accomplish and neither will they know what your parameters are. Open communication is essential, because remember, the “job” you save may be your own.

Print Options – A good vendor will have a variety of print options, which are both cost effective and professional looking. Some options are more suitable to rush turns than others, but if cost is your most important criteria don’t hesitate to mention so. If cheap is dear then tell them, however sometimes, but not always, cheap can look cheap, so communicate. A professional Duplicator with, experience, will be up front with you. If not move along.

Packaging Options – to fit any need you may have. A good vendor will be well versed in the multitude of packaging options available and should be asking you questions, even if you don’t, in order to help you determine what may work best, be most cost effective, or provide the greatest visual impact for your current project.

Graphics Department – Invariably part or all of your graphics may need adjusting or may even need to be created for you, and many tight deadlines can be saved by avoiding back and forth issues with improper files or graphics setup. Therefore, if there is a graphics Dept. or at least 1 resident graphics specialist on board, you can save time, money and most likely, ulcers too. Don’t be shy. Ask them who handles their graphics manipulation.

REPLICATORS vs. DUPLICATORS

While Replicators can generally handle the larger volume orders, they may not always be equipped to handle smaller runs or those which are extremely time sensitive. On the other hand any Duplicators, who are “worth their salt” generally specialize in smaller to mid—size orders but also have the ability to handle large runs effectively as well. This is accomplished by partnering with local Replicators thereby giving them the added flexibility to shift work from one plant to another when seasonal issues of capacity come into play and one plant is too busy to process work while another has extra capacity available. You can generally obtain very competitive prices this way, comparable with, if not better than going direct, as many duplicators process millions of pieces via the Replicators. So don’t feel that if you are not going direct to a replication plant you won’t have competitive prices. It’s all about the relationships you develop, so think twice before you beat your vendors up too much. The relationships you develop today can be very beneficial down the road especially when you are in dire need of getting something accomplished in the 11th hour.

SEASONALITY

From approximately December 1st to August 1st is the regular or slower of the 2 seasons. From August 1st  — December 1st all bets are off. During this insanely busy season, EVERY YEAR, is when the lion’s share of all products for the upcoming holiday season is produced. Music, games, software and otherwise, it becomes a veritable free for all since there is never enough capacity to handle all of the needs. There never was and never will be, enough capacity, as replicators are not interested in spending millions of dollars to add capacity for a short lived period of under capacity when most of the year there is way too much capacity and vendors are competing for your business.  RUSH fees are more often incurred at this time of the year at replication plants, however even with rush fees there is still only so much capacity to go around. And I mean around the world not just in the USA. This is where the duplicators often and usually come to the rescue. Some duplicators have a very robust capacity with the ability to handle many rush jobs and jobs ranging from 50,000 to 100,000+ pieces. They will first try to place the job at an appropriate replicator, but if the replicators do not have enough capacity at the time of the project they will take the job on themselves. Unfortunately it can come at a cost, as the materials required to duplicate a project can be slightly more costly to manufacture than to replicate depending upon what you are trying to do, but given the alternative of not producing it at all, duplicators have saved many a project from failure.

QUALITY

Don’t be too concerned about a difference in quality from Replicators to Duplicators either, assuming you are working with a reputable Duplicator and not the “Garage” type, since  technological advances have enabled Duplicators to produce the same top notch quality, and even better in some instances, as replicators do.  But that much being said DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK FOR SAMPLES of prior work and references with whom you may speak about their experience with your duplicator of choice.

Created by: SRT
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