If you've never printed a catalog or used booklet printing in your marketing materials, you need to know some basics before you start using them. Catalog printing can enhance your business by showcasing all of your products in one place, in a consistent format. And with a print catalog, you control how your products are presented.



If you've already tried print catalogs or booklets but the cost is just too high, or if you're about to start your catalog printing venture, the following money-saving tips are for you.

Know the types of printing presses

Many professional printers use a web press versus a sheet fed press. A web press is designed to print on rolls of paper that are continuously fed through the printer and a sheet fed press prints on individual pieces of paper (think your desktop printer). Web presses can print much faster than sheet fed presses, which are why professional printers use them.

If your catalog or booklet meets the minimum requirements for quantity (number of catalogs ordered) and page count, your printing costs will be lower than if your material were printed on a sheet fed press. Generally, catalog or booklet printing will be cost effective on a web press if your catalog or booklet is 16 pages long and you print at least 5,000 copies.

Watch your page count

If you can manipulate your page count into increments of 32 standard pages (8-3/8” x 10-7/8”) or 64 digest pages (5-3/8" x 8-3/8") you can save money. These sizes can be printed on an eight-unit web press which can run two webs at the same time. This cuts labor time roughly in half. Standard web presses have four to six units and can only run one web at a time. To be even more efficient, use 60# or lighter weight stock for your paper.

The size of your page

The smaller your page width, the more money you can save. If you use the standard page width of 8-3/8", the printer has to buy 35-inch rolls of paper. If you use a smaller 7-3/8” page width, the printer can buy smaller rolls of 31-inch paper. The printer will need about 10 percent less paper and since the bigger the paper the higher the expense, this one-inch difference could save you a lot of money and most people won't even notice the difference. Your mailing costs may also be reduced.

Get your mailing list to the printer 7 days before binding

This tip will help prevent any delays because postage can be calculated ahead of time and the mailing list can be analyzed for any addresses that aren't in the system. This analysis can save you from printing addresses that are wrong and would eventually come back to you.

Keep your printing schedule

Web press facilities usually run all day, everyday. If you realize you can't get your files ready for the printer by your scheduled print time, tell them right away. You'll cause delays if you don't, or the press may have to bypass your printing project at your scheduled time and put your project off until the next day. Letting them know ahead of time is a professional courtesy and can keep your printing project on schedule.