Graphic Design & Printing TechnologySpecification (Spec) :- A typical spec includes the quantity to be printed, the
dimension of the job, the type of paper or other substrates to be printed, the
number of inks and their colour, the number of folds, the method of binding,
the method of packing and other factors that influence the cost which are
explained below.
Business cost can be grouped into three categories- the material cost, the labour
cost and the fixed costs.
The material cost is the price paid for items that are consumed for a job to be
printed such as paper, ink and packaging materials. The labour cost is the
‘people costs’ involved in operating a business which includes hourly wages,
salaries and benefits for employees. The fixed cost is the business expenses
that remain consistant regardless of the volume of work in the shop which
includes rent, electricity charges, telephone charges, cost of advertisements,
office supplies, and the cost of the machineries and equipment needed to run
the press.
Calculating production cost
Printing estimate or quotation is an offer to print a particular job for a specified
price. If the customer accepts the estimate it becomes a contract that it binding
for both printer and the customer. Accurate printing estimate depends upon
precise costing informations which include the hourly running of the firm. It
is a combination of labour costs and overheads. Printing cost is calculated on
the basis of the time required to perform a particular operation or the amount
of output that can be expected. It includes the time to prepare the press, time
for running 1000 press sheets and the time to wash up the ink and gum the
plate.
Thus for example, if a machine requires 15 minutes to print 1000 press sheets,
30 minutes of make ready time and 30 minutes of wash up time equals
1 ¼ hours of total press time. If hourly charge of the cost center is Rs.100/-,
then the production cost of the above center will be 100 X 1.25 = Rs. 125/-
Pre-press cost:- It is the time for preparing a digital output file for each plate.
Paper cost:- The quantity of paper required for completing a particular job
and its cost.
Plate cost:- It depends on the number of colours and number of pages of a job
Binding and finishing:- It includes the cost for operating the bindery machines
and the materials for it.