5 Tips for Cost-Effective Quality Commercial Printing – WITHOUT breaking the bank!

Let’s be honest… When it comes to printing, who doesn’t want to find the most cost-effective option without sacrificing quality? Particularly at the moment.

We understand times have been tough for businesses with ongoing restrictions, regulations & tighter budgets. We feel your pain as many businesses & individuals are looking to cut costs, save money and keep themselves financially afloat. Recent government announcements promising a release of restrictions in the near future, offer some of the relief we have been desperately hanging out for…. However, don’t wait until things are open to get prepared, get prepared now! Whether you are a small business, large company or just an individual after some print items, saving some dollars on print is ALWAYS a bonus!

So, how can you get great quality & value, WITHOUT breaking the bank?

There are several steps you can take to ensure that you are getting THE MOST out of your printing.

1. Buy in bulk – Costs Less per Unit Firstly, you can consider buying your prints in larger quantities at the outset, instead of purchasing lots of small quantities as you go. BUT, buying in bulk doesn’t have to mean YOU ALONE buying hundreds of cards, you can always collaborate with other businesses, family members & friends to form the bulk quantity. You actually save quite a lot per unit, the more you purchase – sounds crazy right?! For example: If you purchase 100 x business cards, you might be paying $50, but for 250 x business cards you might pay $60. That $10 jump equates to an extra 150 cards. Instead of paying 50c per card, you are paying 24c. Imagine if you had bought 100 cards one month and then another 100 the next, you would have ended up paying $100 for the 200 cards and wasted $40?! See, the thing about commercial printing is that it often has pre-set MOQ’s (Minimum Order Quantities), which allows them to keep the print cost-effective by purchasing, printing & supplying in bulk. The 1, 2, 5 10 quantities aren’t as viable & require the same amount of time in set-up as the larger quantities do, without the same profit.
   

2. Stick to standard sizing – Custom costs extra Where possible, it is beneficial to stick to the standard sizes offered by your chosen printer. Using custom sizes results in more set-up time for the printer. They must adjust their process to accommodate your specific sizing and hence, there are usually additional charges for the time & costs involved. For example: If you are purchasing a flyer and you had intended for it to be 210x150mm (slightly larger than A5), you might consider adjusting it to 210x148mm (standard A5).
   

3. Use design templates & instructions provided by the printer to provide correct print-ready files – Save money on Set-up fees Most printing companies will have design templates available for their standard print products, or at the very least, some instructions on how they would like the files supplied. By taking the time to create the artwork correctly & supply in the correct format, you are saving the printer time and therefore, yourself some money on artwork set-up fees.

However, if you require artwork creation, make sure to ask your printer before employing a designer. Chances are they have an in-house designer and their services will usually cost you less when purchased WITH print.

1. Tell your printer WHAT you are using the desired item for – they are a goldmine of expertise! Sometimes what you have in mind is not the ONLY or BEST solution for the intended use. If you are after a particular item for a particular purpose, make sure to let your printer know. They might be able to suggest alternatives that are either more effective, will perform better, last longer or are more affordable. Ultimately, having that discussion with your printer could save you time & money in the long run. For example: Although you might be after an alupanel to replace an existing sign, your printer might be able to suggest a quality grade sticker that is cheaper & can be applied on top?
   

2. Short-term VS Long-term – choose products that are easy to update When times are uncertain and you need the flexibility to change prints quickly & affordably, make sure to take this into account when selecting a product. There are products that provide affordable flexibility for you to quickly & easily keep up with changing promotions. For example: Purchasing an A-frame with corflute inserts allows you to simply re-print the corflute inserts each time you wish to update the message, promotion or branding. Instead of spending upwards of $90 on a new a-frame or sign each time you need to update your promotion, you can simply spend $50 on 2 new corflute inserts.

Printing can certainly be a worthwhile venture for getting your promotion, branding or message in-front of your audience and now using these 5 tips, it can also be a cost-effective one!