The Numbers Game

When you are getting ready to send a job to print one of the most basic questions you need to answer is "How many do you want printed?"

If you're doing a "short run," meaning less than 1,000 copies, your project will most likely end up on a digital printer. Digital printing means less set up which will translate to more affordable printing costs.

But if you're doing more than 1,000 your project will likely get bumped to an offset print which requires more set up, more expensive equipment and a larger price tag. BUT.

If you are doing a very large run, it may end up costing you less per piece than a digital printer so consider carefully how many pieces you want to print.

Things to consider.

1. What is your target audience? Calculate as accurately as possible how many pieces you will need and from there you can see if it makes sense to round up or round down based on the next two answers.

2. How quickly will the information become outdated? If the information will change in a relatively short period of time, print only as many as you will be able to use before the information becomes outdates. If the information will remain static you may save money by going for a larger print run.

3. How many can you reasonably store? Any cost saved with a larger run will be wasted if the extras are mangled by having them in a damp basement or frequent moves from this corner to that.