Hi guys,
I’m curious if anyone has printed with Moo online? They seem much more organised than printers I worked with so far. I’m just a bit uneasy knowing I won’t be able to do test prints etc.
I found some reviews and they are good, but I’d like to hear fellow designers opinions.
Thanks.
I don’t use vendors like that for color critical work. If you are fairly certain of your output, they are all pretty much alike.
Check their submission specs. gif, png, jpg or PDF (x-1a) only. I have not been able to find a joboptions download on that website.
This part is helpful though:
To set the correct color space for your PDF, click on the ‘output’ option shown on the left of your screen when you select the ‘Adobe PDF/X-1a:2001’ preset. In the ‘color’ box, select ‘Coated GRACOL’ from the destination dropdown.
Please note, we don’t offer any spot color or any pantone matching, so its best to remove them from your PDFs and ensure only CMYK color values.
That right there tells you pretty much all you need to know.
Honestly, that’s more info than I ever get from printers around the city.
I ask them for ICC profile details and get answers like “Send file in CMYK.”
I guess I’ll test print a few potential colours at the local printers and then send the right file prep to these guys.
Most digital print shops aren’t going to bother with ICC profiles. And having some obscure profile on your artwork will only result in the color being converted to whatever output profile is set on the printer.
Moo.com actually prints digitally on a small fleet of HP Indigos, As far as digital goes, there maybe only 1 or 2 machines that can rival the Indigo for quality.
If you can get in with a trade printer, you may be able to get yourself some offset printing on a Heidelberg or Hamada.
Thanks. To be honest I didn’t even think about offset. I’m a little irked with printers around the place where I live and I can never get all the info I need from them. Not sure how people outside the industry manage to deal with them. whines I suppose it’s desperation that’s turned me to online printing. 
I did however just order a free sample pack from Moo, so I’ll see if they’ll be able to sway me with that. It’s the first set I’m printing anyway so I might give this a shot first since I don’t need too many, and offset usually requires more I think.
I think you’ll be satisfied with them. Like I said, their equipment is top of the line digital - and their prices are tough to beat. I say go for it.
Thanks Biggs. Just got their business card samples today and I think I’m sold. 
I did a round of business cards with them a fair while back. It was the three layer sandwich type of stock, with the middle layer being colored. I forget what it is called. Anyhow the client was satisfied and they looked quite nice. Trouble was that one of the clients main colors was kind of a pastel magenta and if the client was very particular they would have complained because it was not what I expected from the pantone color that was specified. So like PrintDriver said be careful if the color is critical or your client is very particular.
Luckilly these are for me. 
MOO says to use CMYK rather than Pantone, I imagine that was the issue. But then again had they used cmyk instead, they would probably end up with a less full colour any way? I’m always a scaredy cat when it comes to print.
My last client decided to print with them, actually. That’s how I figured I might give them a shot. All though now you got me worried because he too mentioned that the colours turned out well, but not identical. Then again, they never do look the same as monitor. Ugh, I’m rethinking everything.
is rethinking everything
You know what, I’ll see how they turn out and update.
I have used them before several times, and was satisfied every time. The quality is amazing. The thick cards are always complimented on.
I sometimes run into that problem too. I’ve learned to bypass the salespeople and account reps and, whenever possible, direct my questions to the prepress staff. This sometimes annoys the sales people, but when they give me responses like, “Don’t worry. Just send us what you have and we’ll figure it out,” it leaves me little choice.
I had that kind of run-in recently with a new print vendor (not Moo, something far more specialized) where I don’t yet have the option of talking to production. Three days back and forth with the sales rep and we were just not on the same page. Day 4 he brings in a production person to sit in on the phone call. Five minutes later, the tech is like, “So you want this, this, and this? No problem,” and I had a little more confidence in their ability to get the job done.
A lot of times I get a pitch from a seasoned “business development” rep, then, when they see the print samples festooning my office and the gray hairs I have left, they saddle me with their most junior sales rep, figuring I’ll sort them out for them. They should give me a discount for that kind of service.
I’ve had friends use Moo for their cards and I was impressed with the quality. The painted edge is really nice @Biggs !
A quick update for anyone else who might be interested in printing with Moo.
Got my business cards and I’m really happy with how they turned out.
Printed on recycled cotton, 298 gsm and rounded corners.
Colour is only slightly off from what I was going for (I’m guessing the material played a role here more than their settings), but overall they look great
