Trade Printing 101: The Broker Guide
The product knowledge that separates a competent broker from a trusted advisor. Paper stocks, finishes, production workflows, and how to present options that protect your margin and satisfy your client.
Why Product Knowledge Wins Clients
Your client can order printing from a dozen websites. What they cannot get from a website is an informed recommendation. When a client asks "What paper should I use for this?" and you answer immediately with the right stock and the reason behind it, you have just demonstrated value that no self-service portal can replicate.
Product knowledge is the moat around your brokerage business. It justifies your markup because the client is paying for expertise, not just procurement. It reduces order errors because you catch spec issues before they reach production. And it builds the kind of trust that turns one-time orders into ongoing accounts.
This guide covers the essentials. Paper stocks, finishes, file standards, and production processes — the knowledge base that lets you advise clients confidently and position yourself as the printing expert they want on retainer.
Paper Stocks: What to Recommend and When
Paper selection is the most common question clients bring to brokers. Here is your cheat sheet for the four stocks you will recommend 90 percent of the time.
100lb gloss text is the default for marketing collateral. Flyers, brochures, promotional handouts — this stock looks professional, takes ink beautifully, and holds up to handling. When a client says "standard" or "normal" or "whatever you recommend," this is the stock.
80lb gloss text is the economy option for high-volume distribution. Your client needs 10,000 flyers for a door-to-door campaign and the budget is tight. This stock looks better than copy paper, costs less per unit, and reduces shipping weight. Position it as the smart choice for quantity-over-quality orders.
100lb matte text matches the weight of 100lb gloss but without the reflective surface. Recommend this for text-heavy pieces — program guides, price lists, informational handouts, newsletters. Matte eliminates glare and is easier to read. It also accepts pen and pencil, which matters for RSVP cards, order forms, and feedback sheets.
14pt cover stock is thick card stock. Business cards, postcards, table tents, and anything the client wants to feel premium. This is the stock that justifies a higher price point to the end customer. It is also the stock with the highest margin potential for you — the perceived value of a thick card far exceeds the cost difference from text weight.
Specialty stocks — linen, cotton, kraft, synthetic — are available by quote. These are niche requests, but they carry premium pricing with excellent margins for the broker who knows when to suggest them.
Finishes and Coatings: The Upsell Opportunity
Finishes are where smart brokers build margin. The production cost difference between uncoated and UV-coated is modest. The perceived value difference to the client is significant. Every finish option is a conversation where you add value and protect your margin.
Gloss UV coating is the baseline professional finish. Colors look more vivid, the surface resists fingerprints and scuffing, and the piece feels polished. On many products, gloss UV is included in the trade price. When it is, there is no reason to skip it — it is free quality enhancement.
Matte UV coating provides the same protection with a flat, sophisticated surface. Use it for professional services, law firms, financial advisors, medical practices — any client whose brand is built on restraint rather than flash. Matte reads as premium without being flashy.
Spot UV is the premium finish and the most profitable upsell. Selective gloss coating on specific design elements — a logo, a headline, a product image — creates a tactile experience that clients love and their customers remember. Our trade cost on spot UV is a fraction of its perceived value. Position it as the finishing touch that makes the piece memorable, and your markup is easily justified.
Soft-touch lamination is the sleeper finish. The velvety surface feels luxurious and distinctive. It is especially effective on business cards and folders. Clients who have never felt a soft-touch card are immediately impressed when you hand them a sample. Keep a few in your sample kit.
File Standards for Trade Production
File quality directly affects print quality, and print quality directly affects your client relationship. As the broker, you are the quality gate between your client's designer and the production floor. Catching file issues before submission prevents costly reprints and timeline delays.
The standard specs: PDF format. 300 DPI minimum on all raster images. CMYK color mode. 0.125-inch bleed on all sides. 0.125-inch safety margin on all sides. All fonts embedded or converted to outlines.
Share our file guidelines page with your clients' designers. It covers every technical requirement in detail. Better yet, distribute our free templates — they come pre-configured with correct dimensions, bleed, and safety zones so the designer starts with the right setup.
Common issues you will catch: RGB color mode (causes color shift), 72 DPI web images (look pixelated in print), no bleed (causes white edges), text too close to trim (gets cut off). These are all preventable with a two-minute file review before submission.
Our prepress team catches these issues as well, but catching them yourself before you submit saves a round trip of corrections and keeps your timeline intact.
The Production Pipeline
Understanding the production timeline helps you set accurate expectations with clients and manage deadlines.
Standard production is 5 to 7 business days from proof approval. This is the most cost-effective option and the one you should quote for most client orders. Rush production at 2 to 3 business days is available for time-sensitive jobs at an additional charge — and an opportunity to pass a rush fee through to your client.
After proof approval, the job enters the prepress queue for final file verification. It then moves to plating (for offset runs) or directly to digital press (for short runs). Printing, coating, trimming, and packaging follow in sequence. The finished order ships at the end of the production window.
Shipping transit adds to the timeline. Ground shipping takes 3 to 5 business days. 2-day and overnight options are available. For blind drop shipments, the transit clock starts when the package leaves our facility headed to your client's address.
When quoting your client, add 2 to 3 days of buffer beyond the calculated delivery date. This accounts for proof revision time, potential file corrections, and carrier variability. Under-promising and over-delivering is always better than the reverse.
Positioning Yourself as the Expert
Product knowledge is only valuable when you deploy it in client conversations. Here are the scenarios where it matters most.
When a client asks for "just flyers," ask about the use case. Distribution method, environment, and audience all influence paper and finish recommendations. A flyer for a medical conference needs different specs than one for a nightclub promotion. Demonstrating this level of thinking is what separates a broker from a shopping cart.
When a client pushes back on price, explain the specs behind the cost. "That price includes 100lb gloss stock with UV coating on both sides — that is what gives it the professional feel. If we go to 80lb text without coating, we can save 25 percent, but the piece will feel noticeably thinner." Now the client understands what they are paying for and can make an informed decision.
When presenting a proof, point out the quality details. "Notice the rich black backgrounds — we set those to C60 M40 Y40 K100 instead of just black, which gives you that deep, saturated look instead of the washed-out gray you get from single-channel black." This is the kind of commentary that makes a client glad they have a broker.
Sample kits are your best sales tool. Request our free trade sample kit, and use the physical samples in every client meeting. Nothing sells paper stock and finishes better than putting them in someone's hands.
Quick Tips
Default to 100lb Gloss Text
The safest recommendation for the widest range of client applications. Professional, versatile, and cost-effective at every quantity.
Upsell Spot UV on Business Cards
The highest margin-to-effort ratio in your product mix. Clients love the feel, and the trade cost is well below the perceived value.
Share File Guidelines Proactively
Send your client our file specs before they start designing. Preventing file issues is faster and cheaper than fixing them.
Build Buffer into Every Quote
Add 2 to 3 days to the calculated delivery date when quoting clients. Under-promise, over-deliver, and never miss a deadline.
Keep Samples in Your Bag
Physical samples sell finishes better than any description. Request our free trade sample kit and bring it to every client meeting.
Ready to Start Brokering?
Open your trade account, access wholesale pricing, and start building your print business with a production partner who makes you look good.
Get Trade Pricing