Spotting a Print Buyer by Title

I recently spoke on “The New Rules of Print Buying” at PIA/SD’s (Printing Industries Association of San Diego) PIA Expo 2011 event. A comment made by an attendee later that day made a big impression.

“We don't deal with print buyers,” this print company executive remarked, “we deal with production managers.”

Hmm…Had I failed to specify what I meant by “print buyer?” I must have. All this time, I thought it was clear, but evidently not.

On the way home, as I sat (and sat) at O’Hare for a plane back to Boston that was delayed by two hours (file under, What else is new?), I wrote a new Print Tip about this very thing: what we mean by “print buyers.”

That Tip is still percolating; I’ll publish it soon enough.

I just needed to get this off my chest—print buying is a description of a function performed by a wide range of employees; it's a catchall phrase.

Most professionals who perform the function don’t have the title “print buyer.” But because the job titles are all over the map, I/we define them all using “print buyer.”

So I thought it would be interesting for me—and you—if I jotted down a bunch of titles of people in our exclusive Print Buyers International Group on LinkedIn. This group is for print customers only: buyers, designers and marcom pros who source print or who influence the decision to source print. Service providers aren't eligible to join the PBI LinkedIn Group by design and by vote. Sorry.

Here's a short list of members' titles:

I’m learning to be more specific when I speak and write. People who buy printing work in many different departments, company to company. It’s another reason why I’d never buy a mailing list for this group of professionals. I grow my own.

Hope this helps.