Answered by Suzanne Morgan, founder, Print Buyers Online.com

Question:
Is it acceptable in the industry or legal for a printing company to insist on a print buyer signing a waiver that releases the printer from any poor quality, errors, or mistakes in the printing?

R.R.

Answer:
I’m not a lawyer, so I can’t speak to whether or not this practice is legal. Interestingly, the printing associations’ Terms and Conditions for Sale – which some printers use as an agreement to terms of work – states that if the print job constitutes “reasonable quality” that the job can’t be rejected. Of course, the term “reasonable quality” is very subjective, so that’s not very helpful. A printer could claim that the quality is reasonable and sound, while in a buyer’s eyes, it may be highly unacceptable. I feel strongly that the old Terms and Conditions for Sale agreement is outdated and should be abolished. Instead, buying organizations should create specific print standards that are customized to their business needs, but make sure this agreement is fair to their print suppliers.

Back to your original question: I would not sign such a waiver. The customer should have the right to refuse a print job with poor quality and mistakes that a printer is responsible for.

Suzanne