Three quotes, three numbers, with no means to compare them.
You send the same brief to three printers. The quotes come back with significant differences that are not clearly explained by the documents. One quote is a single line with a total. Another lists stock and quantity, but nothing else. The third quote is itemized in detail and is the most expensive, which makes it seem worse than it might be.
The cheapest option is often the least comprehensive one. This guide explores what lies behind a print price, the items typically omitted from a quote, and how to ensure that three quotes are genuinely comparable before making a choice.
What actually drives the price
Print cost consists of setup, materials, and running expenses, and these components behave differently.
- Setup is fixed regardless of quantity: preparing files, plates for offset, machine make-ready, die tooling. On short runs this dominates the price.
- Materials scale directly with quantity. Paper is the largest single component on most jobs.
- Running is machine and labour time, scaling with quantity but with efficiency gains as the run gets longer.
- Finishing covers folding, binding, laminating, die-cutting and trimming, each with its own setup and running cost.
This structure explains the pricing behavior that puzzles people: why five hundred copies barely cost less than a thousand, and why the second thousand is much cheaper than the first. It also explains why a small specification change can move the price significantly if it introduces a new setup.
The specification decisions with the biggest impact
- Quantity, because of where it sits relative to the digital and offset crossover
- Size, specifically whether it fits the press sheet efficiently or wastes a strip
- Page count, which for bound work must work in multiples set by the binding method
- Number of colours, where a spot colour adds a unit
- Stock weight and type, the largest material variable
- Finishing, where foiling, die-cutting and hand-assembly add disproportionately
Ask your printer if a minor adjustment to the size or page count could help the job fit the sheet more efficiently. This is essentially free money, and it's rarely offered unless you specifically ask.
What gets left out of a quote
This is where quotes become incomparable. Check each of these explicitly:
- Artwork and file fixing. Some quotes assume print-ready files and charge separately for any correction. Others include a set amount of work.
- Proofs. A screen proof is usually free. A physical proof is not, and for colour-critical work you need one.
- Delivery. Frequently excluded, and for heavy or multi-drop deliveries this is not a small number.
- Tax. Confirm whether the figure quoted includes it.
- Overs and unders tolerance. If the quote allows a variance and you need an exact minimum, that changes the job.
- Tooling. A custom die or cutter is a one-off cost that may or may not be shown.
- Storage. If the printer is holding stock for staged release, that may be chargeable.
- Author's corrections. Changes after approval are charged, and the rate varies widely.
A quote that excludes half of these items will always appear cheaper than one that includes them. This is not dishonesty but rather a different convention. The only solution is to ask each supplier the same list of questions.
Making quotes comparable
Issue the same specification in writing to everyone. Be specific about the factors that influence pricing.
- Finished flat and folded size
- Exact page count including cover
- Stock items by name, weight, or a clear description if you want them to make a proposal.
- Include any spot colors on each side.
- Finishing required, in sequence
- Include a quantity along with one or two alternative options to identify the break points.
- Whether you need a physical proof
- Delivery address, number of deliveries, and receiving conditions
- The date you need it in hand
Asking for two or three quantities on the same quote is the single most useful habit here. It reveals where the cost curve flattens and often shows that a larger quantity costs very little more, or that a smaller one saves less than expected. How to think about that trade-off is covered in the article on how many you should print, and the briefing structure in the guide to briefing a printer for marketing materials.
Ask for the specification back
Request that each quote restates the specific specifications it is pricing. This catches the most common cause of a suspiciously low number: a supplier might have quoted a lighter stock, a shorter run, digital printing instead of offset, or no lamination. When you see the specifications written back, the difference becomes obvious.
Reading the low quote properly
A significantly lower price usually has a reason, and it is worth identifying what that reason is.
- Different specification. The most common, and resolved by comparing the restated specification.
- Different process. Digital instead of offset on a run near the crossover. Legitimate, but colour and feel will differ.
- Exclusions. Delivery, proofs and tax added later.
- Outsourcing. The supplier is placing the job elsewhere, which is normal in the trade but affects who is accountable if something goes wrong.
- Spare capacity. Genuinely a good price because the machine would otherwise be idle. This one is real and worth taking.
The last two points are worth asking about directly. There is nothing inherently wrong with a printer placing work with a trade supplier. However, it's important to know who is producing the job, especially if a reprint or correction becomes necessary.
What price should not decide
There are a few things worth paying for, even when cheaper options are available: a physical proof for color-critical work, a guaranteed minimum quantity to ensure you are not short, and a supplier who is available by phone during production. The cost of these services is minimal compared to the cost of a reprint or a missed launch date.
Similarly, some items are not worth the cost: heavy stock for a short-lived flyer, lamination for an item that will be discarded on the same day, and a long run of something whose content will change.
Quoting with us
We provide itemized quotes, restating the specifications to ensure clarity. We clearly indicate what is included and what is not. If we believe a different specification would better suit your needs, we quote both options rather than quietly substituting. Additionally, if a slight adjustment in size or page count would enhance the efficiency of the sheet usage, we will inform you of the potential savings.
Send us the brief with the quantities you are considering and we will price them together so you can see where the break points fall. See turnaround options under express and fast printing, the wider range under general printing, or get in touch through the contact page.
The short version
Print price is setup plus materials plus running, which is why short runs cost more per unit and why specification changes move the number. Quotes differ mainly in what they exclude: artwork, proofs, delivery, tax, tooling and tolerance. Issue an identical written specification, ask for two or three quantities, and require each supplier to restate what they are pricing.
When you receive a quote that is significantly lower, don't automatically assume it's a better or worse deal. Instead, ask what specifications the quote is based on. The answer is usually right there.
