The rising price of print?..

[bigdave]

I've noticed over the past week or two that a couple of the printers I usually use have bumped their prices up by almost 50% while others have maintained a steady pricing structure.

Has anyone else noticed this happening?

Anyone on the coal face know why it's happening?

[Minuteman Press]

Lots and lots of paper price rises - the next (10%) by end of September. Paper has risen by circa 100 - 150% in three years (and lots of mills no longer trading). So... could be a realignment.

[bigdave]

It did cross my mind that the price of paper was on the rise.

[James Barnes 77]

Ink costs too are going up

[Katedesign]

Probably about time - many printers have been swallowing their costs for years. Certainly in my area the numbers of printers who have gone bust or had to merge in the last few years is amazing! When you consider that litho presses cost anything from £250K upwards - my last company is now buying one at £800,000 - and you have to have platemakers, guillotines, creasers, folders, numbering, etc etc. it is not surprising that prices are beginning to rise.

More important though is quality, reliability and service.

Make friends with a couple of local printers and then also use tried and tested folks on here. Local printers will give you more of a choice of stock, and will help you with advice - if you ask. No-one wants to print a rubbish job but as a designer your skill, if you are buying print, is knowing who to place different types of jobs with. I have about 4 different sized local printers that I use and then I make use of a couple of on-line suppliers. (mentioning no names!). No bad experience so far.

Come on printers make sure that you are charging enough for your work. Take a stand. We need to to get some value back in the business of design and print. It is not a commodity - well not all of it - and a beautifully designed and printed piece is a joy!!

Rant over.

[bigdave]

I use a number of printers from here as well as locally (I have 4 litho printers within 5 miles of my front door) and have excellent relationships with them all. For such a long time the same 5-6 printers have charged roughly the same (give or take 10%) and prices have risen across them all (as you'd expect) but then suddenly for a some of the pricing to shoot up buy 50% on all jobs strikes me as odd.

Perhaps I'll pop in and speak to the above mentioned printers next time I'm passing and see if they're either struggling, want rid of my custom or are genuinely paying more for stuff.

[Minuteman Press]

Change of ownership?