When planning a direct mail campaign, one key decision often gets overlooked… how to handle the printing. Should you manage it all internally using your own printers and resources, or should you outsource to a professional print management provider? While in-house printing may seem cheaper at first glance, the full picture tells a different story.

In this blog, we’ll break down the real costs and benefits of print management vs. in-house printing, helping you decide which is more cost-effective, scalable, and strategically sound for your business.

• What Is Print Management?

• What Is In-House Printing (and Why It’s Not Always Cheaper)?

• The Benefits of Print Management with DMS

• Hidden Costs of DIY Printing

• When Might In-House Printing Work?

• Print Quality = Brand Reputation

• Final Thoughts: What’s More Cost-Effective?

• Let’s Make Your Print Work Harder (and Smarter)

What Is Print Management?

Print management involves outsourcing your print production to a specialist company that handles everything from procurement to distribution. A full-service provider and direct mailing house like Direct Mail Systems oversees every aspect of the process, including:

• Printing and production
  
  
• Stock control and inventory
  
  
• Quality assurance
  
  
• Mailing and fulfilment
  
  
• Data processing and personalisation
  
  
• Distribution, postage and tracking

It’s a hands-off solution that ensures your print materials are delivered efficiently, at high quality, and often at a lower total cost than managing it internally. This is particularly vital as the physical mail landscape evolves; recent data indicates that the average piece of mail is interacted with 4.6 times in it's 7.6 day lifecycle, meaning the durability and professional finish of your print must stand up to multiple touchpoints.

What Is In-House Printing (and Why It’s Not Always Cheaper)?

In-house printing usually refers to companies handling their own print needs using office printers or small-scale production equipment. It might feel faster or less expensive on the surface but there are hidden costs that can add up quickly. Often, businesses realise that choosing print management over in-house printing is the only way to achieve true economies of scale.

1. Equipment and Maintenance

Commercial-quality printing requires heavy-duty machines, which cost tens of thousands of pounds to purchase, maintain, and repair. Many in-house setups can’t handle volume, finishing, or colour matching at a professional level. Using high-end digital printing technology ensures that even small runs have the sharpness and vibrance required for modern retail and property sectors.

2. Consumables and Waste

Paper, toner, ink, maintenance kits – it all adds up. And when mistakes happen (like misprints or jams), that’s money and time down the drain. Without professional data hygiene best practices, you may also be wasting expensive ink and paper on "goneaways" or incorrect addresses.

3. Labour and Training

Your team’s time is valuable. If they’re spending hours managing print files, reprinting materials, or troubleshooting issues, that’s time not spent on sales, strategy, or service. For complex tasks like envelope enclosing, the manual labour cost alone can exceed the price of professional automated fulfilment.

4. Limited Capabilities

Most in-house printers aren’t built for volume, customisation, or advanced finishing. Things like variable data printing (VDP), custom folds, perforation, or personalised inserts are difficult or impossible with small-scale equipment. To truly stand out, many brands are now using creative mailer formats that require industrial-grade die-cutting and folding machines.

The Benefits of Print Management with DMS

When you work with Direct Mail Systems, you’re not outsourcing to multiple vendors, you’re working with a dedicated mailing house that handles printing, processing, and fulfilment under one roof. This integrated model offers multiple advantages:

1. Lower Total Costs

We invest in the highest-quality commercial print equipment and buy materials in bulk, savings we pass on to you. With no middlemen or third-party markups, your cost-per-piece is lower and more predictable. This efficiency is critical as reports show advertising spend in physical channels remains a significant priority for UK brands seeking high ROI.

2. Professional Results

From colour consistency and choosing the right paper stock to finishing and folding, our in-house production team ensures every mail piece looks professional and reflects well on your brand.

3. Faster Turnaround

With everything handled on-site, we can get your campaigns out the door quickly, without waiting on external suppliers. This is ideal for time-sensitive or high-frequency campaigns. Speed is a competitive advantage, especially when aligning your mailers with the best seasonal dates for maximum impact.

4. Variable Data and Personalisation

Our technology supports fully personalised mailings, from names and offers to addresses and imagery – helping you create more targeted, relevant campaigns that convert. Modern consumers expect this; Royal Mail Marketreach research highlights that personalised mail is significantly more likely to be kept in the home for longer periods.

5. Less Waste, More Efficiency

We manage your stock, print only what’s needed, and ensure accurate mailing with our integrated data and fulfilment systems. That means fewer errors and less wasted print. This precision is vital when implementing A/B testing in your campaigns to refine your messaging without overspending on production.

6. End-to-End Expertise

From artwork support to postage optimisation, we help manage your campaign from concept to delivery, saving you time and resources at every step. This includes navigating complex options like partially addressed mail to reduce costs while maintaining reach.

Hidden Costs of DIY Printing

Still considering managing your print in-house? Here are some common pitfalls that affect cost-effectiveness:

• Reprints and waste due to setup errors or poor-quality output
  
  
• Slow speed for larger print runs, leading to delays
  
  
• Limited finishing options, like binding, folding, or envelope enclosing
  
  
• Higher per-unit costs due to lack of bulk buying
  
  
• Storage and stock management headaches
  
  
• Increased labour hours to oversee and troubleshoot production

Even businesses with internal printers often find they hit a wall when campaign volume or complexity increases — and that’s where DMS steps in to streamline and scale the entire process. Beyond simple printing, we provide advanced data processing to ensure your mailing list is accurate and fully optimized for the lowest possible postage rates.

When Might In-House Printing Work?

To be fair, there are times when in-house printing makes sense, such as:

• Printing small volumes for internal use (e.g. staff handouts, forms)
  
  
• Emergency one-off prints
  
  
• Temporary or short-run signage
  
  
• Companies with niche requirements and existing commercial print setups

But when it comes to customer-facing, high-volume, or personalised direct mail, outsourcing to a specialist like DMS almost always offers better cost-efficiency, quality, and scalability. Many of our clients have found that integrating direct mail with digital strategies requires a level of print sophistication that standard office equipment simply cannot provide.

Print Quality = Brand Reputation

Your direct mail isn’t just a message, it’s a physical representation of your brand. Low-quality print can suggest low-quality service, but with DMS, your mail is produced on commercial-grade equipment, overseen by skilled technicians, and finished to a professional standard, every time.

Recent industry insights from Marketreach reveal that 95% of direct mail is engaged with, so it’s important to get it right and for it to reflect your brand. If a piece of mail feels cheap or looks poorly printed, it risks being discarded immediately, negating any initial savings made by printing in-house. High-quality finishes, such as those used in postcard marketing, can significantly boost the perceived value of your offer.

Final Thoughts: What’s More Cost-Effective?

When comparing print management with in-house printing, cost-effectiveness is about more than the price of ink and paper. You need to factor in time, quality, scalability, waste, and the value of expert support. Professional print management allows you to focus on your core business while we handle the logistical complexities.

By partnering with Direct Mail Systems, you eliminate the costs and complexities of managing print internally, while gaining full access to a high-performance, in-house production facility dedicated to getting your campaign right the first time.

Let’s Make Your Print Work Harder (and Smarter)

Looking to simplify your direct mail production and save money? With in-house print management, expert campaign support, and end-to-end fulfilment, Direct Mail Systems is your single source for print that performs.

Get in touch today to discuss your next campaign or request a free quote.