The package arrives on Thursday. The event is on Saturday. The PM opens the box and something is wrong — the colour is off from the proof, or the corner of the banner is cut unevenly. The end client doesn’t know yet, but in 36 hours they’ll be standing next to that stand. The first thought: whose fault is this. The second — more important — one: what to do now, and who covers the cost.
That question only makes sense once you know where the error actually lies.
1. Before you ask “who pays” — establish whose error it is
Before the word “complaint” comes up, it’s worth separating four different situations, because each ends differently:
Production error — colour outside the agreed tolerance, a physical defect in the material, a product that doesn’t match what was confirmed in the order. This genuinely sits with the printer.
File error — even if the file passed DTP checks, responsibility for its preparation (correct format, dimensions, bleed) lies with whoever prepared it. A DTP check verifies technical file preparation — that’s not the same as a guarantee that the final result will look exactly as intended.
Brief gap — a dimension given “approximately”, no information about mounting method, an unspecified material. This topic already has its own, full treatment → How to write a print brief — what every production order must include to get the result right
Logistics error — damage in transit, a mixed-up shipment, a courier delay. This is a separate category, often with a different resolution path than a production complaint.
Only after this diagnosis does it make sense to talk about cost, and who bears it.
2. When it really is a production error
The formal path is clear: the terms and conditions allow up to 14 days to resolve a complaint. That’s the formal maximum. In simple, unambiguous cases — a clear defect, clear evidence, no doubt about the cause — a decision is often reached much faster.
The resolution can be a reprint, an accepted complaint, a partial refund, or a discount on the next order — each case is assessed individually. There’s no single rigid formula, and no guaranteed outcome — it depends on the scale of the error, the material, and the context of the order.
3. Scale as an advantage, not just a procedure
Before a case even reaches the purely formal complaints path, the first step is often simply finding a solution — moving the order between production lines, checking the availability of an alternative technology, an expedited reprint instead of waiting for the full procedure. This is exactly where the difference shows between a plain supplier and a partner who can actually help find a solution.
It’s an approach to the problem, not a guarantee that every case will end the same way — but with a larger production scale, there are simply more options available before a case escalates.
4. The grey zone — a file was approved, and something still went wrong
This is the hardest scenario, and it’s worth naming honestly: the file passed DTP checks, production looks technically correct, and yet the final result differs from what the client expected — for instance because the colour looked different on screen than on the material, or the scale of an element turned out to be counter-intuitive in real space compared to the file.
This isn’t automatically “someone’s fault”. A DTP check verifies the technical preparation of a file. It isn’t a content correction, nor a guarantee that the visual result on a specific material will be identical to what the client sees on screen. These cases are worth reporting and discussing openly — but there’s no point assuming in advance where responsibility lies, before the case has actually been reviewed.
5. How to calculate the real cost of an error
Regardless of who ultimately covers the cost, the agency still has to calculate it — if only to know what it’s discussing with its own client. Four elements that actually make it up:
– reprint cost — the material and production itself, from scratch,
– rush-mode cost — if the deadline no longer allows for the standard path, an express reprint is an extra expense, regardless of who ultimately covers it,
– cost of delay towards the end client — the PM’s time spent managing the crisis, any concessions made to the client to preserve the relationship,
– reputational cost — harder to calculate, but real: how the agency comes out of the situation often weighs more than the error itself.
This is a tool for a conversation — with the end client and with the supplier — not a promise of a specific amount on our part.
6. How to talk to your supplier when something has gone wrong
A report that includes complete information from the start moves faster than one that has to be filled in over several rounds:
– photos of the problem, ideally in good light and close up,
– the order number,
– a clear description of what exactly doesn’t match — not “something’s wrong”, but specifically what,
– information on whether the downstream deadline is already critical, or whether there’s still a buffer.
This doesn’t speed up the formal contractual deadline, but it genuinely shortens the time to the first substantive response.
A single error doesn’t have to mean changing supplier
Errors can happen in production, regardless of scale. What actually matters is how they’re handled.
Sometimes, though, it isn’t the first such case — and a repeated error, another escalation, another fight to get it accepted, is a different signal. If that’s your situation, this piece will help you assess whether the problem is temporary or structural → When and How to Change Your Print Supplier — A Guide for Agencies
Do you have a situation where something went wrong with a current order with us?
Write to us with a description of the situation and the order number — we’ll look into it and come back with concrete information.