Nine Ways to Cut Your Printing Costs

Print communications are the most effective way to reach your target audiences, and you can get more power out of your marketing dollar by spending wisely.

By saving money on your staple printing jobs, you can free up some money in the budget to finally do that mail campaign you've been wanting to do or to finally start printing with variable data.

Consider these cost-saving tips the next time you are ready to print:

1. Stick with standard finished sizes to minimize cost (and reduce paper waste).
   
   
2. Be careful when using bleeds, that is, color or images that run to the edges of the paper. They usually require larger sheets that need to be trimmed, resulting in higher costs and longer production time.
   
   
3. Use color to print a large quantity of "shells" (also known as printing a 'master stock'). Then you can customize the text as your projects come up throughout the year, and you're only ordering a one-color print job. This is a common practice with business cards, for example--organizations will run a master stock with their logo and any other color elements, and then as they need to re-order for a specific person, the job is only an inexpensive one-color run to print a name and phone number.
    
4. Similarly, spread the cost of color between several jobs. For example, design a series of brochures that share the same colors, and print them at the same time. It can be cheaper than paying separate setup charges for each.
   
   
5. Check stock. Before placing a special order, ask if there is a paper stock in inventory that might be right for your project.
   
   
6. Choose the right type of binding. Saddle stitching (stapling the piece along the center fold) is one of the least expensive and most popular types of binding.
   
   
7. Print a sample of the piece you're designing. Make any revisions before you turn your layout or digital files over to your printer--revisions can be costly once a job is in production.
   
   
8. Consider digital color output (printing from a large copier rather than on a printing press). Though printing small quantities of a full-color brochure can be cost prohibitive, running the smaller job digitally reduces the per-piece cost. If set up correctly, your project can be output directly from your digital files and the press time is cut in half.
   
   
9. Avoid rush charges. Find out what length of time is required for production, printing, and added processes like folding and die-cutting. Stay on deadline to avoid rush charges.

For more information about your next printing project, contact us at Allegra Okemos at (517) 333-0713.