Blog
02.05
10 Ways to Print Economically and Save Your Bottom (Line)
As many companies are forced to reach deeper into their pocketbooks, the need to save dollars is felt profoundly – especially when it comes to printing your marketing pieces.
Good thing you have us – a keen group of reprographic experts – who are proficient in shaving costs without compromising the integrity of your corporate branding.
In response to the growing demand for cost-effective solutions, we've compiled 10 ways to print economically – without bleeding red.
1. Embrace the Digital Era.
Horses were driven out by the automobile. Typewriters were shifted aside by the computer. Walkmans were trumped by the MP3. As industries capitalize on technological efficiencies, the old stuff is eclipsed by the shiny and new. And now, the traditional offset press has a faster, more impressive force to contend with: the digital printer.
Less expensive than traditional offset, digital printing also offers quicker turn-times and can produce a quality that rivals its more expensive counterpart. In fact, 9 out of 10 persons unofficially polled could not tell the difference between digital and offset.
There are still limitations to what can be printed digitally, and the technology is not advanced enough save you significantly in large runs. But, when printing fewer than 1000 pieces, digital is the smart choice of savvy marketers such as yourself.
2. Be Green and Save Green.
We're not going to lie — we love a premium grade mill-order sheet as much as you do. Maybe a little more. However, to meet a tight budget, it may be time to explore comparable options in a less expensive category. Many times we can find a paper that is similar – for much less.
It’s no fun cutting back; however, there is a silver lining to those scrimped pennies: switching to a slightly lower grade of paper stock often gives you a higher amount of recycled fibers and post-consumer content, which is good for the environment! Ask us about changing paper to save resources – for both your company and, you know, the entire planet.
3. Duotone – Music to Your Budget's Ears.
What's black and white and red all over? A piece that's about to save you a lot of money.
If you've got a great design that is full color throughout, consider converting the design to "duotones," which is code for two colors. The two hues can be black and your main corporate color, or really any combination of two colors. Printing duotones saves dinero because you’re only having to pay half as much for ink and plates. And sometimes, like a perfect black dress, duotone photography can look more elegant than the full color version.
The magic of two color printing is that we can vary the levels of the shades to make it appear like there are more than just two colors. Remember how you used to combine red and blue Play-doh® to make purple? Same concept. Kindergarten really does teach you some cool stuff.
Tip: Request duotones at the beginning of the design process, as this is time-intensive to change after the piece is designed out in full – potentially negating any savings you would have enjoyed.
4. Bulk Up!
It's a classic case of "economy of scale": Bulk just plain saves money.
Here's why: when printing a piece, the most expensive part of the equation is in the actual setup of the printing press. From burning the plates, mixing the inks, ordering paper from the mill, and calibrating the machine, to cleaning the blankets and flushing the press – it's a rather time-intensive process that requires talented press technicians. Once the press is set up, the cost to just run the press is minimal. That’s why the price variation between printing a small and large quantity is microscopic.
Because of this, we always recommend ordering the highest possible quantity you might need. We recently bid out a job where the cost for 2000 pieces of letterhead was a mere $15 more than 1000. The 5000 quantity was roughly $50 more than the 1000 quantity. So, tell your boss how much money you're saving by printing bulk, and watch yourself get that front row parking spot.
5. A Bundle Printed, A Bundle Saved.
If you want a pocket folder, a corporate brochure, sales slicks and a letter from the president (that you wrote), we definitely recommend printing a combo run. Similar to bulking up, it’s also smart to bulk out: printing multiple different pieces at the same time will yield large savings on that impossible-to-please spreadsheet. Again, the main cost of printing is in the set up. Set up once? More return for your capital.
Not only will you achieve the largest possible savings, the colors of your pieces will match perfectly. In a combo run, the collateral will be printed with the exact type of ink, the same viscosity of ink, the same plate order, the same press calibration settings, and the same press person. Fewer variables = better results. Everybody wins. Drinks on you? I thought you'd never ask.
6. Pick Up Shells.
We're not talking about the seaside kind. But if you hold one of these shells close to your ear, you can hear the sound of your company saving money. What you won't hear is your CFO crying.
What are shells, you ask? Simply put, they are professionally offset-printed templates. All of your main branding elements are printed on this template. Then, they are stored until you need to imprint custom information.
For instance, if you seem to be printing your business cards every six months — and running up a handsome tab at the same time — consider printing shells. Everything would be printed except each person's specific information. When it comes time to print that information, you only need to pay for printing in one color, instead of printing the entire card in 2 or 3 or 4 colors.
Shells are not only good for business cards and letterhead. We often design our clients "sell sheet shells" (say that fast five times – you know you want to). On a sell sheet shell, we'd usually have your logo, address, and other branding elements printed. Then, you can run this printed sheet through your own laser printer to add specific information for that big sales meeting or case study. That way, you'll have the custom offset look, and the flexibility to customize on the fly. Aren't you glad we thought of this?
7. Let Unnecessary Costs Die Off.
A die line is the giant cookie cutter of the print world. If you have anything more than 90 degree edges on your piece, it requires a custom die. To save some dough, we sometimes recommend using a pre-existing die. Most printers carry a large assortment of die lines for pocket folders, brochures and direct mail pieces. While it may limit the design options, if you're serious about cost savings, talk to us. We'll gladly request samples of various dies from local printers. On average, this saves around five c-notes.
8. Lick Out Envelope Prices.
If you really want to save some cold hard cash, and are printing something that requires an envelope, request "pre-converted" envelopes. Basically, the printer purchases ready-made envelopes before printing. This cost-conscious option is only available on printing that does not go to the edge of the envelope. (If your design goes to the edge, the printer purchases flat sheets of paper, prints on them, then has to send the out to an envelope converter to make into envelopes. Cha-ching, cha-ching.)
9. Don't Rush a Good Thing.
The offset printing process usually takes 4-10 days depending on scope. If you need your pieces faster, it can incur rush charges from the printer, not to mention those dreaded overnight shipping fees. One of the best ways to avoid unnecessary cost creep is to allow enough time to properly print your pieces and ship them on the slow boat.
10. Work With a Trusted Design Partner.
While working with freelancers may seem economical in a pinch, it can run up costly printing bills if he or she is not familiar with the printing process. Working with HCK2, you'll find a group of experienced design professionals who are experts at printing. We do all of our own pre-press work, saving you from surprise invoices from the printer's pre-press department. And we know how much you hate surprises. We also have a wide network of printers and leverage our relationships to secure you the most competitive prices available.
Preserving your dollars is top-of-mind for us, and we actively seek out ways to accomplish your marketing objectives while meeting budgetary goals. In other words, don’t be surprised if you get a call from us asking if we can swap paper or print shells because we found another way to save your company money.
In Sum:
It may be just the print fumes talking, but there are few things we love more than the challenge of designing a piece that gets you outstanding results – while saving greenbacks. We are dedicated to working with your parameters and make it our mission to tirelessly explore options to deliver the most cost effective printing solutions for your budget. Give us a call and let us explore how much we can get you for very little. We look forward to meeting your challenge and beating your expectations.
Hope we helped save you lots of money. If not, at least now you have our two cents.
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