Hay fam. I really need help here. I want to go into branding and printing on a small scale. I would like to start up small then grow as time goes,but I really don't know what I actually need and how much it will cost me.

So please if you are into it or know more about it you could help me here.

I stay in the north and we don't have a lot of it here

lala

cc: lalasticlala abeg help your boy

Would like to know too

Majority of those parading themselves as professional brand and print experts do not have any printer anywhere. They only act as brokers , take orders, and thereafter search for an available graphic artist and the nearest printing shop to do the work. You can decide to act as a broker, it's legal.

I don't know any other method of running a branding and a printing business on a small scale. Some of those powerful and sophisticated laser printers cost millions of naira and they're powered with big generators.

To do branding on a small budget, you must be vast in graphic design, so your skill is ultimate. Money, to the best of my understanding, is actually secondary as you'd be paid upfront on most of your jobs. If you can't run a big printing shop, at least, get yourself the necessary skill, experience (portfolio), and a website to showcase your work to the world.

While some of us are very much aware that having the best website and a strong portfolio doesn't mean you own a single printer, we'll still patronise you if you're able to convince us with your previous works/designs.

However, if you decide to go into a full scale printing business, find your niche: business card printing, t-shirt branding, banners, large format printing (the type used for campaigns and crusade), wedding iv, hard cover notes, memos, gift bags, etc.

Noteworthy is that you need virtually different sets of printers, spare parts and maintenance persons to do each of the listed tasks, so you see, it is never going to be easy or cheap; but like I said, most of the "brand/print experts" out there do not own a printer. Experience and the right contacts, however, always work for them.

If you want to offer offset printing, you got to have to invest in offset printing machine – which is expensive. You also need to consider maintenance costs and budgeting for spare part – even printers – replacements. Doing so without strong financing will be disastrous.

Your ability to use Photoshop is useful, but to run a successful printing business you need more than that – you might even need to take design class and/or courses. Sure, you could hire someone with that knowledge, but again, hiring someone is costly, especially in the early stage of your business.

Now this is what many Nigerians do, like I said earlier;

Yes, if you are insisting to start a printing business, there is one of few ways you can do it with less investment and higher rate of success; here is my favourite business idea, as usual: start a printing business as a broker.

This is a good small business idea in many ways: As a broker, you don’t have to invest in printing machines. You don’t have to invest in human resources. You don’t have to acquire design software license. You don’t even need to have a location. All you need to have is a computer, mobile phone and Internet access.

Your role here is as an intermediary. Your job is to get clients and have the printing orders sent to your printing partners. You real work is maintaining a healthy relationship with your clients and printing partners.

http://www.noobpreneur.com/2012/06/11/how-to-start-a-successful-printing-business-with-minimal-investment/