Chapter 20

Ten Ways to Save on Printing Costs

In This Chapter

bullet Find the right print service

bullet Get competitive bids

bullet Look for bargains

bullet Do as much of the work yourself as possible

Look over these money-saving tips for ideas to help you save on printing expenses.

Talk to Your Print Service

Printers know how to save you money. Specify your budget, and then ask how to meet it. Also ask what else you can do to lower your costs.

Choose an Appropriate Print Service

Get recommendations for a print service from other people, and choose a service that’s appropriate to the kind of printing you do. Each printing establishment specializes in a particular kind of printing. Some are good at low- or high-volume printing; others specialize in careful color work. Select a print service accordingly.

Solicit Three Written Bids for a Print Job

Get competitive bids for your print job. Make the process meaningful by providing a complete disclosure of your printing requirements. Select the print service whose bid seems the most reasonable, and get everything in writing: deadlines, delivery, and storage costs, for example. Don’t necessarily select the cheapest bid, but don’t overpay, either.

Make a Careful Paper Selection

You can find paper bargains out there if you try. Let your print service help you make a paper selection.

Provide Your Print Service with Everything It Needs

The further you can go in the printing process, the less you pay and the fewer variables can make things go wrong. If you can, supply your commercial printer with camera-ready art and copies of your fonts. If you’re using a custom color, supply the Pantone color, too.

Ask for a Cash Discount

If you pay immediately with cash, you should pay less. Hey, it’s worth a try.

Don’t Print Close to Your Deadline

Don’t cut your deadline too close; leave some time for back-and-forth discussions between you and the print service. For example, if you have enough time, you can request a press proof and examine it. That way, you see a sample printed with the inks and press that your service will be using for your print job, and you can check it carefully for errors.

Use Special Paper to Print in Color without Having to Print in Color

Although the paper from PaperDirect (www.paperdirect.com) is more expensive than common stock, you can run its colored designs through an inkjet or laser printer and do short-run printing. You can get outstanding results, and only other desktop publishers will know that you did it. I won’t tell — honest.

Use a Print Broker for Large or Expensive Print Jobs

Is your print job especially large, expensive, or complicated? Using a print broker can save you money if your job falls into one of these two categories. A print broker is a middleman who works between a customer and a print manufacturer. Brokers work as free agents and have the flexibility to represent several companies for you. You would expect your rep to add value to your print project through effective planning and management. You rely on that person’s judgment on timing and knowledge of manufacturing materials and processes and workflow issues.

Minimize the Amount of Setup Work Your Printer Must Do

If your printer has a three-color printing press, don’t use four colors. That requires an extra print run and will cost you more money.