Professional printing costs can vary for several reasons. Special finishes and die cuts can increase production time. While matching to a Pantone PMS swatch involves more effort and test prints. But one thing is sure for both. They cost more.

So how can businesses save money on printing without cutting corners? Here are a few ways to do it.

The basics of estimating print jobs

It can be overwhelming for those who don’t know much about commercial printing. And it’s even more challenging when trying to estimate your printing costs. First, start with your exact specifications.

On a basic level, your specifications need to contain:

• – The dimensions of your document
• – The number of printed pieces (100? 200? More?)
• – Page count (how many pages will be within your document, including the cover)
• – Ink specifications (4-color process, spot colors, black and white)
• – Paper type (lighter vs. heavier paper weight)

From there, you can figure out with your designer and printer what’s realistic based on your budget.

How to reduce printing costs and save money?

When working with clients, we always try to do as much planning as possible to ensure there are no surprises once the final design goes to the printer. And when advising clients about how they can stay within their print budget, we offer the following recommendations:

Cut back on the number of spreads
Shaving down your content to decrease the number of spreads is one of the quickest ways to reduce costs. Remember that these are even. If you have a design that spans an odd number of pages, you can consolidate the information to reduce the spreads printed in your document.

Higher quantities lead to saving more
Whether you’re printing one flyer or a 64-page booklet, the number of copies you order matters. The more you print, the better the deal you’ll get. For example, 50 brochures will be more expensive than 1,000 per piece. Print setup costs are baked in that don’t really change when ordering larger quantities.

Anything less than 500 prints usually provides minimal savings unless you run a digital print with a smaller vendor or pay by the page. (e.g., FedEx office)

Even though the savings are significant with larger quantities, you don’t want to overbuy. Think about the longevity of your campaign. If you order 10,000 copies of a time-sensitive brochure, it may become obsolete before you fully distribute it to your audience.

Don’t go crazy with special finishes and bindings
Spot varnishes that highlight parts of a design involve more setup during the prepress and printing process. The same goes for any binding, including saddle stitching or manual work like inserting flyers or individual sheets into multi-page documents.

These also take more time to produce. Anything that requires effort on the printer’s side will cost more. If you want to decrease this expense, choose simple folds and limit, or completely remove, any special finishes.

Opt for process ink over color matching
Nowadays, choosing black and white over color doesn’t save much money. This is mainly because digital printing has drastically lowered the setup and manual costs associated with it. Going with digital CMYK or process ink over Pantone (PMS) color will be cheaper.

But if your goal is to match a specific color for your brand, you can work with your printer to get as close as possible with CMYK. Luckily, most small- to mid-sized businesses don’t require this level of detail. You’ll typically see this with larger companies like Coca-Cola or Home Depot, where color matching is vital to their brand continuity.

Choose a paper thickness for your end goals
Paper comes in a variety of weights and types. Choosing a lighter weight like 20# will lower your cost, but it’ll affect the durability of your final piece. If longevity isn’t important for your campaign, it might make sense to go with lighter paper.

Remember, though, that these papers will work better for communications that are often disposable, think flyers or one-sheeters. A heavier stock of paper often provides a more tactile, sturdy feel, but it may not be ideal for every application.

Simple, standard house stock will always be cheaper than coated papers like metallics, linen, or specialty papers when you want to lower your costs.

Plan for an extended timeline
Rush fees obliterate budgets. Allow ample time to produce your printed piece once your designer or internal team hands it to the printer. While rushing the project immediately puts you at the top of the queue, it also limits any last-minute changes. Plus, by their very nature, expedited jobs cause costs to go up exponentially.

Consider all of your transportation options
Transport costs factor into your final total. If you can pick up your order, you’ve immediately cut out one of the priciest fees—shipping.

Print shipments can be very expensive, depending on the project. Larger orders naturally weigh more, which leads to increased fuel and carrier costs. If you have more time, using FedEx or UPS ground instead of a local courier is another option. Couriers, on average, tend to be 3-4x more than larger shipping services.

Save your print budget

The quality you get from commercial printers surpasses what you’ll find at your local office supply store. But what you spend on printing provides a level of expertise and service that ensures your final piece impresses your audience.

Using the tips above, you can reduce costs while still achieving the results you’re looking for without skimping on quality.

Planning ahead can mitigate any issues that could force your budget to explode. Working with your designer and printer also ensures transparency throughout the process, which prevents any unwelcome surprises.