Rates for newsletter production

[kaycam]

Hi All,

What is the going rate to produce a four-colour newsletter that is four pages long, and the client has no photos so you have to produce the images from stock photos?

And how long does it take to design a newsletter, on average?

Kay

[SurfPark]

Hi All,

What is the going rate to produce a four-colour newsletter that is four pages long, and the client has no photos so you have to produce the images from stock photos?

Hard to say. If you want to hire an out-of-school upcomer, its going to be slightly less expensive than a designer with many years under their belt. It has a lot to do with who you hire. There isn't really an average rate. You're paying for experience, and there is a wide range of it.

Also, it depends on the distrobution of the newsletter. How many will be printed? Is it a local or national publication? It could be priced anywhere from $100 to $10,000 depending on the designer, the distro, and if there are any illustration/photography fees.

And how long does it take to design a newsletter, on average?
Again, it depends on the designer. On average, I say at least a few weeks. It depends on if you want the designer to deal with the printer for you, or if you just want the designer to make something on a disc and you'd deal with the printer. It also depends on how quickly you deliever the newsletter's contents to the designer and how well-organized the information is when the designer obtains it.

My suggestion for you is to really define the job and offer it up for bidding among several designers. This hypothetical "How much is this job?" questioning won't get you a specific answers....you'll have to ask an even more specific question. Graphic designers are like fashion designers/interior designers...all of our work is custom and price depends on the skill ofthe designer and the materials involved.

[PrintDriver]

This person IS the designer. They reference "The Client".

Get a copy of the GAG handbook. (Graphic Arts Guild). Then charge according to your area. See if any designers in your area have rates posted on their website. But view those with caution. Some may not know any better than you or may be low-balling.

Remember that stock photos can cost money as well - unless you go for a subscription service or free sites that everyone and their uncle uses. And remember to charge the client for them.

It's also been noted on here by the admins of the site that discussing actual pricing indexes among members of a trade may be illegal. I've yet to see an actual reference to the law that makes it so.

[Pete33]

Personally, I would charge an hourly flat rate fee for building a newsletter. I've done a few of these in the past, with lots of graphics thrown in, and four pages usually takes between five to ten working days to complete. It all depends on the complexity of the layouts.

You're probably looking at a total project time of around 25-40 hours to complete the layouts and produce proofing images for checking by the client.

As mentioned, buying in stock images will be an additional cost, unless the client has their own stock they can supply. I would expect to do the buying in myself, based on the client's preferences (ie. checking whether they like the choices I have selected!), and pass the cost on in my final bill.

Then you're looking at the cost of printing. For the newsletters I've produced, I've always dealt with the printers myself. A rough guide to pricing there is that an 8-page full glossy brochure with a print run of 1500 costs around £1,500 ($2,670) to print and deliver.

I hope that helps.