Design For Print: Costing Within Commercial Print_

Costing:

Information was sourced from:

http://digitalprintingtips.com/printing-tips/t--542/cost-overview-of-digital-print-projects.asp

Key considerations to take into account when looking at costing for commercial print

     Get a quote very early on this is best before you start the job

Identical specificationfor 3 print estimatiors to work to

Learn roughly what things cost - Unit cost

Understand viable minimum quantities 

Extras/Authours Corrections 

Delivery? 

Pricing a job:

As a designer you must make sure that you gather a range of quotes, from a range of different companies gaining quotes on how much the job will be to print, This then allows you as a designer to then go back to the client with an around about budget for the job. From the side of a designer you will always be designing within a clients budget. However it is down to the designer to be innovative and creative with the production this is why it is so important to gather quotes before designing because this could effect the approach to design you choose.

As a designer you must make sure to collect a minimum of 3 to 5 quotes from 3 to 5 different companies making sure that you ask for the same job specifications at each. By doing this you will make sure that you are receiving the effective and reliable service and to find the cheapest price. Always remember that the more quotes you produce the more likely you are to find the best deal.

Sourcing codes can be very useful in extending your knowledge on how much a standard prints cost for example, finding out what the standard print costs on the standard paper and a standard print rub this ten allows you to give the client an average idea of what is within their budget. Understanding minimal quantities can also be very helpful with quoting and understanding what can and cannot be achieved with in a budget. for example litho printing would not be used for a short run of prints. this means that having an understanding of minimum quantities for specific print techniques is essential.

When the printer has to apply changes to a design additional costs are added on top this is why you must proof a design before sending the job to print, however it is nearly impossible to produce a design that has zero mistakes. so make sure that you put some money aside as a backup.

 
The transport of a product has a huge effect of the cost and is commonly forgotten about, this is all down to the weight of paper, it is incredibly dense and this means that delivery can be very expensive and a price must be agreed with the printer in the form of contract. This also avoids any charges that where unexpected at the end.

Tips on commercial Print

I have found a few useful tips that i feel will help me develop my understanding of commercial print i found them online and have highlighted the key points that i have taken from this. I will be including these tips within my print manual to make sure that i can look back and always have tips there to help me when it comes to costing of a commercial print job. 

• When you are looking to create new marketing materials for a business or corporate identity, decisions have to be made to help stay within budget. The choice to go with full color printing is one that will increase your cost, but will give your materials an edge that only comes with full color printing.

• Most companies aim is to stand out and become well known, especially from other major companies, they will do this through innovation and image. Full color printing of the choice of material, proposals, and other distributed goods will make your costs go up as much as 50%. These increases are, of course, based on other factors as well. Bulk full color printing will be far less with the more prints you order.

• Each printing company has their own price range, so the best way to find out is to consult a printing company.

• Full color printing can be a great tool to promote your business or company. Unfortunately, it is not inexpensive – in fact, it can be quite pricey depending on the number of items you need to get printed and the type of items you are printing. 

• There are some ways to cut back on the cost of color printing, however, and the first way is to search for a good professional printer. Online color printers are often able to offer the cheapest prices on full color printing, and may also have sales and other promotions to bring down the price. 

• Another tip is to use full color printing as an accent to your printed piece – you can save money by just printing the cover and a few graphics in color for a proposal or catalog, and just printing the text portions in black and white. Using color as an eye-catching accent can be a great way to save versus printing the entire job in colour.