The ABC's of Magazine Shipping
You send materials to the printer, see the proofs and
wait until it is printed and bound. But the process is
not complete until the magazines arrive at their final
destination. Shipping is an extension of the printing
process and integral to your overall satisfaction of the
printing experience. Shipping companies are independent
operators commissioned on your behalf by the Printing
plants. As the customer, you can select the shipping
company of your choice. However, every printer has
relationships with selected carriers and generally has
negotiated special pricing that you may not be able to
get on your own. Quality service standards - delivery
reputation and schedules are important factors in
selecting a carrier to complete this process.
It is important that you understand shipping
terminology and use it when communicating your shipping
requirements. This way the best possible solutions can be
applied for the shipping and destination carrier
selections.
Here are definitions of commonly used terms in the
ground transportation industry.
Shipping
Options:
Ground freight shippers offer standard,
expedited, and guaranteed service.
Standard - Standard service is the
basic service where the shipment will travel from one
point to another within as specified time frame.
Expedite - Expedite service is more costly
than the standard service but is quicker, for example,
a route that typically takes three days would take two
days with expedited service.
Guaranteed - Guaranteed service is used to
guarantee a specific day or time for delivery. This is
used mostly for conventions or trade show deliveries
where there is a window of time when deliveries are
accepted. The guarantee is for the time and/or date.
If that is missed, then you don't have to pay the
shipping, but you cannot collect for any other
residual damages and printing services will still be
required to be paid.
Hot Shot - The truck leaves the printing
plant and goes directly to the delivery destination,
usually same day service.
Air Freight - Air freight is also a shipping
option, although it is more costly than ground
transportation. Air freight usually delivers within 24
hours however it uses commercial carriers and is
restricted by the airlines 'flight schedules'.
Delivery services are available from the airport to
the final destination for an additional fee. Air
forwarders generally understand the time-sensitivity
of the shipments.
Fulfillment Services -Many publishers
require fulfillment services were your product
delivery is required to go to multiple locations and
is broken into multiple shipments. For example part of
the shipment might go UPS to numerous locations and
the balance shipped by truck to another. Customized
shipments where various counts are placed into the
cartons are available.
Shipping
Terms:
Door to Door (dock to dock) - From the
manufacturer's shipping dock to another
industrial-type shipping dock; the receiver is
responsible for unloading the truck.
Inside Delivery - When the shipment arrives
at its destination the driver will assist with
unloading the truck (if stairs are involved, be sure
to let your Customer Service Rep know).
Residential Delivery - A delivery to a
residence but does not include unloading; if unloading
assistance is required be sure to specify and be sure
to check to make sure there are no local ordinances or
road conditions that would prohibit a truck in a
residential area.
Lift Gate Delivery - A truck with a
hydraulic lift gate to assist with unloading is used
for the delivery.
Straight Truck - Small truck (20 foot bed)
not a tractor-trailer. This is used for small
deliveries, usually locally for residential or small
confined delivery locations such as mini-warehouses or
strip malls.
LTL (less than a Truckload) - Other freight
is traveling on the same truck and might go to a
centralized distribution center for further
routing.
Cartons/Boxes - Printers have standard
cartons but also offer special order sizes. The
standard magazine carton is 11 5/8" X 8 5/8" X 11" and
holds 35-40 pounds. Cartons are stacked on a pallet
(skid) and shrink wrapped. Each Pallet can hold 68
cartons, four layers of 17 boxes each.
Being as specific as possible when communicating your
shipping and packaging requirements will only help
simplify the final stage of your magazine delivery
process.
