Shorter runs result in higher per-unit cost

Print longer runs to keep your per unit costs down

Economies of scale apply to high-quality printing.

If you were to request a quote for a full-colour brochure with quantities of 100 and 1,000 pieces, you would likely find that it was only marginally more expensive to print five times as many pieces! In some instances, the per-unit cost at 100 pieces is over four times the per-unit cost at 1,000.

Why? There are fixed costs associated with the startup and make-ready time at each step of the process, especially for offset printing projects. These costs vary depending upon the machines used to prepare and print your piece.

The bottom line is that small quantities tend to be quite pricey on a per-piece basis. The per-piece cost drops as the quantity goes up. Once the project is up and running, it runs very fast. The cost of the extra time is minimal and in some instances the additional paper costs are relatively small as well.

That said, it's always less expensive to print fewer pieces! Only need 50 pieces? Of course, we can help you! We do it all the time.

We are often asked to quote projects at quantities with "break points" for pricing. The per piece cost is simply a sliding scale — the more we print, the less they are on a per piece basis — there are no specific break points.

When re-ordering projects that were printed before — be sure your purchasing department is not using a per piece cost, if the quantity is different on the current order. It's always a good idea to get a fresh quote, since costs on paper and other materials are volatile.

The best way to keep unit costs down is to design your pieces with staying power. For example, create a folder with inserts, where only one insert has to be frequently updated. This scenario allows you to print most pieces at longer runs, while updating the single insert that often changes more frequently at a lower quantity.

Want to brainstorm? Contact Willow and we can review your project and give you advice on controlling your communication per-unit costs.