Copresco
recently heard about a print buyer who solicited bids for 3,000 copies of a
600-page case bound book and was startled by what he found out. The estimates
ranged from a low bid of $12,500 to the highest bid of
$22,500.
Q. How could there be such a wide
disparity between the prices?
A. There are several
possibilities: the difference between offset and digital printing, the bindery
used or the delivery deadline. However, we learned that the most basic
commodity of printing caused this discrepancy: paper. More specifically, paper
substitution turned out to be the real culprit.
The print buyer specified a particular brand of premium uncoated book paper with high opacity, brightness, whiteness and PPI (thickness) ratings.
The low bidder of $12,500 ignored the furnished specifications and had instead substituted a house paper of lower quality. When asked to rebid the job properly on the premium sheet, the price jumped up by $9,000 to $21,500, which was in the ballpark with other estimates.
Paper has a huge impact in graphic communication. It directly affects the look, feel and content of the message you’re communicating. When imaged on the right sheet, text and graphics command the reader’s attention. So, make sure that you get the sheet you specify, without any substitutions.
Let the buyer beware! The above example would have been a disaster if the estimate had been accepted and the book printed on the wrong paper.
Substitution of an inferior paper stock by an
unscrupulous printer will lead to severe disappointment with the results and
long delays while the project is in dispute.
This is
especially a problem when using a print provider for the first time. If the
print vendor is an “online” provider or an “off-shore”
(such as based in China) the likelihood of paper substitution is even
greater.
Beyond the
obvious reduction in the quality of the finished product, here are two areas in
which paper substitution will have unintended
consequences.
1. Spine Width. If a wraparound cover
or case (as are used for hard or soft cover books) has been designed and
ordered with a particular page count and paper thickness in mind, it won’t
work on substituted paper!
That is
why PPI (pages per inch) is a crucial
calculation.
Here’s another word of warning:
Substituting equivalent weights of paper does NOT guarantee matching PPI. Equal
weight rarely means equal thickness, and this problem worsens as the number of
pages increases.
2.
Matching versions. For various reasons, multiple print vendors may be used for
a particular book.
For example, Copresco often digitally
prints short runs of foreign-language books while the corresponding English
version is printed by a conventional offset book
printer.
If the other printer pulls a paper switch, the
different versions won’t match.
Copresco
offers you a wide range of papers in various weights, finishes and colors to
make your documents look their best.
Our staff works
closely with customers to recommend stocks that are best suited to your
specific job requirements. If you don’t have a preference, we’ll get
you the right sheet for your job.
We encourage you to take
advantage of our extensive knowledge of paper. We’ll be happy to show you
swatches or make up a sample of your job.
Just give us a
call.
Our 25th
anniversary recollections take us to May 1999, when we made a huge move into
Copresco’s new plant.
The 14,000 sq. ft. building in
Carol Steam houses our digital printing and finishing equipment, warehousing
and shipping facilities, and offices.
The move
allowed us to expand our services to clients in business, governmental,
printing trade, professional, technical and institutional
fields.
We also upgraded our computer and telephone
systems to ensure Y2K compliance. (Remember all the fuss and excitement about
that revelation?)
Copresco’s staff will be on hand Tuesday, July 3, and
Thursday, July 5 to handle all of your digital printing
needs.
We will be closed Wednesday, July 4 for the 236th
celebration of our nation’s independence.
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