For Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms, relying on third-party print shops for blueprints, schematics, and rendering sets is an operational bottleneck. While outsourcing seems convenient at first, it introduces hidden costs, workflow friction, and critical project delays.
Working with Emerald Document Imaging team and transitioning to an in-house wide-format machine offers five distinct advantages over outsourcing:
1. Eliminate Costly Project Delays (Instant Turnaround)
In construction, time is literally money. If a sub-contractor on-site needs an updated structural drawing or a newly issued change order to proceed with a concrete pour, they cannot wait.
- The Outsource Penalty: Ordering from a local print shop typically takes 24 to 48 hours when factoring in proofing, queue times, and transit. If there is a mistake in the print, the cycle starts all over again.
- The In-House Advantage: An in-house wide-format plotter can output a full-size CAD drawing in under 20 seconds. Revisions are printed instantly, keeping active labor moving without downtime.
2. Massive Long-Term Cost Savings
Firms often overlook the true cost of outsourced printing because it is billed across fragmented project invoices. However, third-party print shops charge significant retail markups per square foot, alongside rush-order and delivery fees.
- Printing that same sheet in-house on a leased or owned machine drops your cost down to strictly paper and ink, which is often up to 75% cheaper per print. For firms producing hundreds of sheets a month, the equipment easily pays for itself within the first year.
3. Real-Time Version Control & Risk Mitigation
If a crew accidentally builds off an outdated set of plans because the new prints haven’t arrived yet, the cost of tearing out and rebuilding can seriously cost you business.
- An in-house plotter makes printing the absolute latest revision effortless. It ensures that the field crew, subcontractors, and engineers are always working from the exact same, most up-to-date BIM or CAD files.
4. Tighten Intellectual Property and Data Security
Architectural plans, engineering schematics, and municipal development proposals often contain highly proprietary data, security layouts, and confidential client details.
- The Risk of Outsourcing: Sending files to local or online print shops means uploading sensitive PDFs to external cloud portals, emailing files to third-party accounts, and leaving physical prints sitting in public pick-up bins.
- The In-House Security: Keeping your printing in-house allows your IT team to keep all proprietary design data locked safely behind your firm’s internal firewall and secure network protocols.
5. Absolute Quality Control on Line Weights and Color
In complex BIM files, a thin red line might represent a gas main, while a thin blue line represents water. If a commercial printer’s rollers are misaligned, or their ink profiles flatten colors into gray shades, it creates massive confusion.
- With an in-house machine, your team has direct control over media selection (such as choosing heavy-duty, water-resistant Tyvek paper for wet job sites) and can immediately verify that line weights, scales, and colors are flawlessly calibrated before the plans leave the office.
Emerald Document Imaging is a premier provider of Wide Format printers. We help AEC companies across Long Island and New York City significantly save money with a wide format machine.
