One of the most counterintuitive aspects of commercial printing for first-time buyers is the pricing structure. Printing 1,000 copies of a flyer might cost $300. Printing 5,000 copies of the same flyer might cost $450. The total cost has gone up by 50%, but the quantity has increased by 400%. The unit cost has dropped from $0.30 to $0.09.
Why unit cost falls with quantity: makeready and run costs
The cost of a print job has two distinct components: makeready costs and run costs. Makeready costs are the fixed costs of setting up the job — regardless of how many copies are printed. They include prepress, plate-making (for offset printing), press setup, and the waste sheets used during the setup process. These costs are the same whether you print 100 copies or 100,000 copies. Run costs are the variable costs that increase with quantity — primarily paper, ink, and press time. When you print a small quantity, the fixed makeready costs are spread across very few units, making each unit expensive. When you print a large quantity, the same fixed costs are spread across many more units, making each unit much cheaper.
Digital versus offset: different cost structures
Digital printing has very low makeready costs — there are no plates to make, and setup is largely automated. This makes digital printing economical for short runs (typically under 500 copies for most products). The run cost per unit on a digital press is higher than on an offset press, so digital becomes less competitive at higher quantities. Offset printing has higher makeready costs — plates must be made, and the press requires more setup time. But the run cost per unit on an offset press is lower than on a digital press, so offset becomes more competitive as quantities increase. For most products, offset becomes cost-effective somewhere between 500 and 1,000 copies.
Quantity breaks: where the savings are
Print pricing is typically structured around quantity breaks — price points at which the unit cost drops significantly. Common breaks are at 250, 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 copies. The largest unit cost reductions typically occur at the lower quantity breaks. Going from 250 to 500 copies might reduce the unit cost by 40%. Going from 5,000 to 10,000 copies might reduce it by only 15%. When planning a print job, it is worth checking the price at the next quantity break above your planned quantity.
The cost of reprinting
Reprinting a job is expensive relative to printing more copies in the original run. When you reprint, you pay the full makeready costs again — plates, setup, waste — for a new run. The unit cost of a reprint is typically much higher than the unit cost of additional copies in the original run. This is a strong argument for printing slightly more than you think you need, particularly for materials with a long shelf life. The exception is materials with time-sensitive content — prices, dates, contact details, offers.
Practical guidance for planning quantities
Always ask for prices at multiple quantities. A good printer will provide a price table showing the cost at several quantity breaks. Check the next quantity break — if the next break is close and the additional cost is small, consider printing more. Factor in storage costs — if storage is a constraint, it may not be practical to print very large quantities even if the unit cost is attractive. Consider the shelf life of the content — materials with stable content can be printed in larger quantities. Do not over-order to hit a price break — printing 5,000 copies to get a better unit price is only good value if you will actually use 5,000 copies.