Guide to Pricing and Costs of Business Printing Services

Compare the cost to the time saved when you hire printing companies

By Michelle Cramer

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Send out uniform mailings with products from business printing services

Every business needs letterhead and envelopes that have the company logo and contact information on them. Rather than trying to make your own, and risking a lack of professionalism, hire a printing service. While the costs depend entirely upon the chosen paper, colors used and any special features, most printing businesses provide 500 sheets for $75 to $150.

I recommend: VistaPrint letterhead starts as low as $13.99 for 10 sheets. Envelopes from 48HourPrint.com, which have the return address printed on them, start at $127 for 500 nine-inch window envelopes and top off at $2,800 for 25,000 of its 10x13 envelopes.

Use business copying services to make hundreds of copies quickly

Instead of having your staff copy hundreds of pages of documents, or spend a lot of time trying to make copies from books and other awkward items, hire a copying service. Of course, the actual cost depends on how many copies they make for you and whether those copies are in black and white or color. Typically you can obtain black and white copies for less than 5 cents a page, and color copies usually range from 10 to 50 cents a page, depending on the paper type, size and amount of color.

I recommend: Moxicopy offers color copies starting at 15 cents per page for the first 249 copies. As the number of copies increases, the per-page rate goes down. Obtain an estimate for your project by filling out and submitting AT Publishing & Printing’s form.

Advertise your business with business printers' marketing products

Most printing services will provide typical advertising products, such as business cards, fliers and brochures. Many even provide production services, such as binding presentation documents or folding the brochures for you. You might also save a little money if you use a business that specializes in one specific product rather than a multitude. Typically, you can obtain marketing products for a worthwhile price. For example, brochures will usually cost $150 to $300 for 250 count, and 50 postcards may be anywhere from $20 to $30, depending on your printing choices.

I recommend: GreatFX Business Cards, whose specialty is (you guessed it) business cards, offers coated color cards starting at $29 for 100 and raised print cards starting at $28 for 250. Visit PsPrint for various marketing products, such as brochures. Choose different printing options to see cost differences.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Keep in mind that most business printing companies provide pricing estimates based upon the specific products and services you need. While their prices may be comparable, they likely won't be the same across the board. Obtain estimates from various printers both locally and online to obtain the best rate.

Guide to Getting Your Business Materials Printed

Know when to do it yourself or take it to a print shop

By Jenni Simcoe

1. Enhance your company's brand and identity.
2. Help you market to new customers.
3. Enable you to communicate with existing customers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Do it in-house

If a print job is really small, say a few media kits to send out for a public relations effort, you may be able to handle it in-house. To make in-house print jobs look professional, upgrade to a color printer that's speedy and efficient. And don't forget to use high-quality paper.

I recommend: Check out a few of the top professional grade printers from HP, Canon and Epson. For your paper needs, go to Office Depot.

Print on demand

The next step up from printing your materials yourself is to use a quick-print/copy shop. This option is best if you have to have materials printed in large volumes at the last minute and the materials are limited to black and white. You don't even have to leave the office to send a job to a quick-print shop. Just send the documents online and pick up the finished product at a location near you.

I recommend: FedEx Kinko's, OfficeMax, Office Depot and Staples all offer online on-demand printing.

Find a professional printer

If you're in the market for a glossy, four-color brochure or die-cut business cards, it's best to go to a professional printer that uses printing presses rather than copying machines. Put large or complex jobs out to bid with a few printers to see which one can complete the job on time and within your budget.

I recommend: Learn how to choose the right printer for your job at ThePrintGuide.com. Locate a printer that specializes in the category of printing you need with PrintAccess.com's national directory. If you need help designing your materials, search Print Access for printers that offer graphic design services or check out DesignFirms.org to find a designer for your project.

Be prepared

If you have an in-house designer or have decided to do it yourself, get up to speed on the process. You'll save time and reduce the hassle factor if you know what's expected of you.

I recommend: Get a heads-up on printing lingo at PrintUSA.com and UniversalPrinting.com. After you've got the terminology down, bone up on how to prepare files for print with this pre-flight checklist at About.com.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Whether you're sending a print-job to an on-demand printer or a professional press, make sure all fonts and artwork are included.
• •  Ask your printer what specifications they require for halftone screens, grayscale and what dpi photos need to be.
• •  When ordering a print-job from a professional printer, ask for a pre-press proof to have a final edit before the job goes to press and a press-proof before the job is printed.
• •  If you send a print-job to an on-demand printer and you don't get an email confirmation, follow-up immediately to make sure your order went through rather than finding out when the job is due.
• •  Develop a relationship with your printer. As a repeat customer, you may be able to negotiate reduced rates and you're more likely to get assistance with design, ink and paper choices.

Guide to Business Printing Services Key Terms

Communicate your needs to business printers better by understanding key printing terms

By Michelle Cramer

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose the right business printing products

As you work with commercial printing services, you will need to know what sort of products and materials you want to use for your project. For example, caliper describes the thickness of a sheet of paper, measured in thousandths of an inch. Bulk is the thickness of paper relative to its weight. Finish is the quality of a paper's surface. These and other terms are important in understanding the products available and selecting what will work best for your printing.

I recommend: Learn about various types of paper products and styles on paperonline’s paper glossary. Find specific printing service key terms by selecting the appropriate letter at AT Publishing & Printing.

Design a concise layout for business printing services

A layout is a diagram showing where you want elements like the text and images for your final printing results. As you discuss the layout with a printing business, it may help to understand some of the terms they commonly use when referring to layout designs. For example, the baseline is the imaginary horizon line on which all letters and punctuation sit, making them level. When kerning letters, you position them closer to each other so that they take up less space on the layout. A logotype is your company's logo or specific font style that you want to maintain on all your printings.

I recommend: Eastern Washington University provides a glossary of print layout and design terms to assist you with explaining your design ideas. Visit PrintUSA for a full glossary of printing service terms.

Discuss production elements with printing companies

If the printing company calls to ask you questions about how you want your documents produced or begins explaining the production process they intend to use, knowing some of the key terms is helpful. For example, when the document services refer to the dummy (or comp), you'll know that is the initial culmination of all of the printing elements, used as an example for the quality of the remaining production. If the printing company asked if you want your production scored, they want to know if you want a crease made to simplify folding.

I recommend: The printing service terms glossary on PrintingForLess.com is very helpful. The Printing Industry Exchange provides basic key terms and recommends a book as a beginner’s guide to the printing process.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Understanding these key terms will help you find the business printing service that will most adequately meet your copying and printing needs, because you'll have a better grasp on the prospective services that business printing companies have to offer.