Supplier of instruction manuals – what to consider when looking for a print shop?

Optimising production processes is one of the most important challenges for companies. Large factories cannot afford logistical slip-ups, which means production downtime and measurable losses. Ensuring the supply chain is therefore crucial for them, and instruction manuals are treated as equal to any other component supplied. Choosing the right print shop for the printing and delivery of instruction manuals is, therefore, crucial for uninterrupted factory operations and good partnerships.

An instruction manual is an indispensable part of product packaging. Without instruction manuals, it would be difficult for consumers to use new products correctly and prevent errors. The appearance of the instruction manuals in the box is a formal and legal requirement with the purpose of ensuring the safety of the final users of the product in question and providing all the information concerning its operability.

Instruction manuals must go in the box
Although instruction manuals are usually simple, mostly black-and-white prints that do not pose a challenge to the print shop, such as decorative books or catalogues, deadlines and logistics are the most important factors in their production process. Therefore, entrusting the printing to an unproven partner can have serious economic consequences. Rarely does any factory have the facilities to store a stock of instruction manuals, so the print shop must respect established schedules to ensure that the necessary quantities of mandatory prints arrive at the manufacturer’s factory on time. Lack of supply means downtime in the factory, as products without instruction manuals cannot be distributed. The instruction manual is usually added at the end – either at the factory or at the supply chain management company. It is up to the print shop to prepare and deliver the correct instruction manuals needed for the production batch on time. If this does not happen, it costs the factory money to stop production or switch the line to another product. Also, releasing products without instruction manuals would firstly result in penalties for the manufacturer, and secondly have a negative image effect.

Types of instruction manuals
An instruction manual is usually a black-and-white printout. It can be a small leaflet repeatedly folded into a very small final format so that it can fit into a small box. Sometimes, it is large sheets of paper with diagrams on them. The instruction manual can also be in the form of a booklet or book – the variety of sizes and bindings is large. It all depends on the needs of the ordering party and the capabilities of the print shop. The latter is worth checking before deciding on a partnership and ordering. It is not only about the types of printing and paper, but above all, about the experience of preparing the delivery of instruction manuals to manufacturing facilities.

We distinguish between the following forms of instruction manual:

• leaflets folded to small sizes, such as for medicines or cosmetics;
• thin booklets without special covers inserted into toy boxes, attached to small household appliances;
• staple-bound books in various formats (from A4 to A6), e.g. for household appliances, power tools;
• glue-bound books, usually thicker, attached to, e.g. electronic equipment, cars.

How about coloured instruction manuals?
Ordering parties sometimes opt for colour instruction manuals for image or promotional reasons. After all, instruction manuals do not have to be boring! Using interesting images and QR codes that take users to tutorial videos or to the manufacturer’s other products, the instruction manual also becomes a promotional and image-building tool. Coloured instruction manuals containing multiple language versions can also look interesting. The introduction of colours can allow easier navigation through publications, which sometimes have many pages. Multilingual instruction manuals can take two forms – either as individual language items collected in a set (in which case it is easier to find the right language), or as a book containing all the versions in one publication – in which case it is the introduction of colour that can make it easier to use.

When the print shop has the necessary technological facilities, it allows sets, called kits, to be added to the instruction manuals, which include both sets of instruction manuals and the necessary extras needed by the final user, such as screws, keys, stickers or labels. For the manufacturer, this makes things much easier – they get everything they need to include in the box with their product in a package from one contractor.

What paper to choose?
When it comes to paper, it is worth listening to the print shop’s recommendation. From the point of view of production security, we should choose paper that is readily available and that the print shop can order from multiple factories and distributors. This allows the print shop to have continuous access to raw materials and to optimise costs. The second factor we should consider is that the paper in question can be used for multiple technologies. Depending on the print run, instruction manuals can be printed on digital presses, sheet-fed presses, and coldset or heatset web printing presses. Uncoated paper works best for all types of technology. Coated paper is not suitable for coldset printing, where ink absorption occurs only by soaking in.

Today, many customers are opting for paper whose production not only has no negative impact on the environment, but also supports it. Papers with certifications such as FSC or NORDIC Ecolabel are a guarantee of sustainable forest management. 100% recycled papers are also available on the market. When talking to a print shop about raw materials, it is worth pointing out that you are committed to a responsible approach to the environment and asking the print shop to estimate the price of suitable paper.

What to consider when choosing a print shop?
The first factor we should consider is the print shop’s machinery. If you are planning regular orders, but with varying volumes, it is worth choosing a supplier with a wide range of machinery. In the case of large print runs, printing on web presses is a good solution. (More on web printing – click here)

For printing on uncoated paper, coldset web printing is sufficient. If our instruction manuals are colourful and also have an image-building function, it is worth using heatset web presses. Web printing is faster and ultimately also cheaper for high print volumes. For medium print runs, sheet-fed presses work well, while digital printing is used for low print runs. Such a wide range of machinery is the domain of larger print shops.

The second factor is the issue of certificates, which guarantee a certain level of quality in partnership and fulfilment of formal requirements resulting from awarded certificates, e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, Eco Vadis, Nordic Ecolabel. It’s important to check that the print shop has a Code of Conduct in place and that it implements good practices in its daily work related to ethical business.

But most importantly, the print shop should have experience in supplying instruction manuals to factories. On the one hand, this involves strict adherence to the delivery schedule, but also reliability and control at every stage of production and before the shipment. It is also important to be adaptable to the ordering party’s needs, to be able to plan work, to stock raw materials, to analyse resources and production capacity on an ongoing basis, to make changes to the production plan if necessary, and to be able to introduce a corrective plan if any irregularities are detected, in order to eliminate the possibility of a particular error in the future partnership. On the other hand, the print shop must have a team of employees who are able to work with the customer’s various systems for downloads, forecasts, and billing and also have the right software and equipment to handle instruction manuals in multiple languages.

Our experience and capabilities in the field of instruction manual printing
Elanders Polska specialises in partnership with supply chain management companies and factories directly in the delivery of instruction manuals. We serve many factories both in Poland and Europe and for some of our customers we carry out orders with the shipping of instruction manuals to Asia or the USA. Having a very large experience in partnership in the field of delivery of instruction manuals, we can offer various models of cooperation depending on the customer’s needs.

With 2 factories located in strategic places in Poland, we can supply short runs of instruction manuals as well as larger print runs using offset printing – for medium runs, we use sheet-fed printing, and with coldset and heatset web presses, we can print and supply high volumes with short lead times. (Find out more about our machinery here)

Thanks to our highly developed bookbinding department, we can prepare many types of instruction manuals, from saddle-bound booklets, including a child-safe version, to glue-bound books and multi-fold leaflets with very small final sizes. At the customer’s request, we prepare ready-made kits, which we then deliver to the designated factories according to an agreed schedule.

For many years, we have manufactured and supplied instruction manuals for major manufacturers of household appliances, power tools, cosmetics, cars or tools for the dental market. Our print shop is regularly audited by entities working on behalf of global brands. Working with us is a guarantee of reliability.

If you are looking for a supplier of instruction manuals, contact us today.