5 Money Saving Tips For Full Color Brochures

Looking for low cost brochure printing deals? Want some tips on how to save big when designing and printing your next full-color brochure? If that’s you, keep reading because there are 5 simple ways you can save money on your next brochure order.

1. Standard Sizes…or Not

You may think that having your brochure larger or a different size than normal will make it somehow unique. The fact is, what will make your full-color brochure unique is the content and design not necessarily the size. The best bet for saving money is to design your brochure using common sizes. The most common brochure sizes are 8.5 x 11 or 5.5 x 8.5. There are two reasons why this is. One, paper comes in large sheets which are made in standard sizes. Because larger or odd size brochures are printed and are cut down to size, you will have lots of wasted paper. You are charged for the raw materials needed to print your brochure however many big sheets it takes to print your order. Two, offset presses and digital presses are designed for maximum efficiency to use standard paper sizes, oddball sizes cause inefficiencies that increase your cost.

2. Lose the Fold…or Not
This is the second area that can drive up the cost of your full-color brochure. Folding is the last step in the production process. The most common folds are Z-Fold, Letter Fold and BiFold. Generally, the more complex the fold, the higher the price. The reason is because of the law o

f supply and demand. Folding machines are configured for the most common folds which are the most in demand. Anything out of the norm adds time and cost.

3. Limit Color Use…or Not
Usually there is no limit on color when it comes to printing brochures. Four-color process printing makes it possible to print just about any color under the sun. The only caveat is with specific PMS colors or metallic colors like gold or silver. With four-color process printing you get any color by mixing cyan, magenta, yellow & black. When you add a metallic color that makes the job a five-color job instead of a four-color process job, this will raise your cost dramatically.

4. Type of Paper
The feel of the paper can help communicate your message. It is an important decision for any brochure project. Paper, like most of the above points, can add or reduce your cost. When deciding on the paper, look at how you are going to use the brochure. Does it need to be sturdy or will a lighter weight paper work. Paper comes in two basic classifications “text weight” and “cover weight”. Text is a lighter weight paper. Cover weight is thicker and is used for covers of manuals, booklets and brochures.

The most common brochure paper is 100# Gloss Text. This is the heaviest text weight paper.

Using cover weight paper usually requires scoring before folding. This adds to the cost of the brochure.

The guiding principle for deciding what paper for your brochure is, how are you going to use the brochure. If you want to pass them out like tissue paper or mail them, my suggestion is to use the text weight paper. If you need thicker paper to make a statement or add durability, then use the thicker paper. If not use the thinner paper. We can help you decide on the best paper for your brochure.

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5. Buy in Bulk
Like most things, the more you buy, the lower the price. How many are you going to distribute in the next six months, twelve months? At Wilson Printing we offer four-color brochure printing in quantities ranging from 500 to 100,000.

Remember, a full color brochure only works if it is passed out. Don’t be stingy with your promotion. A box of brochures does not sell anything sitting on a shelf. Plan how you are going to get the brochures in the hands of customers and prospects. The more printed promotional materials you have out, the more business you will bring in.

Mark Hale

CEO