Print production manual; what is design for print?

Format and costing.

Some say commercial printing is very costly but in reality if you know how the process goes about and know little areas where you can keep your costs to minimum, your prints wouldn’t be too costly as some picture it to be. The best and most effective way to understand the process is to get in touch with your chosen commercial printer. Ask them what they could do to lower the price down for your packages.
Colors - Are you just getting a print that you are handing out that is 99% text and will only be needing black Than good for you because it’s the cheapest prints available. Using only one particular color (which is black) will be cheaper compared to using several colors.

Should you be using RGB colors in your design you will also have to color match it so that will be an additional cost to your package, so make sure your design is in the CMYK color.

Paper Choice - Papers that have higher substance is more expensive than the regular ones, should be needing prints that are just hand outs or inserts use thinner paper to keep your costs less.

Print volume - Less prints will be more expensive for you in the long run so make sure you print as much as you can (and need) of course. Bulk prints cost less per piece because printers give discounts for it.
Pre-flight/submission/uploading Check - Checking everything before you submit your files will save you more time and finish the printing process early. Make sure that you have put your files in the correct file type and other design musts your printers required you too.

Finishing - Anything you include in the actual prints like paper stock, frames, stands, boards are additional costs so keep everything to minimum if you really need it. there are paper stocks that can be thinner than the regular ones which are relatively cheaper, boards that are made of a certain material that is not too costly and stands that are thin and requires less steel are much cheaper. It all comes down to your needs versus your budget. If you need something very sturdy expect your costs to be a little higer.

Turnaround time - If you think time does not save you anything then you are mistaken. Time is everything because it allows you to do something and when you are given more time to do something else, you ultimately save time for things that need more of your attention. Time also keeps you from getting fired by your boss because you were able to meet the deadline and prevented your boss from getting angry, now isn’t that one task to stop worrying about. In order to save or not add cost to your package, do your prints at least 2 weeks earlier than the required deadline. This way you have a few more days to create the design or check the prints before the time you actually need the printed material. Remember that rush print jobs add to the costs so prevent that by doing it early.

Saving is never a problem if you know how to do it in everything that you do and commercial printing is one of them. Learn the basics from your commercial printer and understand the process, learn from other clients and always remember to ask in order to learn.

Commercial Print Costs