Online Printer vs Local Printer: Which Is Right for You?
Quick answer: Online printers such as Vistaprint and Instantprint are usually cheaper for simple, standard jobs, and they're a perfectly sensible choice when price matters most and the specification is straightforward. A local printer usually costs a little more, but you get a person checking your artwork, colour matched to your brand, more choice of paper and finish, the option to collect or talk face to face, and someone accountable if anything goes wrong. The right choice depends on the job, not on which type of printer is "better".
We should be upfront: we're a local printer, so we're hardly neutral. But we'd rather you chose the right printer for your job than chose us for the wrong one. So this guide sets out the genuine strengths of both, including the times we'd tell you to go online instead.
Why One Client Chooses Us, Even Though Online Is Cheaper
One of our longest-standing clients runs several hospitality businesses locally. He's always been upfront with us: he knows he could order his print cheaper online, and he isn't overly precious about matching colour from one job to the next. So why does he keep coming back?
We didn't have to sell him the benefits. He told us. He knows the quality from an online printer would be perfectly fine. What he doesn't know is exactly when it will arrive. He's relying on a courier turning up on time, and too often it doesn't: a day late, or at 5pm when he needed it at 1pm.
With us, he gives a firm deadline and everything is agreed before he orders. He has a direct contact he can hold accountable. He doesn't depend on a courier, because he can collect from us or we'll deliver it ourselves. And because we design his print as well, one company handles the whole job, which saves him money and, more importantly, time.
It's a good reminder that the choice between online and local isn't only about price or quality. Sometimes it's about certainty.
First, What Do We Mean by "Online" and "Local"?
The line is blurrier than it used to be, so it's worth being clear.
- Online printers are large, web-first operations built for volume. You choose from set options, upload your file, pay and wait for a courier. Most of the process is automated, and many use gang-run printing, where lots of customers' jobs are printed together on one large sheet and then cut apart.
- Local printers are smaller businesses you can visit, phone or email and speak to the people producing your work.
Two things muddy the water. First, some local print shops don't actually print much themselves: they take your order and send it to an online trade printer, adding a margin on top. Second, many local printers, including us, also sell online. You can order our most popular products on this website, 24 hours a day, and the majority are still printed and finished here in Paisley. So the real question isn't really "website or shop". It's who actually prints your job, and how much care goes into it.
Online vs Local: Side by Side
| Typical online printer | Typical local printer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Usually lower on standard jobs | Usually a little higher, but often competitive on short runs and bespoke work |
| Turnaround | Several working days plus courier, with faster options at extra cost | Often quicker, with same-area delivery or collection |
| Delivery time | Depends on the courier on the day | Agreed in advance, and you can collect |
| Artwork checks | Mostly automated | A person checks your file before it prints |
| Colour | Set for the whole shared sheet, within a tolerance | Can be adjusted for your job and matched to a printed sample |
| Paper and finish | Fixed options on a dropdown | Wide choice, mixed stocks, samples to see and feel, and advice on what suits the job |
| Proofs | Usually screen only | Screen proofs, with printed proofs available |
| Help and advice | Customer service team, often by chat or ticket | The people who print your job, by phone or in person |
| If something goes wrong | Raise a claim, usually with photos, then wait | Speak to the person responsible, who can see the problem and fix it |
These are generalisations, and there are good and bad printers of both types. But they're a fair picture of how the two models work.
What Does the Price Difference Actually Look Like?
We don't think you should have to take our word for it, so we compared real prices. For an A5, 12-page stitched brochure with a 250gsm silk cover and 150gsm silk inner pages, Instantprint's standard service was cheaper than us at every quantity once delivery was included: by around £17 on 25 copies and around £74 on 500. Against their faster two-day service the gap narrows, and if you collect from us or you're local to Renfrewshire, where our delivery is free, we worked out cheaper than their faster service at 25 and 50 copies.
The full table, with every price and the date we checked it, is in our honest brochure price guide.
So yes, online is often cheaper. The question is whether the difference buys you something you need.
When an Online Printer Is the Right Choice
We mean this. An online printer is often the better option when:
- Price is the deciding factor and the job is simple, such as standard flyers or business cards on standard stock.
- Colour doesn't need to be exact. An event flyer or internal handout rarely needs to match your brand guidelines to the shade.
- You're confident with artwork and can supply a perfectly print-ready file without help.
- You're not in a hurry, and a few days either way won't matter.
- The specification is standard and one of the dropdown options is exactly what you want.
If that describes your job, save your money. We'd rather you came back to us for the work where we genuinely add value.
When a Local Printer Is the Right Choice
A local printer earns its price when:
- You need it at a certain time. A firm, agreed deadline and the option to collect remove the uncertainty of waiting on a courier.
- Your brand colours matter. If your brochure needs to match last year's, or your business cards need to sit alongside your roller banner, a printer who adjusts your job on press and keeps your samples on file makes a visible difference.
- The job is important or expensive to get wrong. A company brochure, a tender document or a launch piece is worth a second pair of expert eyes before it prints.
- You want advice. Which paper, which binding, which finish, whether 16 pages would work better than 20. A good local printer will tell you, and it costs nothing.
- The specification isn't standard. Mixed papers, bespoke sizes, specialist finishes, unusual quantities: all routine for a local printer, and often impossible on a dropdown.
- You want design and print in one place. One company, one contact and no files passed between suppliers.
- You need several items to look like they belong together. When your stationery, brochures and display graphics all come from one printer, colour can be managed across all of them.
The Hidden Costs of Cheap Print
A lower price is only a saving if the job comes out right first time. The costs that don't appear on the checkout page are:
- Reprints. If a file error slips through an automated check, you usually pay to print it again.
- Your time. Chasing a courier, raising a complaint with photos, or reworking artwork yourself all costs something, even if it isn't on an invoice.
- The wrong specification. A brochure on paper that's too thin, or a cover that scuffs at the first exhibition, costs you in how your business comes across.
- Missed deadlines. Print that arrives the day after the event is worth nothing, however little it cost.
None of this is guaranteed to happen with an online printer, and plenty of online orders arrive perfectly. But it's worth weighing the risk against the saving, especially on the jobs that matter most.
The Best of Both: Order Online, Printed Locally
You don't always have to choose. At Print Studio Scotland you can price and order our most popular products on this website, any time of day, and almost all of them are printed and finished by our own team in Paisley. The exception is perfect binding, which we produce with a trusted finishing partner and manage from start to finish. You get the convenience of ordering online with a person checking your artwork, colour managed on our own presses, free collection from our studio and free delivery within Renfrewshire.
And for anything that isn't on the website, from bespoke sizes to larger quantities, you can simply call or email and speak to the people who'll be printing it. You can see exactly how that works in our step-by-step guide to what happens to your job after you order →
Come and see us
You're always welcome to visit our studio in Paisley. Our reception has more than 80 paper and material options from our digital and wide format ranges, laid out in our own swatch books, so you can see and feel exactly what you're choosing, with expert advice on hand to help you decide. It's something no dropdown menu can offer.
We're open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, at the Sir James Clark Building, Abbey Mill Business Centre, Paisley.
Choosing a Local Printer? Ask These Questions
Not all local printers work the same way. Before you decide, ask:
- Do you print this in-house, or send it to a trade printer?
- Will a person check my artwork, and what does the check cover?
- Can you match my brand colours to a printed sample, and keep it on file?
- Can I have a printed proof if I need one?
- Can I collect, and what's the real turnaround?
We explain why each question matters in our brochure price guide, and our guide to the most common print mistakes shows what a proper artwork check should catch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are online printers cheaper than local printers?
Usually, for standard jobs. Large online printers keep prices low through high volume, automation and gang-run printing. A local printer usually costs a little more, but includes a person checking your artwork, colour matched to your job and more choice of paper and finish.
Is print quality better from a local printer?
Not automatically. The difference is control: a local printer can adjust colour for your individual job and match it to a printed sample, whereas gang-run online printing sets colour for a whole shared sheet within a tolerance.
Are local printers faster than online printers?
Often, and more predictable. A local printer can agree a firm deadline before you order and hand over the job without relying on a courier. Print Studio Scotland's standard turnaround is 2 to 3 working days for stitched brochures, with express available when possible.
Do local print shops print everything themselves?
Not always. Some local shops send work to large online trade printers and add a margin. It's worth asking any printer whether they print your job in-house.
When should I use an online printer?
When price is the deciding factor, the specification is standard, colour doesn't need to be exact, your artwork is print-ready and you're not in a hurry.
Can I order online from Print Studio Scotland?
Yes. Our most popular products can be priced and ordered on our website at any time. The majority are printed and finished in-house in Paisley, with free collection and free delivery within Renfrewshire.
Can I visit Print Studio Scotland to see paper samples?
Yes. Our Paisley studio has more than 80 paper and material options from our digital and wide format ranges on display in swatch books, with expert advice on hand. We're open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Not Sure Which Way to Go?
Tell us about your job and we'll give you an honest answer, even if that answer is that an online printer would suit you better. Call 0141 237 1924, get in touch, or come and see us in the studio.
Stuart Wilson, founder, Print Studio Scotland – 28 years in print