So there you are, virtually running a Dental Practice single handed and now you’re expected to source brilliantly gorgeous dental appointment cards, that will work amazingly well in your Zebra GK420D (or whatever!) printers and get the best price since your Gran bought the house in Notting Hill for £24 

 

Well you are not alone – here is your 12 part guide to buying dental appointment cards:-

  1. What printer are you using? The Zebra GK420D is the most common out there but not the only one. Your supplier can recommend the dental appointment cards that are the right spec for your printer.
  2. How many dental appointment cards will you need? Remember, the more you buy in 1 hit, the cheaper the unit price will be, so usually a good idea to look at minimum 12 months usage – and ask your supplier to quote for that. Only beware of any possibility you might need to change logos, practice details or message – you don’t want to be stuck with 9 month’s supply with the wrong telephone number on!
  3. How gorgeous do you want them to be? Costs are higher the number of colours you use – but not dramatically, so don’t settle for a 1 colour design if you have a 3 colour logo – ask your supplier for several alternative quotes – and for ideas to make your dental appointment cards fabulous. Like lots of things in life it’s worth paying a bit more to get something you, and your patients, are gonna love…
  4. Talk to your supplier about lead times. You can expect lead times of 10-15 working days from proof approval, but a really good supplier will find out when you need them and keep everything moving along to hit your target date. And, if you’re desperate, they’ll bust a gut to get them there double-quick!
  5. Guarantee 1. Ask your supplier about guarantees of satisfaction on print quality. You have the right to get dental appointment cards that look exactly as you expected and not be in the wrong colours or smudgy – a good supplier will guarantee that, if you’re not happy, they’ll put it right – or not expect you to pay!
  6. Guarantee 2. Do the supplier 100% guarantee the dental appointment cards will run and image correctly? This is critical – if you’ve told them the machine you’re using, they must be guaranteed to run properly in that machine – once again, if they don’t, the supplier should put it right or not expect you to pay…
  7. Thermal material quality. What thickness of thermal material is the supplier using for your dental appointment cards? For the most common dental appointment card printers out there; the Zebra GK420D, the recommended thickness is 190 micron – don’t settle for thinner papers; they will look and feel flimsy and may well jam in your equipment. Your supplier should be able to advise on which material is best for whatever dental appointment card printer you have.
  8. Think about design and content. Your supplier should be able to send you samples of numerous dental appointment cards they’ve supplied to other practices – great for ideas and for a check-list of what you want on your’s.
  9. Do you have more than 1 practice? If so, you can save money by getting more than 1 sort of dental appointment card printed together.
  10. Getting the design just how you want it. How many proofs can you have for your dental appointment cards? Ask your supplier – you might have the right to expect as many as 3 proofs FOC if you are making the changes (or more if it’s the supplier getting things wrong). This enables you to give your design the tweaks needed – but most of all you need a good account manager who really listens to what you say and who can come up with a design that includes everything you want and looks great.
  11. Who’s looking after you? Does your supplier offer you one dedicated account manager with a fully briefed support assistant (in case they’re run over by a bus)? There’s nothing worse, when you’re trying to get things sorted, than having to speak to someone who hasn’t got a clue about your order (and it’s even worse if you end up talking to a machine!); so insist on the above.
  12. Am I getting the best price? Yes, shop around (and you won’t often hear that advice on a supplier’s website!). Or find a supplier who guarantees that their price is the best in the market and can match any genuine quotation?

 

So, hope we’ve covered the main essentials – but we do have our own dental appointment card specialist at Premier Rolls, so if you want to ask her any of the above searching questions (or anything else) and get a quote…. Contact Elaine Kellett on 0845 222 9000 or email elaine@premrolls.co.uk .