Why Contractors Switch · From FedEx, ARC, Local Shops · The Difference
Why contractors switch to Azul Prints — and don't go back
From FedEx Office, local reprographics shops, and ARC Document Solutions. Here's what changes when you switch.
Direct answer
Why do contractors switch from FedEx Office to Azul Prints?
Two reasons: file review and pricing. FedEx Office prints what you upload without reviewing it — wrong-scale drawings ship as-is. Azul Prints reviews every file before printing. On price, ARCH D 24×36 is $3.00/sheet at Azul vs $4.99–$6.99 at FedEx Office.
Most contractors switch after one bad print. A wrong-scale permit set that got rejected. A bid package that arrived with a missing sheet. An overnight order that shipped unreviewed and showed up wrong on deadline morning. Azul Prints was built to prevent those specific failures — not because they're uncommon, but because they're routine at printers that don't review files before printing.
Upload your file and see exactly what will be printed — before you pay for anything.
The switch usually happens after one expensive mistake.
The most common trigger for switching is a wrong print that cost more than the reprint. A permit rejection that pushed a project back six weeks. A bid set that went to every subcontractor with a missing scope. An overnight order that showed up wrong the morning of a deadline. The print itself wasn't the cost — the delay was.
🏛️
After a permit rejection
Wrong-scale permit set printed without review. Rejected at the counter. Lost submission slot. Four weeks back in the queue. The reprint cost $40. The delay cost $4,000.
📋
After a wrong bid set
Missing sheet in a bid package distributed to 12 subcontractors. One sub couldn't price a scope. The bid came in incomplete. The project was awarded to a competitor who had a complete package.
✈️
After a failed overnight
Emergency overnight order placed at 6 PM. Shipped without review. Arrived wrong the next morning. The deadline passed. The bid wasn't submitted.
💰
After counting what they paid
Ran the last six months of print invoices. Every order had been priced at full color rates. Most sheets were black and white. Overpaid by $1,200 in six months without knowing it.
What changes
Same price, same speed. Different result.
The switch to Azul Prints doesn't require a workflow change. You upload a PDF and get a price. What changes is what happens to that PDF before it prints.
📐
Scale gets verified
Before any sheet runs, we verify the print measures at the stated scale. The Revit Fit to Paper error that caused your last rejection gets caught here.
📋
Completeness gets confirmed
Page count in the printed set matches the uploaded file. Missing pages don't reach the building department or the subcontractor.
🎨
Color gets detected per page
You pay color rates only on sheets with color content. The B&W architectural and structural sheets in a mixed set price at the lower B&W rate automatically.
📦
Pickup is replaced by delivery
No local store, no pickup coordination, no driving across town the morning before a deadline. Prints ship direct to your job site, office, or home via UPS.
How every Azul Prints order works
1
Upload your PDF
Instant price with per-page color breakdown. See exactly what will be printed before paying.
Most contractors switch after a wrong-scale rejection or after pricing out a project. You don't have to wait for that moment.
Place one order — a permit set, a bid package, a routine print. Upload your file, see the per-page color breakdown in the quote, check the tracking when it ships. One order tells you more than any comparison page.
⏱ Order before 12 PM EST Mon–Fri — reviewed, printed, handed to UPS same day
The line in the sand
Most online printers just hit print. We don't.
✗ What most printers do
✗ Print what you upload, no review
✗ Wrong scale ships as-is
✗ You find out when it fails
✓ What we do instead
✓ Technician opens every file
✓ Scale verified before printing
✓ Contact you before printing if wrong
If your file is wrong, most printers will still ship it. We won't.
If your prints are wrong due to our error — we reprint and overnight ship at no cost.
Common questions
Specific answers about why contractors switch to azul.
File review and pricing. FedEx Office prints what you upload without reviewing it — wrong-scale drawings ship as-is. Azul Prints reviews every file before printing. On price, ARCH D 24×36 is $3.00/sheet at Azul vs $4.99-$6.99 at FedEx Office. Most contractors switch after a wrong-scale print or after pricing out the cost difference on a typical project.
Consistency and pickup elimination. Local shops have inconsistent equipment, inconsistent staff, and inconsistent hours. Azul Prints ships directly to the job site or office via UPS, eliminating the pickup coordination that adds friction to every order. File review is standard on every order regardless of which technician is working.
Pricing transparency and instant quotes. ARC requires a quote request for most orders — there's no instant pricing. Azul Prints shows your exact price before checkout with per-page color detection included. ARC's pricing varies by location. Azul's pricing is consistent nationwide.
Minimal. If you can email a PDF, you can order from Azul Prints. Upload your file, see the instant price with per-page color breakdown, add shipping, and check out. Prints arrive at your specified address via UPS. No account required for standard orders. The only thing that changes is you no longer need to drive somewhere to pick up prints.
Rarely — and when they do, it's usually because of a local relationship, not because of print quality or pricing. Most contractors who switch to Azul Prints after a wrong-scale rejection or pricing analysis don't return to the printer that caused the problem.
Place one order — a routine permit set or a small bid package. Use our free scale checker to verify your file before uploading. See the per-page color breakdown in the instant quote. Review the tracking once it ships. One order tells you more about the difference than any comparison page.
Free — before you submit
Check your file's scale before printing
Catch the most common rejection trigger before it costs you.
ARCH D 24×36 from $3.00/sheet. Technician reviews every file. Same-day UPS nationwide. Wrong print due to our error — reprinted and overnighted at no cost.
