Mercantile Press is a multigenerational company. We have maintained significant success by carefully listening to our customers, collaborating with our vendors and trade resources
and developing innovative solutions that bring real value to our customers.
Our area of expertise is working with companies in regulated industries such as medical device, pharmaceutical and agrochemical. We have saved companies time and money by understanding the
challenges they face with regards to compliance issues.
The Caulk Division of Dentsply Sirona has used the services of Mercantile Press for several years. They have provided printing for both the Marketing and Manufacturing departments. The printing they have provided has always been of the highest quality.
Mercantile Press, and in particular our sales representative, is very responsive to our requests for service. Deliveries are made on time, and tight deadlines are consistently met. Because of the service, quality, and professionalism shown by everyone I have been in contact with at Mercantile Press, I do not hesitate to recommend their services to anyone in need of quality printing.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services, Supply Service Center, Perry Point, Maryland would like to extend deep appreciation to Mercantile Press for their commitment in providing the highest level of service throughout these past 3 years.
The standard of printed and non-printed label stock has always reflected exceptional work ethics and exceptional staff. The Mercantile Press staff has assisted in development of artwork for our programs. Mercantile has always been able to meet our quick label delivery requirements, an attribute which is essential in our being able to meet our mission requirements of providing quality healthcare to the federal system, our troops, and U.S. embassies abroad.
We look forward to continuing our work relationship in the future.
Just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for the exceptional job you have done producing the footwear brochure. The patience and help on this project from you and your staff is very appreciated. The brochure is being distributed and I have received positive feedback. If I can be of any help to you in return, don’t hesitate to let me know.
While the ink is still “damp” let me take this opportunity to extend my compliments to you. I’m not sure that there’s another printer in the area who would have completed the Blue Cross Blue Shield “Playtex” package with the same level of courtesy, patience and quality. As always, everyone at your shop was a pleasure to work with, and I know Pam felt more confident in having the job done at Mercantile.
Please share my thanks with all your employees who worked so tirelessly on this project. Needless to say, we look forward to working with all of you in the future!
Widener University has been a client of Mercantile Press for a few years. We have always been happy with their services. They always meet our deadlines and go above and beyond to make that possible. We have used them for one color, two color, and four color print jobs for publications ranging from postcards to multi-page booklets with a pocket and inserts.
The University Relations department has worked with our sales consultant for Mercantile Press for many years. He is reliable, easy to reach, knowledgeable, and helpful. He is a pleasant person who is attentive to his clients. He keeps us informed about the status of our print jobs and is quick to answer any questions we may have.I wanted to thank you and your staff for being so helpful with our last project. We had been having problems with inspectors and didn’t know when our new branch move would finally take place. Then, we had about 4 days to make flyers for the move. Your company came through terrifically. You did a great job and delivered them right away. I’ve worked with several printers in the past and no one ever produced such a high quality piece that fast. Your other work has also been top quality. Your customer service has been excellent. Your entire staff always helps me when I have a question. Prices are extremely competitive. Being local, your turnaround time has always been above average.
I think the best part about working with you is your laid back approach to sales. You give me price quotes and samples yet never pressure us with work. You are always there when I need you and knowing you will always meet our deadlines and that I can trust you is invaluable.
Looking forward to many happy projects together.
I wanted to write and thank you for a great job on our brochure. Everyone at OCI and several customers who have received the brochure made favorable comments.
Please convey thanks to the craft people that worked on the brochure. My special thanks to Marge for her patience and help with my changes.
Looking forward to working with you on future projects.
Meeting or beating expectations is achieved by adhering to compliance demands in a well-defined process (Brand Vs. Regulatory). Your process should be proactive when faced with change in compliance demands that threaten to disrupt the cycle. Finding solutions quickly is key in the race to market.
Setting expectations early are key to an all-around successful product launch. This includes, not just the hard-cost (the money), but outlining what your soft cost are too, re: time-to-market, staff, marketing, legal, etc.
How you purchase or hire for print, material spec, or layout all play a factor in your project timeline and cost. Make sure that your Process Map is working for you, not against you. For example, an internal review of our Client’s workflow identified several areas that could be streamlined or removed. Once the changes were implemented their order lead-time was reduced by 19 days or 63% on every order!
Aligning with experienced vendors quickens workflow … Find suppliers who can offer value to your process. They should carefully listen and create a process map to ensure compliance to your individual needs. Process optimization starts with listening, then creating a workflow that can be actively managed by both parties to ensure quality throughout the manufacturing cycle.
Beating expectations is achieved with an organized and empowered staff that can layout and adhere to a well-defined process. Your suppliers should mirror this sentiment and become an extension and a confidant to your team. Look to partner in this capacity for best results and practices – after all, they are the experts in what they do.
Accurate price quotes come from accurate specifications. Implement a collaborative process from start to finish between your team and your suppliers. This will allow for conversation to alleviate any guesswork and ultimately help keep the project on budget and the initial expectations met.
When market conditions shift take solace in your resources. Go back to your well-trained and informed team and brainstorm for innovative solutions. Include your suppliers in the conversation; they may have experienced the change in market before and can help navigate you through the change in process.
Soft costs are real costs. Taking time to assess them, although harder to quantify, may result in overall cost savings benefits such as: reduced time-to-market, cost avoidance, lost profit avoidance, improved employee morale, enhanced image for the organization and more.
Plan copy length to take advantage of standard paper sizes. This will be a cost savings and will allow for a much faster turn-around on material compared to a custom mill order.
Getting your printer involved early in the planning stages, particularly regarding the flat and folded size and thickness of the final product, often times leads to cost savings and quicker time-to-market.
Two Ply Label
A large dental supply company sold a specific product in the United States. The product was sold in relatively small amounts and the label coved virtually the entire surface area of the jar. The company decided to sell the product in Canada as well. The problem they faced was now the label had to contain both English and French.
Mercantile Press was asked to develop a solution. We listened to the customer and designed a 2-ply label that would accommodate both English and French. The label consisted of a pressure sensitive paper base with a single paper leaf that was film laminated and die cut. The end user simply has to pull the tab and open the label exposing the French on the inside.
The result was a label that fit in the exact area of the original English only version while allowing them to be compliant in adding the French content for sale in the Canadian market.
Magnet Sleeve Labels
A large chemical company developed a system that would allow a device to blend various products into custom blended products for niche applications. The device used sensors that would detect small magnets that were molded into a high density polyethylene container. The problem with molding the magnets into the HDPE container was twofold.
First, the process was extremely expensive. This was now a specialized container that was not only more expensive to manufacture than a conventional HDPE container, it also considerably increased to delivery lead time beyond the standard container.
The second issue facing this design was that the container was no longer recyclable and therefore had to be disposed of in a conventional landfill.
Mercantile Press was called in to see if we could offer a better solution. After listening to the customer, we proposed a magnet label where a standardize template of numbered circles would be printed on the back of the label. This template would be common across all product lines. Next, Mercantile Press would apply a “glue dot” on the specific number configuration of that product. The labels are then shipped to the applicator where the liner is removed from the glue dot and a small magnet is applied to the label. Since these were niche products manufactured in relatively small quantities, the process proved to be cost effective. In addition to savings for the customer, the magnetic label can be removed and the container can be processed for recycling.
3rd Party Workflow Process Improvement
Mercantile Press not only produces labels and supplemental labeling for a major agrichemical company, they also provide typesetting and layout services for packaging that is printed by various other suppliers. In an effort to reduce the lead-time for corrugated cartons, multiwall bags and sleeve labels, Mercantile Press was asked to participate in meetings with these suppliers because of our “outstanding ability to meet delivery requests”. The goal was to mirror the process Mercantile used to significantly reduce the time an order takes to manufacture and deliver.
As a third party to the process, Mercantile Press was able to apply many of its internal processes involving
order review and entry through proofing and art approval. Although this process was a bit challenging for the participating companies, the results were significant.
The corrugated carton company was able to reduce the order lead-time by 6 days or 25%. The most significant savings was with the multiwall bag manufacturer. Mercantile Press helped them reduce their lead-time by 19 days or 63%! And these savings are not just for one order but for every subsequent order placed after these process improvements were implemented.
To counteract the chance of a costly mistake found on-press (or after), proofread from a hard-copy proof. Often times this provides a different look rather than the redundancy of electronic revision rounds. Forcing your eye to see it from a new perspective will allow for a clean read.
Sometimes terminology can be tricky. The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” can be useful. Folded samples, pictures or technical renderings are often helpful in communicating exactly what you are trying to achieve.
