If You Supply Your Own Paper to Your Own Magazine Printer?
This really is a matter that's surfaced numerous times within the course of my livelihood. Frankly, I have hated to know it because I understood the publisher asking it'd be skeptical in my answer. I think its pretty safe to say most everybody else knows that printers make money once they provide paper with their clients. The number varies by printer as some view paper as a source of further profits among others only need to cover their associated costs of handling and acquisition. Does it matter how much a printer is currently making on the paper that they are supplying to youpersonally? No! , it willn't; but that is simply given their prices are market-competitive and you're getting what you are paying for. The enormous AND is basically because I've caused a magazine writer recently where the newspaper they were actually becoming was 2 inches less than that which they were paying . They had no idea before I brought it to their attention and it had been going on for quite some time. To make matters worse, they certainly were overpaying by something similar to $10.00/cwt (presuming they were obtaining the grade they were paying for, which they weren't).
Anyway, as a result of the fiasco, this publisher asked me that my thoughts about buying their own paper. Again, I have now been asked this questions numerous times within the course of my livelihood, mostly during very tender markets when paper merchants are outside actively attempting to get rid of unneeded paper. Regardless of if this question was asked 20 Years Back or has been asked today, my answer remains the same:
If you're a little commerce and special interest magazine publisher with 1 5 titles (and without knowing your specific circumstances) the overall answer is no, you should perhaps not. The following is my support with this response:
A user of paper has 3 potential choices for buying paper - a) through the printer b) in the paper broker or c) mill direct. Regarding most trade and special interest magazine publishers, you are getting to become too small to buy mill guide therefore I won't include the advantages and disadvantages of that choice. So lets check out the other two:
Printer Supplied Paper
To begin with, there is truly just one perceived"con" to buying your paper through your printer and that's that generally you're paying a mark up. Again, the percent fluctuates from printer-to-printer. This has significantly complicated as, although you may be paying a markup, it generally does not necessarily indicate that you are paying more for the newspaper. Its like other things, it only depends on what you're comparing it too! Just do not assume that if there's a markup being implemented that you are overpaying. The bottom line pricing is that you simply must compare the quoted price to something of similar specs to get a determination on a fair price.
Let us consider what it is that you are receiving for your own markup that's applied to paper furnished by your printer becauseI am telling you, in the end, it's worth every cent!
1) Administration. Trust in me, government is a hassle. Keep in mind, when you supply your paper it's the obligation to make sure that there was enough paper on a ground to complete your work. It might appear simple enough but it's time that most don't have those days. And it's equally essential that you manage your inventory in order to don't have too much paper sitting on the ground costing you money when it's not used. Whenever your printer provides the paper, this really becomes their problem and so they understand how to manage it effectively!
2) Flexibility. Being a magazine publisher the chances are that you don't make many major lastminute changes in page count or amounts. However , if you do, will your broker be ready and can respond? Again, printer supplied paper make this their problem, not yours.
3) Quality. Buying paper through your printer guarantees caliber. In a soft paper market, brokers are typically able to supply premium quality, A-grade newspaper because it is easily available. But as soon as an industry stinks, many times what agents have available for them are"seconds" or even mill/printer denied newspaper. I remember an episode when a writer supplied their particular paper into our printing company and also we found it had been paper which we had received directly from the mill and had made it to quality motives. The teenager - it didn't run! The cost to the publication, for that 1 problem, was much over the projected joint yearly savings that will have been attained by supplying their paper for us. We functioned to deliver some relief to the customer however they immediately went straight back to"printer supplied" paper.
4) Availability. Again, even once the industry is soft, accessibility is generally not an issue. However, once the market warms up quickly, it can unexpectedly become one. I had an individual who insisted on supplying his own newspaper. There came an problem, for reasons that I don't recall, where they were suddenly unable to acquire their newspaper to us in time. Consequently, they were pleading with us to help them out in order to see them with the paper they demanded. The issue was that we only did not need it to provide them with. We were ultimately able to see them with the newspaper that they had however it came at a cost so excellent that it far surpassed the combined annual savings that they had intended to realize by supplying their newspaper to us.
5) Reaching Costs. When Eurocalco sets get paper by the broker, you may typically have 30 days from time of delivery to make payment (but you can find a few agents that will bill up on use instead of delivery). With printer supplied paper you will have typically have 1 month (or whatever your credits terms could be) after shipping of the magazine to pay your printing bill, including paper. Apparently, if you're not working with a broker who can charge up on usage rather than delivery, this ties up your hard earned money .
6) Printer Handling Fees. Almost all printers charge a handling fee for clients that provide their own paper. This fee may vary anywhere from $.75/CWT to as large as $2.00/cwt. Regardless of which end with the range you consider, the percentage that the amount represents of your entire savings per CWT for buying through a broker is significant. Printers who would like to dissuade customer supplied paper will likely soon be at the higher end of the spectrum while printers who do not mind customer supplied paper will soon be at the end.
This constitutes yet another point worth mentioning:
There are some more compact printers who just do not have the quantity to obtain paper cost effectively and economically as they must buy paper from brokers rather than mill guide. I worked to get a printer in my own past that just couldn't guarantee my client their paper could be consistently of the same mill, quality and brand unless the customer used a weight and caliber of paper that they (the printer) specified. These types of printers (on average not magazine certain printers) have zero problem with their customers supplying their own paper. It's rather important that you make use of a printer who can, and will, enable you to get the paper that YOU want instead of what they are able to get. Again, should you need to supply your own paper because your printer cannot get you exactly what you want/need, you then are with the wrong printer.
Broker/Merchant Supplied Paper
Regrettably there are just a few advantages for a tiny trade and special interest magazine writer, in my own estimation, to purchasing paper by the broker/merchant. There can be an amount advantage under certain circumstances but again, don't only assume that.
In all honesty, I only have been a fan of younger publishers purchasing their own paper. While there can be several slight savings to be accomplished, the risks involved are far to great. I've seen too many publishers experience disasters and the associated costs are nearly lethal for their own businesses.
Do your assignments! Speak with a person who knows both sides of the equation. Maintain the services of an expert who can provide you with unbiased advice.
There are some exceptional methods by which it's possible to realize the greatest of both worlds. Again, the services of a qualified consultant who knows magazines and that knows magazines as related to paper, print and distribution can supply you with an overall picture and ensure that you are receiving the very best deal available and are dispersing and producing your book rather efficiently and cost-effectively as you possibly can.