I think it's appropriate, after eight months since my first post, to introduce you to where I spend my days: Graphateria.
As you know, my blog is aimed at improving the experience of print buying. Because much of the information I post has been gained during the last 15 years while working at Graphateria, I am devoting this installment to what I feel is Tallahassee’s premier customer-centered print shop.
If you have never worked with us, I hope this will be one of the most useful posts yet. If you have worked with us before, I hope to reveal some new capabilities that you will find valuable.
With the addition of a 100% digital printing system, we are fully equipped to handle the full range of printing needs typical of a Tallahassee business, association, or non-profit organization. From as few as 50 copies, as the job quantity increases, we are able to transition from one machine to another to provide seamless capability. If your project is very large or technically complex, we also have access to regional and national vendors whose track record we're familiar with. In short, if we can't do it here, we'll help you find someone who can.
Our interactions are based on a one-to-one relationship between a contact person from the shop and each customer. We feel strongly that you should only have to call one person to get your order under way, or get your questions answered. We are happy to come to your office, (we make house calls!), or, if you appreciate the chance to get out of the office once in a while, we're always happy to see you here. (If you have kids, bring them along, they can play with Molly and Otis.) We also offer plant tours for those interested in seeing first hand how their job is produced.
We have very high quality standards. In any business the human element makes all the difference to the quality of your experience. Our production people have been with the company an average of ten years, and understand the value of longstanding customer relationships. From proofing to production and final packaging, we are always paying attention to the details in order to keep your job looking its best.
We archive everything we print, and have done so since at least 1996. For a nominal fee, we can pull back your project from its last printing and work with you from there. Customers who have experienced widespread system failures can tell you how important this feature can be, as our archive files may be the only ones in existence.
We support both MAC and PC files in their native environments, and are experts at helping people move their projects from their own systems to the shop without errors. From programs which are less printer-friendly (e.g. Microsoft Word or Publisher) we can work around the inherent problems by helping you create production grade PDFs. For any layout, we offer help creating templates, and have some standard templates for download at our website, here.
We work with a large network of graphic designers, and also offer in-house services for simple layouts. Using this approach we help keep your costs as low as possible and match your project with the appropriate design capabilities. If your job is not ready to come to the shop, we can set you up with a design pro who will make you look great!
The cost of local delivery is included in our basic pricing, and many other distribution options are available. We are online with FedEx, UPS and Benton Express (LTL), and regularly drop-ship jobs to multiple locations for a nominal fee, (plus the actual cost of freight).
We're flexible. Our way of doing business is whatever works best for you. In these uncertain times there is no longer a "right way" or "wrong way" to do things. We understand the pressures of budgets and deadlines, and work with clients everyday to help them move forward by utilizing the unique advantages of printed material, while acknowledging the necessity of keeping costs under control.
I feel strongly that Graphateria has a lot to offer. We welcome inquiries about our services and pricing, and are always excited about a new challenge.
What's yours?
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
How to use cheap paper and not save money
Answer: Make that choice on a short run. The fact is that cheaper paper will always save some money, but it's often an insignificant amount, and the choice may do more harm that good. The main factor to consider is run length, and therefore how much paper you're buying. Let's talk about an average brochure by way of example: a letter size brochure, full color on both sides and folded.
At a quantity of 1,000 printed on 100# gloss text, this job will cost about $360 at our shop. It's a great sheet of paper for a self mailer or rack brochure...substantial, but not quite card stock. If you tinker a little, and change to 80# gloss text, you'll save a whopping $8, and the paper will be a little floppy. That's a savings of about 2%.
Go to the illogical extreme of the paper spectrum; run the same job the same way on 20# copier paper, and you will absolutely sacrifice the quality of the printing to save $19, or about 5%. In return you'll get a job which looks, for want of a better term, "homemade". Translation: death at the mailbox when it shows up next to that mailer from the Gap, or Pottery Barn.
The same comparison doesn't yield the same result at a higher quantity. At 10,000 brochures the cost savings from switching paper is $115, or 12%. The more paper involved in the job, the more potential savings can be found and balanced against the detrimental effect on quality. (I'm not saying it's a good idea to run anything on copier paper...just to point out that, as the quantity increases the percentage of the total cost devoted to paper increase as well.) As always, this is best investigated in a discussion with your print vendor.
A significant, and often hidden, cost regarding paper is a customer specification of "Recycled". Particularly in the coated grades, these papers come at a steep price premium and limited availability. My recommendation if you seek a quote specifying "Recycled Paper" is that you also ask for an optional proposal for "Non-Recycled" and compare the two. That way you can balance your agencies "green" aspirations against it's budget. We quoted a job recently where the cost difference amounted to almost $2,000.
Further, if you decide on the "Recycled" option, ask for a written statement of exactly what paper was used:
One final note on the subject of paper...it's heavy! If you are mailing, the weight per piece will jack up your postage every time you go to the next ounce, and if you're shipping the total weight can turn out to be quite impressive. An awareness of this physical aspect of your job can help you control these costs, and prevent surprises at a point, where I always hate to point out, it's too late to do anything about it.
One side effect of new printing technologies, and the lowered cost of full color printing, is that paper has become a truly secondary concern. Just as the choice you make about which kind of cone to get with your ice cream, the paper is not the main attraction. Paper companies, adjusting to new economic realities, are keeping fewer items in inventory and at lower levels. You can't print without it, however, and an active, informed choice about paper is always preferable to going with a default.
Thank you for continuing to visit "Your friend in the printing business", and for supporting this all-original content. Please take a moment to rate this post in the poll at the upper right corner, and let me know what you think. Until then,
See you online!
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
At a quantity of 1,000 printed on 100# gloss text, this job will cost about $360 at our shop. It's a great sheet of paper for a self mailer or rack brochure...substantial, but not quite card stock. If you tinker a little, and change to 80# gloss text, you'll save a whopping $8, and the paper will be a little floppy. That's a savings of about 2%.
Go to the illogical extreme of the paper spectrum; run the same job the same way on 20# copier paper, and you will absolutely sacrifice the quality of the printing to save $19, or about 5%. In return you'll get a job which looks, for want of a better term, "homemade". Translation: death at the mailbox when it shows up next to that mailer from the Gap, or Pottery Barn.
At a small quantity of 500 or 1,000 you should always pay for the good stuff, maybe even upgrade the stock...the effectiveness of the brochure will be a good return on the investment of less than $20.
The same comparison doesn't yield the same result at a higher quantity. At 10,000 brochures the cost savings from switching paper is $115, or 12%. The more paper involved in the job, the more potential savings can be found and balanced against the detrimental effect on quality. (I'm not saying it's a good idea to run anything on copier paper...just to point out that, as the quantity increases the percentage of the total cost devoted to paper increase as well.) As always, this is best investigated in a discussion with your print vendor.
A significant, and often hidden, cost regarding paper is a customer specification of "Recycled". Particularly in the coated grades, these papers come at a steep price premium and limited availability. My recommendation if you seek a quote specifying "Recycled Paper" is that you also ask for an optional proposal for "Non-Recycled" and compare the two. That way you can balance your agencies "green" aspirations against it's budget. We quoted a job recently where the cost difference amounted to almost $2,000.
Further, if you decide on the "Recycled" option, ask for a written statement of exactly what paper was used:
Among less scrupulous vendors it will sometimes happen that a job is priced one way and run another, and it may be impossible to tell the difference afterwards. It's a good idea to take concrete steps to remove this temptation, and allow all your vendors to compete on a level playing field.
One final note on the subject of paper...it's heavy! If you are mailing, the weight per piece will jack up your postage every time you go to the next ounce, and if you're shipping the total weight can turn out to be quite impressive. An awareness of this physical aspect of your job can help you control these costs, and prevent surprises at a point, where I always hate to point out, it's too late to do anything about it.
One side effect of new printing technologies, and the lowered cost of full color printing, is that paper has become a truly secondary concern. Just as the choice you make about which kind of cone to get with your ice cream, the paper is not the main attraction. Paper companies, adjusting to new economic realities, are keeping fewer items in inventory and at lower levels. You can't print without it, however, and an active, informed choice about paper is always preferable to going with a default.
The right choices about weight, finish, color and texture can all enhance the effectiveness of your project, and sometimes at a cost which makes you wonder why you didn't switch a long time ago.
Thank you for continuing to visit "Your friend in the printing business", and for supporting this all-original content. Please take a moment to rate this post in the poll at the upper right corner, and let me know what you think. Until then,
See you online!
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
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