Simplifying products can help both printers and their customers to save money. Consider the total budget when customers tell you what they want to print and how much they want to spend. Unit costs such as ink and paper might only account for 35% of the cost.
The rest will be logistics, storage and distribution. Offer the customer flexibility and make the work easier for them to digest. People now want their print on-demand – but print-on-demand (POD) doesn’t have to be digital. If you have invested in litho kit that provides quick plate changes and set-up times then you can offer on-demand litho production. Don’t ask buyers to commit to large and expensive runs early in the process when this could be broken down into less daunting stages. Long, expensive runs are susceptible to global sourcing. POD gives clients greater flexibility with their budgets, and the options to redesign at their own leisure. POD is not a digital print concept, but a total print solution.
Harry Skidmore, managing director, Easibind
Small change, big difference
Even litho printers can offer their clients short-run print-on-demand services and it could stop them going further afield Easibind is challenging the total cost of print jobs by reducing sizes, content and runs to help clients meet their targets.
