Chicken Scratchings

Posts Tagged ‘Paper’

Your current printer may not tell you these things, but I will.

In my day job I am a printing broker. I on December 3, 2009 I marked off 20 years of self-employment. Beyond that I have nearly 20 more years of other experience in the printing business, some of it on press, but mostly in sales. I’ve been there, done that, so you can trust that I know what I’m talking about.

Printing is a very competitive business. To grow and stay viable printers must buy expensive equipment. It isn’t unusual to find a small company with a million dollar investment on the floor. New multi-color presses can easily run between one million to three million dollars. The only way to make this kind of investment payoff is by keeping the presses running. Having an idle press is like making a bonfire out of hundred dollar bills.That’s not something they want to do–would you?

What secrets do I know that you may not know?

1. You are the printer’s greatest asset. Without you the printer will have to close-up shop. Imagine being in their shoes, they are saddled with huge debts and the only way to pay back the banks is to keep their customers happy so they will continue bringing in work to keep those expensive presses running. They want you to be satisfied and will do almost anything to make sure they keep you. Try not to take too much advantage of this knowledge though. If you hold their feet to the fire too often, they won’t have a leg to stand on.
2. Every print shop is equipped differently. What difference does that make? Plenty. Printers buy equipment to meet the needs of their market. If your project is outside of their sweet spot it won’t be as efficient for them and cost you more. Suppose you’ve done a thousand jobs with them and everything was great, but your 1001 job is a little different, do you know when to change?
3. The printer’s employees have different levels of experience. I had this conversation with the owner of a successful printing company in my area, he said, “What would you rather have, a shop with the state-of-the-art equipment and people to run it that were less experienced, or equipment that was a little dated and operators that were the best in the industry?” He opted for the state-of-the-art equipment. It worked out well for him, but they had more rejections than a printer with more experienced personnel. Choose a printer based on your needs and expectations. If the price is good, but they make a lot of mistakes, is it worth it to you? Or, if there are few errors, but the cost is higher are you willing to pay the price? Don’t you think it is important that you know if the printer shares your same philosophy?
4. Much of the profit comes from buyouts. The printer’s markups on paper and other services like die-cutting, foil stamping and the like usually run around 40%. If you provide your own paper, or arrange for other services you can cut your printing bill substantially. WARNING–things happen on press that are not the printer’s fault. Just because a certain amount of paper is budgeted for the job doesn’t mean there won’t be a jam up, or other press problem that could eat your stock. If you provide paper and end up short on the order it will be your problem–not theirs.
5. Small substitutions can make a big difference in price. You don’t necessarily have to change printers or beat them up for a better price. Ask the printer if a small change in the size, or a different paper, or binding on another side would make a difference. You’d be surprised how much money you could save. That doesn’t mean that your printer was gouging you, they may not have focused on the alternatives until you asked. They may have assumed that your specifications were set in stone. Let them know where you are willing to make changes and you both benefit.
6. Quantity is the greatest factor in unit cost. With offset printing particularly, the longer you run the smaller the unit cost gets. That is because the printing estimate is created using two basic components, fixed costs and variable costs. Fixed costs include things like overhead, pre-press, and press set-up. They are the upfront expenses every printer must bear. Variable  costs are paper, ink, and press-time. Variable costs are determined by how much time or materials you use. Fixed costs are set, so the longer the press runs the fixed expenses are amortized. The total cost, however, goes up, but the unit cost goes down. Why does this matter? It matters because of point No.2, your current printer may not be as cost effective at larger quantities.

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breathe in the ancient wisdom

I stirred up a lot of conversation with my blog post titled, “How Can You Call an eBook a Real Book?” Most of the chatter was on LinkedIn through the writing and publishing groups I belong to. I was very surprised to read comments from  self-confessed, dyed-in-the-wool printed book advocates who are becoming wobbly on the issue. Don’t throw in the towel yet.

eBooks have already seized our minds and our imaginations. The possibilities are incredible, all except one. Yesterday I tried to pull up a document on my computer. A dialogue box popped up that said the file had become corrupted. It suggested some ways to fix the file–none of them worked–so, I’m left with reconstructing the document. If I can.

What was here one moment is, whoosh, gone the next. I’m sure if I call my service tech at the Bomb Squad he could find it by going through the mysterious back doors. These are the places us mere mortals dare not tread. To go in there, even for a peek, could set up a chain reaction that might destroy the entire planet. It is not worth the risk. I have to weigh my options carefully, do I bring in the Bomb Squad and spend money I don’t have, or try to reconstruct the document, or let it go, like a loose kite floating endlessly and aimlessly through cyberspace?

Do you understand where I am going with this? Permanence is the question. Books whether written on stone tablets, sheepskin, papyrus, cotton paper, or wood pulp stock have passed the test of time. Doggone it–they last. They may not stay in tip-top condition, but they have longevity.

How long will your computer hold files intact until they start getting iffy, weeks, months, or years?  I expect to see eBooks purchased by the average buyer as having a comparable short shelf life. If the computer gremlins don’t get them, technology changes will. I have a book of poetry by Ralph Waldo Emerson in my library which must be at least 125 years old. The paper is brittle, and the binding is weak, but I can pick it up and read it anytime I want. No dialogue box will appear in my hand saying sorry the file is corrupt. Many of my other books are older than 40 years, even the cheap paperbacks. In a world where the average computer is ancient in five years, the possibility of a file hanging around for even 20 years is ludicrous.

The bottom line is electronic books are risky. You will have to replace them regularly if you want to keep them viable, or just get used to losing much of your collection each and every year. Now you see it–now you don’t. Paper to the people!