Saving Money on Commercial Print Jobs

17 Nov Saving Money on Commercial Print Jobs

Commercial printing is essential for businesses of all sizes, helping you create a broad range of products for numerous needs. From business cards to advertising posters; there are so many things you can print commercially. 

Naturally, as with every service your business pays for, you should look to keep the costs as low as possible. Thankfully, there are many ways in which a client can save money on commercial printing services. Below, we’ve compiled some of our top tips to prevent you from breaking the bank:

Opt for digital printing on smaller jobs

Digital printing is a method of commercial printing whereby digital images are copied onto printing materials. This is often the cheapest form of printing around, and it offers the fastest turnaround. If you want to save money, opt for digital printing on your smaller jobs. This is when it is the best value for money – when the jobs are larger, you should try a different technique instead. 

Opt for offset printing on larger jobs

Offset printing is a popular method for large-scale commercial printing jobs. This technique is known for providing accurate prints and exceptional colors, and it works out as very cost-effective when larger quantities are ordered. The larger the order, the more affordable offset printing becomes, and the cost-per-print will decrease. So, stick to digital for the small jobs, but go for offset on the larger ones. 

Increase your order size

We just mentioned larger orders above, and it’s well known that the larger an order is, the more money you will save. Most commercial printers will have deals on orders that depend on how many items you’re printing. Generally, the overall cost-per-print will decrease as the size of your order goes up. So, yes, placing an order for 100 items will be cheaper than ordering 1000 items. However, when you look at how much each item costs to print, you will save money in the long run with the larger order. 

This is a particularly important point to make for people who do repeat orders. You print 100 items, then in a couple of months you get 100 more, and so on. You could save a fortune by doing one big order rather than making multiple smaller orders throughout the year. 

Double-check everything

A common mistake lots of commercial printer clients make is they don’t proofread or double-check their work. They want to print out some posters, but they spelled something wrong or left out a vital piece of information. Nothing was checked before the order got put through, so it’s only after seeing the results that the client realizes there’s an error. 

Unfortunately, there’s proof that the commercial printer simply copied what was given to them. So, in this scenario, the client will have to pay for another order of the accurate item. Effectively, you’ve spent twice as much money, and it could all have been avoided by double-checking your prints before you send them off. Be 100% sure that everything is as accurate as you want it to be before you confirm an order!

Print on lighter paper where possible

In some cases, you might be able to print your items out on lighter paper. Heavier paper may be needed in most scenarios, but there are instances where you can substitute a lighter variant and achieve your desired results. 

Why does this save money? Simply because the light paper is cheaper to use and costs less money to print on. So, if you can use it wherever possible, you’ll always save money. 

Use the commercial printer’s paper stock

A commercial printer is going to have pretty much every type of paper you can think of. They use different variants all the time for clients, so you’re bound to find something that suits what you’re printing. 

Opting for their stock can help you save money as it stops you from requesting custom stock. Many clients do this, and it ramps up the cost of commercial printing as the custom stock has to be specially ordered in. Realistically, in the majority of cases there’s no need for custom stock, so why bother?

The bottom line is that you can save a lot of money on commercial printing with the right approach. If you’re interested in affordable printing at competitive prices, Bayside Printing can help you out. With both offset and digital printing methods at our disposal, there’s nothing we can’t print for your business. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our commercial printing services.