How Can I Keep My Printing Costs Low?

f your budget for a printed project is low, there are several things you can do to keep costs to a minimum. Here's a few tricks to keep your printing project on budget.

1. Ask your printer for paper size recommendations to minimize paper waste.

2. A one color job is the cheapest to print. However, that one color doesn't have to be black. If you consider using another dark color, the text will be dark enough to read and a designer can use the color, in varying tints, to liven up the document. If done well, one can get the feel of two colors while paying for only one.

3. In some cases, fewer colors cost less. Not only will you save on ink but you'll also save on film and plate expenses as well. If your chosen printer runs mostly CMYK jobs, it may be cheaper to run a full-color job than a two or three color one because that entails cleaning the press and mixing custom inks.

4. On a one or two-color job, consider having it printed on a colored stock to add additional interest.

5. Jobs with images or colors that run off the edge of the page (called "bleeds") will typically cost a bit more than those that don't.

6. Ask the printer if they have any extra paper left over from another clients' job which might cost you less.

7. Ask what the best and most cost-efficient way is to supply your project to the printer.

8. Look for discount printers that print several small jobs at the same time. You won't have the same amount of color or paper stock control but you can frequently get full-color printing at a very reasonable rate.

9. Don't make changes to your document once you've supplied it to the printer.

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