Starting a Save the Date Card business and need help with home printing

[dleeoc]

Hello GDF!

I am trying to start my own Save the Date wedding card business and have been running into some snags. I am a graphic designer and went to a few of my favorite local printers to price out some cards. For Save the Date cards or invitations, the customer will probably order anywhere from 10 to 150 cards. My issue is I am used to printing in large quantities and the pricing for short runs with envelopes are starting a around $2.60 each. With this pricing there is no room for margin. I decided to buy a Konica Minolta 1600w laser printer to try to print on my own, but the quality is just not what I am looking for. So my dilemma is I need to find a printer local to me in Huntington Beach CA that can give me a decent price on a short run, or advice on a printer I can buy to produce my cards at home....also paper advice. I have tried 14pt Tango C2S, 100# Wausau, 12pt Kromekote on the Minolta and each one is not giving me the results I want. My designs are vector art and photos and want them printed in glossy or matte card stock. I also need to print on magnets. All designs will have matching envelopes. Any help would be amazing!!!

THX!
Dana

[Jam]

I have been asked to design a number of wedding cards invites etc but was always in the same boat, that even with out my time & costs (free for friends and family) the price was still far to expensive to have them printed in such short runs.

How does your print cope with text?
My idea would be to produce larger runs of the cards you like and then reprint the text on your own machine. This might not work if your using client photos etc.

Can you print neat labels to add to the cards?
Make the cards look more craft like?

Stock is a big thing, that can make a difference - start calling around paper mills and ask for samples - most places will give you them free and you can then run tests to see what works better.

Go to your local stationers (WH Smith in the UK) they may offer a similar service and you can always grab ideas from them, it will also give you a better idea of your market and the prices they charge - check out your competition.
There are a number of online companies that do the same thing.

Keep it simple, work out your over heads - how much does it cost to run your own printer?

Magnets - We used round magnets for my save the day cards, they came with glue already on one side and where quick to stick to the cards. It might be a cheaper alternative to printing directly onto the magnets themselves.

[PrintDriver]

How much total volume do you have?
Have you approached a printer about bringing your work exclusively to him only, buying your own paper stock and keeping it on hand (to avoid his markup) and do you have a state reseller's certificate (wholesale tax exemption) to get you the wholesale price?
The ST-4 tax exemption does mean you have to collect tax from your client and turn it over to the state but it may be worth it.

[Drazan]

^^ if you are a business, you should collect tax and keep all receipts and expenses for tax deductions.

If you are in the States you are required to report income over $600 per year.

As for printing, I agree with PD. If you just got pricing on a single short run, it may be higher than contracting for multiple short runs.

Jade

[mdohrn]

As I looked at your stock list, I had to laugh a little, because at the shop I work at, I run a Docucolor 5000, which is a fairly high-end production-level printer, and some of those my Docucolor would poop on.

For your printer at home, I might recommend lightening your stocks a bit... for instance, try 10pt. Kromekote instead of 12pt. Tango isn't very high-grade paper and I have had issues with it on my box - perhaps try different sheets like Carolina or Jefferson Spirit.

Envelopes are going to be very expensive for you because generally they can't be run except through a printing press, and that's just not a cheap process ever, anywhere for a short run. One possible alternative to explore is making stamps, whether traditional rubber stamps or plasticky Brother-style stamps which can be made very quickly and fairly cheaply, which you can then use to imprint on the envelope. In the long run, this would cost significantly less than having envelopes press-printed.

Another thing you may consider is buying/building/obtaining a small silkscreen setup. This would allow you to use spot colors and any stock you like, and DRASTICALLY reduce your overhead. Color printing might be a little bit more sticky of a wicket, but the approach which you are currently using will not yield very much margin because you aren't actually making anything yourself when you sublet all your printing to someone else.

Good luck!!

[Pix_Z]

You could try digital printing, but your choice of stock is limited.

You could come up with master designs, print a large quantity of these, and then print the specific text on it later (either at a printer or on a laser) when an order is in. You'll have to talk to your printer, though, to make sure the coating and inks used on the master will accept a second run of ink/toner.

The problem with printing it yourself is that the equipment will need constant care. We have a printer at work that can print postcards, but all the printer drums, the belt, the fuser, etc. have to be in top condition to get a good print run. Plus you have to buy special paper stock (oversize for bleeds, laser print coated, etc.) and make special trips out to get it cut and trimmed.

I work in Irvine, CA, and have an occasional, recurring project that is qty. 125. Most printers have a 500 minimum and some have refused to quote on the low quantity project. For that project we pay an arm and a leg, but our clients getting the material are expected to make purchases in the millions of dollars.