Money Saving Tips

The following information offers several basic tips for saving money on your next project. Your customer service representative will be happy to give you additional information on ways to produce your job efficiently without sacrificing usefulness or effectiveness.

Look at your office copying/printing costs

It’s true. It can cost you as much as 3 times more to produce copies on your walk-up copiers than it would to print the same job at the DES Printing and Imaging Copy Center located near you.

If you have ever printed a multi-page document on your laser printer you know how slow it can be. Plus, it costs you $.08 or more per page. Since you have the document on your computer, why not e-mail it to your copy center and they will produce it ten times faster and at a third of the cost. Your e-mail orders may also include your choice of finishing and mailing options.

With a copy center at your disposal, significant cost savings can be realized simply by realigning the number of copiers and printers needed to accomplish your mission. For example, one copier producing 20,000 copies per month at $.06 per copy costs your organizations $1,200 per month. Copier contract costs usually do not include the paper, overhead (space) and labor time that could bring your total cost to over $.06 per copy. Reducing the number of copiers and printers and using your copy center yields immediate, significant cost reductions, while still providing the output required by you and your employees.

Our Document Management Solutions Program may be able to help you streamline your printing and copying costs. We contract with an independent resource to study your current print environment, document your requirements and make recommendations for positive change. Significant cost savings have been realized by many of our customers. For additional information about the services and costs of your copy center, contact Printing & Imaging at 360-664-4343.

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Design with standard formats
Printed products can be unique and visually interesting without relying on complicated formats or expensive materials. You can keep costs to a minimum by using standard format sizes, stock ink colors and readily available paper. Not only will using standard materials save you money, it will ensure that we can produce your job within the desired time frame. Your customer service representative will be happy to provide you with information on standard materials and formats to help avoid unnecessary costs.

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Eliminate alterations after proofing
Changes made to your order once work has begun will add to both the cost and turnaround time of the job. Double-check your printing request before submission to make sure you’ve specified the proper materials and that all the instructions are correct. It’s a good idea to have another person in your office that is familiar with printing look over your order as well. Review proofs carefully and mark changes clearly. If an item is missed on the proof that makes it necessary to reprint the order, you will be responsible for the additional charges.

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Use DES Printing and Imaging mailing services
You can save up to 53% on postage for your bulk mailings by taking advantage of our mail services. Your address lists are sorted and CASS certified to receive the lowest postage rates available. We’ll also process your address data to eliminate duplicates and update addresses for recipients who have moved. Our equipment will insert your mailing into envelopes automatically and imprint addresses with USPS barcodes directly onto the mail piece. Just think, not only will you reduce your mailing costs, you’ll also free up staff time previously spent on mailings.

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Plan for sufficient turnaround time
Shorter turnaround times almost always lead to higher printing costs because of extra expenses for overtime and rush material orders. Please allow a minimum of five working days for simple orders. If you’re requesting a proof, your turnaround time begins the day you approve the proof. An additional two to three days should be added if you would like a press check or are requesting mailing services. Please contact your Customer Service Representative (CSR) or see the notes on standard turnaround times in Frequently Asked Questions for further information.

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Provide the proper copy format
Furnishing clean, properly formatted copy with your printing order helps us output your job as quickly as possible, saving you money on prepress and other preparation costs. If possible, avoid furnishing jobs in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher because they require extra work in prepress before they can be output. Converting your Word and Publisher files to PDF files before submitting your order will save you time and money when your job is produced. Please contact your Customer Service Representative (CSR) if you have questions about the best format for your job copy.

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Use DES Printing and Imaging Design Services
Using DES graphic design services is more cost-effective and efficient than taking your project to a private designer. Our design services are not only offered at a lower cost than most private firms, but also eliminate the extra step of transferring your finished files to the printing plant. Because design is an integral part of the production process, your job will travel quickly and easily through printing, binding and mailing saving you time and money every step of the way.

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Take advantage of fulfillment services
Our fulfillment section will gladly take care of all the printing, storage, inventory, distribution and accounting for items you send out to other locations. Switching items from your internal warehouse and distribution system to fulfillment will reduce your costs for storage, staff time and distribution while freeing up storage space and employees. Please contact your Customer Service Representative (CSR) for more information about the savings fulfillment can provide.

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Use standard folds
Another way to save on your printing costs is to design products using standard folds. Unusual folds require more set-up time and usually run more slowly, increasing your bindery costs.

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Double-check your order quantities
One of the easiest ways to reduce your printing budget is to eliminate the cost of reprinting small quantities of multiple-color jobs. One larger order will cost less than the total cost of several small orders because the set-up charges must be included each time a job is printed. Since the cost of burning printing plates and setting up machinery is the same whether we’re printing one or a million, it’s a good idea to order as many copies as can be used in a reasonable period of time when placing your printing orders. If you would like to compare the costs of different order quantities before placing a printing order, please contact your Customer Service Representative (CSR) or request an estimate online.

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Use one color of ink on colored paper
If you don’t have the budget to print newsletters and flyers in two colors of ink, consider printing them on colored paper or with one color of ink. A flyer printed in blue ink will cost only slightly more than one printed in black. In addition, using varying screen densities within your job will give the illusion of several ink colors. Black ink on the right color of paper also brings added life to any printing project without increasing production costs.

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