Cost Savings Recommendations

Reduce the Weight!!

1. Reducing the weight of paper can really help reduce paper costs without changing the look or functionality of the final piece. If your item is a self mailer, a slightly heavier paper might be needed to arrive looking its best, but if your item is in an envelope it can be on lighter paper because the envelope will protect it.
Note: 80# paper may cost up to 12 percent more than 70# paper.
2. Reducing paper weight can also reduce your mailing costs.

Size and Page Count Matter!

1. Changing the final trim size by even 1/8 inch can save you money by helping your printer fit your piece on smaller paper.
2. Reducing the page count of your piece even slightly can sometimes reduce the amount of paper you need to purchase.

Plan Smart—Gang Print

1. Reduce the cost of getting the press ready each time a new piece is printed.
2. Buy paper in bulk, reducing your actual paper cost.
Note: Buying 16 cartons of paper can sometimes save you as much as 20%.

Specify Digital Printing

1. Specify digital printing for short run pieces with lots of color. There is no make-ready (machine preparation), no plates, no press alignments and no cleanups.
2. Save even more by printing part of a piece with offset and the rest digitally. With longer print runs involving variable data, this can really help reduce your costs.

Avoid Bleeds

A “bleed” is printer lingo for a page with ink that goes all the way to the edge of the sheet. In other words, there is no margin between the printed image and the edge of the sheet—the ink goes right off the page. You will have to purchase a larger sheet so that the printing press can have room to pull the paper through the machine.

Update Mailing Lists Often

Keep your mailing list accurate, deliverable and targeted. Send only one copy per household wherever possible. The reduction in print quantity will save you money on paper and postage. NCOA and CASS are standard cleaning processes, but consider also using 2nd Generation Delivery Sequence File Processing and aggressive Change of Address reviews.

Talk to Your PS Account Managers!

They stay on top of the latest printing innovations including paper selections and specifications.