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Outsource locally, outsource offshore or bring it in-house – these are the three main options for buyers when it comes to handling their pre-press requirements.

For the uninitiated, pre-press is a difficult minefield to navigate as each alternative has numerous pros and cons (see below). But what kind of things do you need to consider before opting for one route over another?

Historically, pre-press requirements have typically been outsourced to a local repro firm, preferably close to the buyer’s office and within spitting distance of the printer. However, with electronic file delivery and technological advances in areas such as remote proofing, proximity is no longer an issue.

This route offers numerous advantages. Firstly, the repro firm knows what kind of standards of work and service are expected and the buyer knows what they’re going to deliver – especially if it’s a continuation of an existing arrangement. Turnaround times are usually quick and if there are any problems, then it’s easy enough to pick up the phone and iron out any issues there and then (something that’s not so easy when the pre-press partner is on another continent).

Sticking with the UK
Opting for a UK-based outfit would normally carry a premium, but as the industry has consolidated over recent years, with the number of repro houses dwindling significantly, there has been increased competition on pricing, which means that good deals can be had.

There is still a large camp that believes that the UK remains the best pre-press option and that other alternatives are merely a passing fad. “Our view, which is born out of many years’ experience in the repro market, is that the current move by corporates and publishing houses towards bringing repro services in-house or outsourcing their repro work overseas may appear to pay in the short term, but in the longer term, the benefits may be considerably less apparent,” says Richard Gambling, director of pre-media house Zebra, which clinched the Pre-Press Company of the Year award at the PrintWeek Awards 2006.

“The UK reprographic market is so strongly influenced by time-critical, quality driven work and repro remains a very highly skilled sector, in spite of the significant advances in pre-press technology and sometimes because of them,” adds Gambling, who claims that the UK has some of the most experienced and proficient pre-press companies in the world.

The firm is clearly doing something right because it boast the likes of contract publishers River Publishing and John Brown Citrus among its client base and recently bagged the lucrative contract to handle the repro for new launch Which? Money, the latest title from consumer champion Which? Bev Jordan, production director at Which?, says that she was impressed by the firm’s speedy turnaround times and keen prices.

However, not all people are like Jordan. Some buyers are increasingly willing to send their repro work to
the other side of the world enticed by the cost savings that off-shoring promises.

One such example of this is Riviera Maritime Media (RMM), publisher of specialist maritime journals, which employs New Delhi-based Express KCS. Hamish Dickie, publishing director at RMM, says that the firm decided to outsource its editorial page layout function for two reasons. “Economics – there was no need to invest in new hardware, software and staff here – plus capacity. We have busy periods and quiet periods throughout the year, and if we invested in extra staff for the busy periods, they would be sitting here with nothing to do during the quiet periods yet would still need paying. Express KCS has capacity that we can use when we need it so, basically, we pay on demand – per page.”

According to Dickie, the switch worked so well that “in effect, we have what feels like our own production team but with no need for direct management and with much lower costs.”

Express KCS has won a number of contracts recently, including a highly lucrative deal with US publisher MediaNews Group, which recently outsourced its ad production to India.

Robert Berkeley, Express KCS chief executive, says that the firm has been snapping up work because it
offers high quality at the right price. “Whether it’s for a magazine publisher and we’re talking about cost per page, or a catalogue publisher and we’re talking about cost per image – whatever the metrics is, we will beat it on cost,” claims Berkeley.

No drop in quality
Despite such bold assertions about cost, he’s also keen to flag up the high standard of work the firm produces. “There are preconceptions about India and about quality, but the fact is that we work for a number of multi-national brands and the quality demands in India are every bit as high
as anywhere else in the world.”

Other concerns commonly flagged up are time and language differences, but Berkeley says that most communication with India is done via email and the account manager for UK companies is “a guy called Martin who lives in London and his English is as good as there is”.

Another company that offers a similar service to KCS is Repro India. The firm’s vice-president, Rajnish Shirsat, says that the tasks that it performs for overseas clients provide added value through a combination of high service levels, economic labour costs and consistent quality.

“Our rough estimates display a 25-30% savings in cost compared to a UK or European equivalent. In terms of operations, with a five-and-a-half-hour advantage of India being ahead of time compared to the UK, we almost offer a 29x7 round the clock model with each staff member available on laptops and email for quick response. Our ERP [enterprise resource planning] systems will further simplify the process with
realtime information sharing in the days to come.”

In-house option
If none of the above scenarios appeal, then the third and final option is to bring repro work in-house – something a number of publishers are implementing (or at the very least dabbling in to some extent).

One company currently getting to grips with this is BBC Magazines (BBCM). It announced in March
last year that it was bringing all of its repro in-house as part of its ‘Smart Repro’ project and had pencilled in a completion date of June this year. By the end of last month [March] all editorial titles had already been brought in-house and ties with its previous repro suppliers had been phased out.

BBCM expects the project to return savings of £500,000 by 2009, making it a mouth-watering
prospect for some, but it’s worth bearing in mind that the initial outlay for equipment is expensive, it could take a long time to implement (especially if you don’t have the deep pockets of an organisation such as BBCM) and you have to make sure that you employ the right team to head up the new department in the first place.

So what of the future? Which of the three options is expected to steal the march on their rivals? Typically, opinion is divided with those with a vested interest somewhat unsurprisingly pinning the flag to their own masts. Current trends muddy the waters further with big-name operators going down the different routes listed above with no discernable pattern emerging.

The only thing that is clear about the future is that the phrase ‘pre-press’ – which suggests that something will inevitably end up on a press – will eventually be overtaken by the words ‘pre-media’, which better reflects the multitude of mediums through which businesses can now communicate.

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REPRO: PROS AND CONS
Local outsourcing
Pros
Sticking with what you know is always the safe bet and at least with your current repro supplier there are going to be no nasty surprises in store. Also with quotes getting keener in order to fend off competition from overseas there are plenty of bargains to be struck for those willing to shop around.

Cons
Despite aggressive price-cutting, offshoring your work is still cheaper and there are still lingering concerns about levels of customer service in the UK.

Offshore outsourcing
Pros
India has become one of the emerging repro capitals of the world thanks to the likes of Repro India and Express KCS, which take students from local colleges who are highly-skilled and cost a lot less than their UK equivalents. Quality levels are as high as you would expect from a local operator at a fraction of the cost and with advances in electronic file delivery tech­nology, the time and distance are no longer an issue.

Cons
As the backlash against offshore call centres showed, many customers and companies prefer to deal with partners closer to British shores and despite the obvious attractions of offshoring some companies will steadfastly refuse to go down this route due to negative preconceptions bandied about.

In-house
Pros
Perfect for control freaks – you can keep on top of everything and control every aspect of the process.
If anything goes wrong then you’re accountable. If it’s in-house then you’re not just part of any old job queue with other people’s work and if it’s implemented correctly then in-house repro should save you
money in the long run.

Cons
Initial financial outlay is high and you have to find the right calibre of people to implement change. It will inevitably take a while to bed down and there could be painful teething problems.