March 10, 2006
Trim Your Cut Paper Costs
When planning your printing budget for the next year, consider some of these tips to cut your overall paper costs.
Reduce Trim Size
Shaving ¼†off of your book, magazine, catalog, or brochure might save thousands of pounds, and dollars, per year. By lowering your weight, you also can reduce the cost of postage.
Reduce Basis Weight
Heavier basis weight sheets cost more per sheet than lighter ones. Sometimes this cost can be significant. For example if you are planning a brochure on 100# cover, you can save up to 20% by switching to 80#. Not all savings are this great, but there is something to be said about lighter papers if you are on a tight budget. These savings can really add up to some major dollars the longer your run lengths get.
Use a Printer’s House Sheet
You can usually save some good money if you design your jobs to run on the house sheet of your printer. This is the paper that they routinely buy, therefore they will get the best deal on this. The cost of specific stocks that you want to use on a job-by-job basis can add up quickly.
Consolidate Needs
Try to print more than one job or brochure at once. When you gang jobs together or cooperate via a long-term contract, your printer can commit to quantities of paper that may reduce paper cost up to 25%.
Reduce Paper Quality
Printers label the quality of sheets as #1, #2, #3 and so on. A #1 sheet would be the highest quality sheet, but most of the time, the lesser grade sheets will do just fine.
These are just some quick hints that can help to save you money. More money means more profit or even more opportunity to market your business. Brochure, catalogs, letterhead, newsletters, and other printed media are important for a company to market effectively. That does not mean you have to spend a fortune or purchase these items without trying to do it in the most efficient manner possible.
