How can I judge a print shop’s error rate and reprint costs?
Ask how the shop tracks jobs that had to be redone, and who paid: the shop or the customer. Look at spoilage and reprint costs in the books, usually buried in materials and labour. If nothing is tracked, sample recent job tickets and count the ones that were run twice.
Reprints are a quiet leak. Paper, ink, plates and press time are spent twice, and when the shop is at fault it bears the cost. Many shops do not log reprints at all, so begin by asking what record exists. A seller who can show a spoilage log or a reprint note on job tickets is already ahead of most.
If there is no log, build your own picture. Take a sample of recent tickets and ask the pressman and the front counter which ones were redone and why. Group the causes: customer file problems, proofing mistakes, machine faults and operator slips. Each points to a different fix, and some are cheaper to repair than others.
Then follow the money. Look at the cost of materials on the financial statements and ask whether reprint waste is included or booked elsewhere. A rising materials line with flat sales deserves an explanation. Ask who absorbs the cost when the shop is at fault, and whether discounts or credits are given to calm a customer. Finally, ask how proofing works. A firm approval step before printing tends to cut errors, and a rushed one tends to raise them.
Key takeaways
- Ask for a spoilage or reprint log, or build one from recent job tickets.
- Sort errors by cause to see whether they come from files, proofing or machines.
- Look for waste hidden in materials costs rather than listed on its own.
- Check how firmly proofs are approved before a job runs.
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat is the cost of goods sold (COGS)
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