I chose to order my first batch of 100 A1 posters from Unitedprint due to their prices being the cheapest I could find online. I've never had more than a few posters at a time printed before and I was reluctant to make my purchase due to a past experience with another company of very poor quality printing which I feared could be my fault (I've since learned it wasn't).
The Unitedprint website says the company has many different locations worldwide, but these don't appear to be actual print facilities, just offices and other registered addresses. I read that 90% of production happens in their facility in Germany, which from the pictures looks very clean and professional, and efficient.
Before going ahead with my purchase, I contacted Unitedprint via both phone and online chat. The phone was answered quickly by a German man speaking good English, who was able to help me, so clearly their phone support is not outsourced. However, I found it quite hard to get connected to someone on the company's online chat service, as it seemed no advisors were available despite trying within the 8 am - 8 pm availability time. Once I got through to someone, I had to wait around 15 minutes for each reply to my message.
I went for the free "Basic Check" for my artwork. I couldn't really find an explanation for what the different grades of checking actually included. I would have thought a "Basic check" would check something as simple as the artwork being the correct size, although the advisor advised me to select the premium check for my sizing concerns. I think that the premium check might be their go-to response for all artwork questions.
The website and interface for ordering isn't the best design I've seen, but still is functional. I would have been more inclined to place an order sooner if there was a modern web interface and some of the pricing and other information was presented in British English format, for example the pound symbol should be before the price, not after.
The site is not using SSL, despite listing SSL under "Reasons that speak for Unitedprint". On the internet today, SSL should be considered a definite requirement for any site accepting payment or the uploading of possibly confidential artwork.
The order process was quite straight forward and my artwork was checked within a few hours. The posters were sent from Germany to the UK via DPD which I was very pleased with. I wasn't sure how long this would take as DPD's website said the "DPD Classic" service in Europe was 1-4 days. I was slightly concerned as I was going to go on holiday two days after the "delivery by" date, so I contacted Unitedprint who said it probably wasn't going to be delivered on time. On the morning of the "delivery by" date I checked the tracking and saw that the delivery had arrived in the UK that morning and was out for delivery. DPD provided a one hour window which was certainly very helpful as I could arrange for someone to receive the delivery.
I got home to discover a very heavy box the size of the posters flat, which was a surprise as I was expecting they might be in a large tube or rolled to reduce the packaging size. The method of packaging used protected the posters very well and meant that they didn't curl up. The posters were all fine and looked stunning. The UV varnish option I had chosen meant that they appeared very glossy, which is certainly great looking for some artwork or photo prints, but I think I'll go for standard matte on my next order as reflective light could make the glossy posters hard to view depending on light positioning.
I thought I'd count the posters to check I had the right quantity. I kept getting closer to counting 100, and realising I was barely over half way through the pile. 170 posters in total! Maybe this is intentional or possibly a mistake, but I was pleased to have the extras anyway!
What stands out to me the most about Unitedprint is the incredibly cheap prices which I haven't seen beaten anywhere. The speed of production and delivery was good, certainly standard delivery isn't fast, but doesn't take a really long time either.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the quality of the products I ordered and can't wait to use Unitedprint again. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone needing posters based on my current experience. I can't really speak for the quality of the other products and consistency of the service over time just yet, but I look forward to trying out some more of their options. read more
