Global Print Services
Our Global Print Services and Solutions
Since Imago Group was formed in 1980 to offer global print services to our international customers, we have worked with over 1,000 global print and publishing companies. It is our primary goal to use our knowledge, capacity, and creativity to bring your project to life.
Choosing where and who to print with depends on many factors: price, quality, schedule, proximity and capability all need to align. That’s where we can help, we’ve done the groundwork, and we have the relationships to give you real choices – a truly global printing solution.
Printing in China
Printing in the Far East will enable you to bring your product to market in the most economical way. However, buying direct can be a daunting prospect – how can you be sure of the factory you are using operates ethically? What if something goes wrong?
Imago Group has over 35 years’ experience in global print services with suppliers throughout Far East Asia. We have our own production offices in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Malaysia and are working with printers in China, Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. Our production team of over 50 people, are your eyes and ears in the factory, negotiating the best price, monitoring the quality and ensuring everything goes smoothly.
Books Plus projects can involve sourcing components from several different factories adding layers of complexity. Imago offers a ‘one-stop-shop’, our dedicated sourcing teams co-ordinate with multiple manufacturers, ensuring components are compatible, compliant and arrive on time.
The Benefits
Price
Generally speaking printing in China and South East Asia is more economical than printing in Europe, even once freight costs are added.
Choice
The range of materials, finishes and products on offer is extensive. From bath books to sound books, plush toys to tins, Imago have specialist suppliers for a wide range of books and other products.
Quality
We work with factories who deliver the best quality and we have our own team of QC inspectors.
Customisation & Handwork
Everything can be made to your exact requirements (as long as it’s physically possible) and many of our suppliers offer handwork as a specialism.
No Restrictions
Having access to suppliers throughout the Far East means topics that might be sensitive in China can be handled without issue by printers in other regions
Own Merchandising Team
Having access to suppliers throughout the Far East means topics that might be sensitive in China can be handled without issue by printers in other regions
Press Checking
We will send our team of experts in to check your titles on press, ensuring the best quality at all times.
Third-Party Inspection
Occasionally it’s also good to have an independent eye cast over your titles, be it on press, during binding, or post-production. We can offer our own Imago Quality Control or provide independent specialists, as per your needs.
Pre-Press Consultants
With links to the very best in the industry, we make sure your titles look their best even before they are printed.
Printing in South East Asia and Korea
The key benefit of printing outside of China is less restriction on the content that can be printed. China has restrictions on maps, political and sexual content and how Taiwan, Hong Kong and Tibet are referred to. Any text referring to these locations must indicate that they are part of China. We don’t have to worry about any of these issues at our South East Asian and Korean facilities.
Currently there are tariffs in place for many products that are produced in China and imported into the USA. Most books carry a 7.5% tariff, although children’s picture books and religious books are excluded. Some stationery items have a 25% tariff, which makes things like journals and notebooks generally cheaper to manufacture in South East Asia and Korea than China if they are for the USA market.
In summary, the types of books that we typically print for our clients outside of China include: Atlases, Travel Guides, political books, sexually explicit books including graphic novels, cookbooks that reference Taiwan and Hong Kong, journals, diaries, notecards.
Some of our clients simply want to diversify their supply chain and we also produce many picture books, board books and pop up books in these locations.
Korea has a strong local paper manufacturing base and our South East Asian factories use a combination of Korean, Chinese and Thai papers and we can offer full FSC™ certification in all locations if required.
The Benefits
Fewer Restrictions
Printing outside of China opens up the possibilities of what you can print due to restrictions on certain content.
Lower Tariffs
There are lower tariffs applied to many products printed outside of China and imported into the USA. This can make certain products more cost-effective to produce outside of China.
Diversification
Some of our clients choose to diversify their supply chain by producing in different regions outside of China.
Paper
With a strong paper manufacturing industry, Korean paper is used alongside Chinese and Thai papers at our South East Asian factories.
Printing in Europe
Whilst access to handwork capabilities and the pricing levels of the Far East are often unbeatable, currency fluctuations, just-in-time and environmental considerations make European production a very attractive proposition.
When working to tight schedules there’s no doubt that European production is a good option, as production and delivery times are shorter.
Printing in Europe also offers more flexibility on minimum order quantities, having the advantage of reducing warehousing costs. If you are shipping to the US, European printing and manufacture is also not currently subject to additional tariffs.
Our network of European printers is extensive – both inside and outside the EU. We have suppliers in the UK, Italy, Spain, France, Poland, Serbia Croatia, Bosnia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Turkey and Ukraine- each with their own individual strengths and specialities. We can offer high quality colour and mono book and catalogue printing, board book, board game and packaging manufacture, all from our rapidly expanding supply base.
When you send an enquiry to Imago you tap into a global network of suppliers. We can recommend the best options based on your specification, schedule and budget.
The Benefits
Schedule
Printing in Europe offers quicker print and delivery times.
Proximity
Producing closer to home gives easier access for press checks and a lower carbon footprint.
Pricing
Our dedicated European Estimating team compare prices from the EU, our wider European supplier network and the Far East to bring you the most competitive pricing.
Quality
It’s a given for us, wherever we print, quality is paramount
Tariffs
If you are shipping to the US, European printing and manufacture is not currently subject to import tariffs
Printing in The Middle East & India
Printing in India can be extremely competitive, indeed unbeatable, on certain book formats.
We have a highly reputable partner in India with state-of-the-art facilities, who provides proactive, knowledgeable service and excellent quality.
Our ‘man on the ground’ ensures communications run smoothly and that quality exceeds expectations every time.
We’re extremely happy and confident to offer no-risk global print services to you when your budget requires it.
The Benefits
Price
Printing in India can offer unbeatable pricing on standard book formats / slipcase sets.
Materials
We can offer a wide range of local and European paper stocks, including creamy book woves.
Schedule
We can offer quick turnarounds and weekly sailings.
Quality
We’re sure we’re working with the best and deliver good / commercial quality.
Printing in the USA
For our USA based clients, or for those supplying co-editions to the USA, printing close to home offers a quick solution for urgent printings. There is the added advantage of being able to truck door to door.
Printing in the USA can be economical for certain formats, particularly if you can tie your trim sizes to web press formats and if you can forego sewing (notch binding is economical in the USA both in terms of cost and speed).
On occasion we have split printings of successful titles between China and the USA, offering premium global print services and flexible supply which can be prioritised either by price or schedule depending on the circumstances.
The Benefits
Schedule
If you are based in or around the USA and need a print job finished to the highest quality as quickly as possible, printing in the USA is a great solution.
Economical
Printing in the USA remains economical for certain projects, especially if you are able to match the trim size of web press formats and forego sewing.
Flexibility
Splitting the print between the USA and China offers you a flexible supply as well as high-quality global print services, which can be prioritised by price or schedule.
We offer a product development consultation and free quotation service.