The Wide Format Printing Monster
We have all heard of the monster under the bed and some of you may still believe in that. I’m not here to judge you. However, I am here to talk about a monster that we may all know but refuse to acknowledge.
The Wide Format Printing Monster… No, I’m not talking about a physical monster.
Let me put things into perspective for you.
First off, most print-shops that are printing your posters are marking up the prints 350–500% . As a result, companies all over could have bought 3-4 wide format printers, ink, and media and still have been saving money.Now, let’s assume that you are currently outsourcing 24″ x 36″ posters and are paying $5 a square foot. For that kind of money, you could install hardwood flooring in your house!
Obviously, this may be a drastic example. For instance, the type of material and ink coverage can change the cost and savings. But, this is a very real evaluation using honest print shop pricing.
We will continue this further. This exact print job being printed every month is $36,000 a year. Seriously!?! For the cost of one job being printed a month you can buy a car...
Now comes the dreaded part that most of you think is unreachable.
The cost of a wide format printer.
Depending on the size of prints, a wide-format printer can range from $3,500 - $25,995. The job mentioned above could be printed on a 24-inch printer costing: $3,495. Now you’re thinking, what about the media? Surely that is where the cost will be coming in. The media in question? Do you want to even guess? $70. Yes, that’s it. That means the total cost for this job to be printed for 1 month would have been $3,565. And that is including buying the printer. Let’s look at the total expenses for the year.Media: $700
Printer: $3,495
Ink: $2630 this is assuming we would need 2 full sets of ink cartridges.
Total: $6,825 Do you remember that print job that was costing around $3,000 a month? That same print job is now costing you $569 a month with a monthly savings of $2,431. For the cost you were paying per month for prints, you could have all your ink, media, and printer paid for in 3 months with a year end savings of $29,175.