Save Money - Get a Good Quote
If a job is more than 10 percent of the client's annual printing budget, get six printing quotes. For smaller jobs, get three.
Save Money on Printing Plates
In general, metal plates are more expensive but last longer and have greater accuracy. Paper plates are usually more suitable for shorter runs without close or touching colors. Plan your design so that paper plates can be used effectively.
Save Money with Envelopes and Self-Mailers
- Save costs by making a newsletter or brochure into a self-mailer and save the cost of an envelope and possibly save postage costs as well.
- When designing a piece that will be enclosed in an envelope, it's important to consider size and shape of the document, not only for appearance but because if custom-sized envelopes are required it adds to the cost and complexity of the job.
Save Money on Diecuts
Printers often have standard dies for common cuts. Custom dies can substantially increase the cost of the piece. They may also have a collection of custom dies from previous jobs that you may be able to work into your design at substantial savings.
Save Money with Imposition
- Reduce the cost of adding a third color to a job.
Run black with blue on one side of the press sheet. Then run black with green on the other side. You may incur a slight extra charge for the color change but not as much as if you were mixing black, blue, and green all on one sheet and having to run each side through the press multiple times. - Reduce the cost of four-color process printing.
If planning a publication that mixes black and white with some four-color process illustrations -- plan all color so that it falls on one side of a press sheet or all within a single signature when the job consists of multiple signatures.
Save Money on Binding
- Binding can include additional steps such as hole punching, scoring, folding, collating, stitching, gluing, and trimming — the more steps involved, the greater the cost. Where possible, choose a binding method that reduces the need for extra finish steps.
- If your binding requires a special type of fold that your printers' folding machine can't handle, hand-folding is necessary and adds to the cost. Talk to your printer about what types of standard folds they can handle and design accordingly.
- Less durable binding options including saddle-stitching for booklets and perfect binding for books are less costly than thermal, wire, or perfect bound methods.
- Covers, whether ring binders or glued or stitched soft or hard covers add to the finished costs.
Also see: Paper Fits and What to Do About It (PDF)
Designing for standard paper sizes can save money. This Adobe Magazine PDF explains how.
Page one has more collections of articles and tips for saving money.
Do you have more money-saving design and printing tips? Post them to the forum or Submit your own article of tips and ideas.
