The wake of COVID has left many problems, including notable price increases for many industries. The printing industry was not immune to this effect either. Paper, glue, ink, special coatings, and the shipping/service costs involved in transportation all increased in price. However, there are tools to reduce your printing costs such as bulk purchasing.
WHAT IS BULK PURCHASING?
Bulk purchasing simply means purchasing enough items that the price of those items goes down. These types of purchases work in industries where there's pricing at scale. Essentially, the individual item's cost goes down, even though you are paying for more items in total. Typically, one can only afford bulk purchasing through a commercial printing company.
IS IT FOR ME?
There are two reasons why buying in bulk is more cost-effective. The first is that the individual item cost matters if you reorder. It would be wise to purchase as much printing as you have reasonable storage for. Yes, the initial order will cost more since you purchased more printed items. However, the excess eventually would have been purchased anyway. By purchasing them now, you get them at a significantly cheaper price. This saves you money after the first purchase.
The second reason is: that bulk ordering is more affordable if your printed items are subject to high inflation. By submitting a larger order, you essentially freeze the price of your extra-printed items. You don't have to pay for the additional inflation on each item as the price rises. Also, avoiding expensive periods of print shortages is easier when you order less frequently.
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO LOWER MY PRINTING COSTS?
If you find that you are ordering at the last minute, you should know that this often comes at a higher expense. Rush-printing a large bulk order can be incredibly expensive. Ordering a small, rushed quantity and pairing it with a bulk, non-rushed quantity is more cost-effective to avoid excessive charges.
Also, you will find that adding the following increases your printing costs significantly:
bleed (color that comes within a 1/4 inch of the edge of your page on any side)
printing in color
printing on higher-quality materials
requesting design service or not providing print-ready art (see other posts about this)
EXCEPTIONS
When ordering envelopes, it is important to note how soon you will use them. Even properly stored envelopes can draw moisture from the air and cause the glue to stick, partially sealing the envelopes before you even use them.
When ordering checks, it is best to be more careful about how many you order. Sometimes, accounts can be compromised, your bank can be bought out, your logo changed, your company name changed, or you can switch accounts. All these changes would necessitate purchasing new checks. For this reason, it is better to order an amount that you would be comfortable with having to reorder if any of those circumstances should occur.
Enjoy the price breaks that bulk ordering can give you and begin ordering more. It is well worth it.
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