Why pricing is hard in printing
Because most of the cost depends on setup rather than run length. A 500-unit job and a 5,000-unit job carry almost the same plate, make-ready and initial waste cost. When the price list is built on a single per-unit rate, small jobs lose money and large jobs are uncompetitive.
Critical processes
- Job-based costing: setup (plates, make-ready, initial waste), print run and finishing (cutting, lamination, binding) calculated as separate lines.
- Digital versus offset break-even: comparing both methods for the same job and calculating the quantity threshold.
- Proofing and approval: digital proof delivery, customer approval, and production blocked until approval exists.
- Paper stock: stock by grammage, size and brand, with remnant sheet management.
- Machine scheduling: sequencing that groups the same paper and colour set to reduce make-ready time.
- Finishing subcontractors: tracking work sent out such as binding, varnishing and die-cutting.
Which solution maps to what
Pricing, work orders and costing fall under ERP consulting and development; a printing-specific price calculator is usually written as custom software. Customer ordering and approval use the B2B dealer portal and quotation tracking uses CRM. Where orders are taken online, e-commerce software comes into play. How job-level costing and operation records are modelled on the ERP is covered in the ERP guide for manufacturers.
Mandatory integrations
Prepress workflow systems, cutting and finishing machines, e-invoicing and e-dispatch, shipping carriers, bank statements and accounting.
Where we start
At printers the starting point is usually pricing logic held in one experienced person's head. The price may be right, but it cannot be transferred or compared, and no quote can be produced when that person is away.
The first exercise is writing the pricing formula down: which lines are setup, which scale with quantity, which finishing steps go to subcontractors, and what the price source is for each. Once the formula lives in one place, quoting, work orders and invoicing all use the same logic.
What the data model must make explicit
- Job card: size, paper type and grammage, colour count (front/back), print method and the finishing list.
- Setup lines: plate count, make-ready time and initial waste, as fields independent of quantity.
- Method comparison: digital and offset costs calculated separately for the same job, with the break-even quantity recorded.
- Proof version: the proof sent, the customer response, the approval date and the approver.
- Paper stock: brand, grammage, size and remnant sheets, with cut sizes as separate records.
- Subcontracted finishing: quantity sent, quantity returned, scrap and price.
Roll-out sequence
- Pricing engine: job card fields, setup and quantity lines, paper price source.
- Quoting and approval: quote versions, proofing flow and the approval-blocks-production rule.
- Production scheduling: machine sequencing and a queue that groups the same paper and colour set.
- Costing and invoicing: actual make-ready and run times, subcontractor cost and e-document integration.
What we measure
- Variance between quoted setup time and actual make-ready time
- Initial waste per job, broken down by paper type and machine
- Proof approval waiting time and the number of jobs started before approval
- Distribution of the digital/offset break-even quantity by job type
- Share of subcontracted finishing within total cost
Common mistakes
- Pricing on a single per-unit rate. Small jobs lose money and large jobs become uncompetitive.
- Leaving proofing in e-mail. Which version was approved cannot be proven.
- Treating leftover paper as off-book. Purchasing needs look larger than they are.
- Posting subcontracted finishing costs late. Job profitability changes after the invoice is issued.
Frequently asked questions
Can the price calculator be exposed to customers?
Yes, provided the pricing logic is calculated in one place and the portal only displays the result. Two engines will eventually disagree and produce invoice disputes.
Why should proof approval be in the system?
When production starts without approval, the cost of an error stays entirely with the printer. Recording approval with its date, version and approver both blocks production and produces evidence in a dispute.
How is leftover paper used?
Remnant sheets need separate stock records with size and grammage. Leftover paper tracked only as a total cannot be found when a suitable job arrives.
How is a minimum price defined for small jobs?
When setup lines are calculated independently of quantity, a minimum price emerges naturally. Keeping a "minimum amount" field on the job card additionally flags jobs that fall below the formula.
Should setup be charged again on a repeat job?
That is a commercial decision, but reprints should be a distinct job type in the system. If the plate was kept, the setup line drops; if not, it reappears. Without a plate retention period as a field on the job card, this gets argued from scratch every time.
How does variable data printing affect pricing?
In VDP, cost depends less on run length and more on data preparation: record count, validation and composition automation. Defining that as a separate setup line keeps the standard print pricing logic intact.
