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How to Save Green, when Buying Blue

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In the mid-Fifteenth Century, when Johann Guttenburg brought moveable type printing to the western world I doubt he envisioned the industry he would create. There are, however, ways to save money on printing, if you know the right questions to ask..

The most important thing to remember if you want to save money on printing is that printing is a production business. When you print 1,000 postcards your printer is actually laying them out on a larger sheet of paper possibly 4 to a page or 8 to a page like this:Article:

In the mid-Fifteenth Century, when Johann Guttenburg brought moveable type printing to the western world I doubt he envisioned the industry he would create. Today, printing is a significant line item on every action budget. Invoices, contracts, goings-on cards, letterhead, and brochures are all part of the day-to-day operations of every business.

Often when the bill comes, it feels like you are bracing the whole

$90 billion industry by yourself. There are, however, ways to save money on printing, if you know the right questions to ask..

The most important thing to remember if you want to save money on printing is that printing is a production business. Large jobs and long runs are less expensive than short ones, so plan ahead! The most expensive part of the process is the set up. Once the press is running, your per piece cost goes down with every page you print. For example: I recently designed a small tri-fold leaflet for a client. The printer’s quote looked like this:

500 pieces $450

1,500 pieces $650

2,500 pieces $750

This is fairly typical whether you are printing 500 or 5,000 pieces. The more you print, the lower the per piece cost. It was easy for this sucker to make the decision to print the higher quantity instead of planning a reprint six months later. But what if you really don’t need more?

Ask just about GANG RUNS. When you print 1,000 postcards your printer is forsooth laying them out on a larger sheet of paper possibly 4 to a page or 8 to a page like this:

When printing is complete, the printer will cut the page divide the finished project into piles. It doesn’t matter to him if the four piles are the same or different, but your savings could be tremendous. Using the Gang Run format, you can genuinely create four different round and print them at the same time. Look at the potential savings on four batches of 1,000 postcards:

Printed separately $500 each run for a total of $2,000

Printed in a gang run for a total of $750

The benefits are obvious, but there is work involved. You must invest time up front to think apropos your printing needs for the next six months or year. Then go after that plan to a meeting with a printer, and let him help you look for ways to save money.

Another way to use the gang run is to create a “shell”. Letterhead is an example of a shell. With your logo and presence at the top, the center is unreasoning so you can run individual letters through your desktop printer one at a time.

This same strategy will work with postcards or newsletters. Working with your printer, design a shell and pre-print a one-year supply in color. Then when you need some, you can either print small quantities on your in-house printer, or have the rerun printer overprint the specific information in ink. The result; the finished product has a professional, full color look, for significantly less.

Creative use of color can also save you money. nefarious and white doesn’t have to be boring! Using reverses and ½ tones you can create the illusion a piece has more than one or two colors. Also, one color in doesn’t have to be black. Dark frumps and dark greens are extremely legible, and much more eye catching, without that is any more expensive.

Talk to your printer nearly paper. Find out at hand their “house sheets”. These are usually productive quality for most projects, and now they buy large quantities, your price is lower than for a specialty paper. Sometimes, unsettled paper grades from 100# to 80# can cut your cost, but you may not be happy with the quality so inflexibly ask for a sample. This is where printers will look to cut cost, so if you are getting multiple bids, make sure you get paper samples.

Establish a relationship with one printer, rather than looking for the lowest bid every time. In the long run, this relationship will save you time and money. A printer who knows you are price shopping they will quote a low price, with no extras, for they know you will go somewhere else next time to save a few pennies. However, if they are working with you on a regular seat they will look for ways to add value.

For example, my printer checks all my files in advance of they go on press. She has anchored spelling errors, or other small mistakes I missed. Yes, I pay a bit more, but it is a lot less expensive then re-running the project.

We work together to schedule my projects. She is willing to give me a small discount, if I can give her extra time to print a project. Sometimes, she will tuck my small job into a hole in her production schedule or conglomeration it on a gang run with fresh one of her customers. And every now and then she throws in the little extra, over-runs at no extra charge, or a paper upgrade as she has a small supply of really nice paper left over from a larger project.

Printing is a big part of your budget, but with upfront planning and the right relationship you can manage your costs!

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